pre/post meal readings and spikes

AnnieC said:

I would

I personally would not look for peaks I only want to know what my BS is before and 2 hours after a meal and that is usually under 7 so I am happy with that. These are the guidelines
2 hours after meals
(post prandial)
Non-diabetic 4.0 to 5.9 mmol/Lunder 7.8 mmol/L
Type 2 diabetes4 to 7 mmol/Lunder 8.5 mmol/L
Type 1 diabetes 4 to 7 mmol/Lunder 9 mmol/L
Children w/ type 1 diabetes4 to 8 mmol/L

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These guidelines have not been chosen because they are the optimum levels for health.
They have been chosen for a complex system of reasons incorporating the cost of treatment, compromise, burden on healthcare and orthodox medical thinking.

I really do suggest you read Jenny Ruhl's book.

The one I read was the blood sugar 101.

But I will be getting the diet one too (haven't seen it before).

When I first realised that diabetes had finally arrived, this book did more to relieve my sense of impending helplessness and doom than anything else. Enjoy.

This topic is an interesting read - I am new to this and have been testing my own sugars compared to different meals so was wondering the exact same thing! I hope you don't mind me hijacking your thread as it is a similar question and continues on what you were asking.

Does anyone know if it makes a difference as to WHEN the spike happens? ie after 1 hour or 2 hours after a meal? If it is later is it due to other things (like protein or fat) slowing it down - and is that a good or bad thing to slow it down? I am guessing the main thing is to have your levels back to 'normal' quicker rather than spread out?

I was really shocked to see my levels were this high after eating gnocchi pesto (I know, I know but I was testing it out and I am pre-diabetic, plus was missing pasta after a long break from it)

My readings were:
1 hour after - 7.9 ( I thought was okay because I assumed it would go down from here...)
2 hours after - 10.1 (!)
3 hours after - 8.2
Morning after was fine at 4.3.

According to this, I am above the normal range for BSLs which went for a few hours. I thought high GI food would give you a quick spike and drop (like I usually get from eating sugar/high GI) but the above was quite slow and drawn out.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

@May_23

I'm afraid that pasta is notorious for causing long, slow drawn out spikes in blood glucose. With me, it can take about 4 hours, before it peaks. You seem to have proved that gnocchi does the same!

I take the attitude that the higher and sharper the spike (both up and down), the harder it is on my body, so I try and slow things down where poss, by burying carbs alongside fibre (and fat, but that is not such a good idea). And of course portion size is key.

However, having glucose levels that stay high is not beneficial either.

Annoying, isn't it?

Ideally, you avoid spikes altogether, which as you have already discovered, is possible, but takes work!

My DN told me that they are looking for hump backed bridges rather than sharp rises and falls. I suppose the peak will be the same height for the same meal whether it be a slow rise and fall or a quick one, but that doesn't make sense to me. A high peak is a high peak and if it takes longer to reach and longer to fall your blood sugars are higher for longer. We are told to mix carbs with good foods to slow things down, but how does this lessen the peak? Maybe someone with a more scientific brain will come along to explain.

Isn't it just an 'area under the curve' issue? (Don't worry, I'm not about to start talking integral calculus).

Imagine a sharp high peak represented by nine bricks stacked on top of each other. Now restack them three wide and three high. It's still nine, but spread over a longer time and not reaching the same peak value.

I think we need to minimise the "area under the curve" AND minimise the maximum rise AND minimise the duration of the rise AND minimise the volatility.

Sigh.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

Yup, can't disagree with that - especially the maximum rise and the volatility. High sharp spikes must make the pancreas feel it's being whacked with a frying pan.

Keep your fingers crossed for me this morning. Today we ate the first of this year's mangoes from the tree (food miles = 15 metres), along with some plain yoghurt and wheat bran for me. Slightly fewer carbs than my usual raw rolled oats, but so much fructose.

Mango really is the nectar of the gods. Please let it be tolerated by my system.

I really, really miss fruit. Especially now we have banana and mango in fruit in the garden, and pineapple just down the road.

Looks like mangoes are go!!!! (Well, I suppose in moderation.....)

Fasting level (counting this as preprandial too): 3.8
Postprandial level: 4.0

I have to be delighted with that.

aqualung said:

my strips arrived today so back to testing...

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Mine still haven't arrived I've had to open a resolution case on Ebay and order some more. They should arrive tomorrow hopefully.

Pineapple is pretty similar, but is a more fibrous fruit and less carby, on a weight for weight basis.

I have resisted the little bananas thus far, but I have a feeling they're to go to the meter.






Frozen mango daiquiri anyone?

Mango does terrible things to me.

I ate some mid evening and woke up at 3 am with a cold sweat hypo nightmare. It was ages before I could calm the sense of shaking doom laden terror enough to sleep again. Of course, it was long before I had a monitor, and during my hypoglycaemic days (not diabetic days) but i have been exceedingly wary since.

Can I suggest that you check your reaction to mangos at different ripeness - the fully ripe ones are incredibly, exquisitely, heavenly sweet...

Brunneria said:

Mango does terrible things to me.

I ate some mid evening and woke up at 3 am with a cold sweat hypo nightmare. It was ages before I could calm the sense of shaking doom laden terror enough to sleep again. Of course, it was long before I had a monitor, and during my hypoglycaemic days (not diabetic days) but i have been exceedingly wary since.

Can I suggest that you check your reaction to mangos at different ripeness - the fully ripe ones are incredibly, exquisitely, heavenly sweet...

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Thanks. This one this morning was pretty ripe. I'd been eyeing it for 2 days, since I plucked it from the three (not that I'm a big wusssss). I'll repeat the test when I have another, but imagine a less ripe fruit would be more benign. We'll see!

It was just soooooooo delicious. As I have said a squillion time, I really miss fruit.

I have just repeated the mango test this morning. I was 4.2 before breakfast, and 4.2 afterwards. And. And,.......... this one was even more ripe. You know the sort that needs a shower after eating it?

I'm very happy with that result.

Oh well. That didn't go so well.

This evenings dinner was a baked potato with baked beans and cheese. 2 hours later, 6.9 (confirmed by rehashing hands and testing again).

Last time I had a reading that high was in November. Bother, bother, bother.

I have had baked potato before, without a problem. I can only guess it was the addition of some Waitrose (yes, we get some Waitrose products here) beans, and a larger spud than I'd had before.

I'll test again in a short while, which will be 3 hours postprandially, and see where it's gone to by then.

The only saving grace is, I enjoyed it.