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Type 2 Shredded Wheat

Welcome David to the forum. You’ll learn a lot more about what raises your blood sugars if you stick around here.
Let me tag in @daisy1 for her useful info post for you.
Now back to the shredded wheat, it is a high carbohydrate food, all carbohydrates turn to sugar once you eat them, so bingo, that’s why they raise your blood sugars. Hope this all helps.
 
I have found that almost every cereal in supermarket isles has around 60% carbs, the usual names closer to 80%. This is relevant as the carbohydrate is seen as sugar in the body (although some allow for fibre carbs not being absorbed). If you have say 50 grams of Cornflakes that can be up to 10 teaspoons of sugar. When you look at sugar look at the back of the package and divide the total carbs by 4 to get the REAL sugar amount for whatever the weight is, don't be fooled by the numbers on the front or colour schemes (in fact the less you get from packets / boxes the better e.g. eggs, beef, pork etc have no worries about sugar).

You might like to consider replacing shredded wheat with something like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and a couple of scoops of full fat Greek yogurt, or may be bacon, eggs, tomato and mushrooms. These options will fill you for longer and produce a smoother blood sugar rise (and less insulin usage).
 
Hello and welcome. Yes, it is surprising what a 'healthy' breakfast can do to the blood glucose levels.

Your glucometer has served you well today, take heed and find a more acceptable brekky (You will enjoy the better readings and probably enjoy your new breakfast more than shredded grass) :)
 
Shredded Glucose :D

You just had your first lesson in what can contribute to helping some people become diabetic, and what not to eat in order to live with it. The early months are fraught with experiences like this. Experimentation is your friend.
 
Mbaker said:
I have found that almost every cereal in supermarket isles has around 60% carbs, the usual names closer to 80%. This is relevant as the carbohydrate is seen as sugar in the body (although some allow for fibre carbs not being absorbed). If you have say 50 grams of Cornflakes that can be up to 10 teaspoons of sugar. When you look at sugar look at the back of the package and divide the total carbs by 4 to get the REAL sugar amount for whatever the weight is, don't be fooled by the numbers on the front or colour schemes (in fact the less you get from packets / boxes the better e.g. eggs, beef, pork etc have no worries about sugar).

You might like to consider replacing shredded wheat with something like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and a couple of scoops of full fat Greek yogurt, or may be bacon, eggs, tomato and mushrooms. These options will fill you for longer and produce a smoother blood sugar rise (and less insulin usage).
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What would you have for breakfast instead of cereal
 
When it comes to cereals ( as with many foods) different people will have different levels of carb tolerance etc and will show different blood sugar responses to the same food(s)
This cereal is low sugar and lower carb than many cereal at 44g carbs per 100g.

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp...tps:gb/groceries/lizis-low-sugar-granola-500g

My 87 year old mum is a T2 diabetic and her sugars are fine after eating a bowl of it, although we limit it to 3 days a week and use lower carb breakfasts on other days. On the other hand, my sugars went stratospheric when I tried a similar amount of the same cereal
 
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Diane_56 said:
What would you have for breakfast instead of cereal
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I have a mug of whole fat milk with coffee in it, or a couple of eggs.

that said, you could try 1 shredded wheat and see what happens. What did you have with your shredded wheat? and what did you drink?
 
Diane_56 said:
What would you have for breakfast instead of cereal
Click to expand...
I dont always have breakfast, but when I do I most frequently have either
1) hebba pap porridge https://bantingblvd.co.za/products/heba
2) yogurt with berries, toasted almonds & chia seeds
3) eggs in some manner - usually boiled with 1 slice of low carb toast on the side or scrambled with smoked salmon
4) a slice of home made low carb cake
 
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Did you have the Shredded Wheat with normal milk? As some can eat the Wheat with Almond milk, others that use normal milk have found this makes their BGL rise, so it could be the milk and not the wheat. Or it could be both.
 
derry60 said:
Did you have the Shredded Wheat with normal milk? As some can eat the Wheat with Almond milk, others that use normal milk have found this makes their BGL rise, so it could be the milk and not the wheat. Or it could be both.
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Semi skimmed, but I think it’s best if I ditch shredded wheat & weetabix, because this was worse.
 
David_Houlis said:
Semi skimmed, but I think it’s best if I ditch shredded wheat & weetabix, because this was worse.
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That could well be a far better idea.. eggs and bacon are so much nicer..and kinder to your blood sugar..
Or you could skip breakfast entirely to extend your overnight fast..
 
David_Houlis said:
Semi skimmed, but I think it’s best if I ditch shredded wheat & weetabix, because this was worse.
Click to expand...

I agree. Ditch the Shredded wheat, and any other breakfast cereal including porridge. Swap over to fats and protein, and keep away from carbs at breakfast time. As suggested above, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, a tomato, cheese, cold meats, full fat Greek yogurt with 2 or 3 strawberries or half a dozen raspberries to sweeten it.
 
@David_Houlis
Hello David and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
Diane_56 said:
What would you have for breakfast instead of cereal
Click to expand...
If I have breakfast it is as in my post:
  • strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and a couple of scoops of full fat Greek yogurt
  • bacon and or sausages, eggs, tomato and mushrooms.
  • I also make pancakes using coconut flour and cream cheese (many recipes on YoutTube) or from the same batter waffles
  • I also have kippers and eggs
I would if necessary have any meat for breakfast. My experiment on high protein is over so I have moved more to one meal a day during the week and 2 meals at the weekend (mainly to sneak in mixed nuts in the morning about 1500 calories worth)
 
Mbaker said:
If I have breakfast it is as in my post:
  • strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and a couple of scoops of full fat Greek yogurt
  • bacon and or sausages, eggs, tomato and mushrooms.
  • I also make pancakes using coconut flour and cream cheese (many recipes on YoutTube) or from the same batter waffles
  • I also have kippers and eggs
I would if necessary have any meat for breakfast. My experiment on high protein is over so I have moved more to one meal a day during the week and 2 meals at the weekend (mainly to sneak in mixed nuts in the morning about 1500 calories worth)
Click to expand...
Sounds nice will try some of them
 
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