Tomatoes... Oops

The test was half an hour after eating, I wanted to see if the tomatoes affected my levels... Two hours later they were 9.3... This from 4.5 ... But after walking about 1.3 miles they dropped back to 5.8 and I've just taken them and they are at 5.3

So they have dropped back significantly

I do make my own sauces etc, I always have, actually most things I cook are from scratch as I've never been keen on pre packed meals or TV dinners. When my daughter was young I found that I didn't like the added salt etc, then it became a financial issue and finally I preferred fresh...

I've always used tomatoes, either fresh or tinned they are a staple in my house. I'm still on a learning curve, but until tonight I've never read the nutrition information for them. That's going to have to change I think, in a way it saddens me that all the years I thought I was cooking good healthy meals I really wasn't taking into account some of the added sugar. I really wish I had looked more closely to what I cooking but I can't do that I can only move forward from this point.

It's really starting to get to me though, not the thought of being diabetic, all though that frightens me still, but even some of my comfort foods taking away the pasta, bread and potatoes really need to be looked at.

The one positive that I'm taking from all of this is that although I was starting to change certain aspects of my diet, like reducing my coffee / sugar intake, reducing my bread and pasta intake this has given my diet a complete overhaul that it's needed for the last 10 years.

My doctor recommended a month on a low carb diet and cutting out as much sugar as I can, but I think it's going to be with me for the long haul, because if I'm not in control of what goes in, how do I control what's happening when it's in there

Winnie53 said:

It's all so individual isn't it?

I eat onions every day, and tomatoes quite a bit too with no problems now, though initially, tomatoes did affect my glucose levels. Some people cannot tolerate onion or garlic and should not eat them.

I'm not able to have wheat, rye, barley, coffee or chocolate. Like you and others, I've adapted.

Click to expand...

Winnie and donnellysdogs

It is so different for everyone, I've been using onions and garlic and it's not moved my BS levels at all, I just sniffed the tomatoes and it went sky high, I felt so sick when it reached its highest, I seriously didn't have that much... It was 160g can and the carbs and sugars were not that bad... For the whole can... I only used a small amount of it when I made up the sauce, but I know in future I'm going to be limited. I'm just praying that I get some tolerance to them.

Ok if I couldn't have coffe I really really don't know what I would do, I've found a substitute for sugar and I'm still able to enjoy it. I'm luck in certain respects, I can take or leave chocolate, yes there are times when I enjoy it but it wasn't something that was a constant in my diet anyway just a treat now and again if I fancied it.

I think your right the key is adapting, and finding the alternatives that work for you as an individual, but it's such a process of trial and error. I'm starting to understand some of the advice from friends I got when starting this and just keep testing. Eventually I'm going to find what works

And my bloods back to normal this morning.. 4.7 thank god

Oldvatr said:

I had this happen to me too. One well known brand in large supermart seemed reasonable carbs similar to what you posted in the OP, but when I checked after I spiked abnormally, I found what was quoted was not 'per 100g' but was by portion (size unstated). Now I buy the Aldi own brand tins, and find I am fine with them. So my advice is to try different brands, since they do vary quite considerably. Those manufacturers catering for the UK market add more sugar than the continental canneries since we in the UK have a sweet tooth. Try having a proper italian resteraunt meal and it will probably taste very tart compared to a supermart frozen equivalent. Another trick employed by canneries is to use Malitol sweetner or Maltose/ Dextrose sugar alcohols, These do not have to be declared as carbs or sugars, but do affect bgl meter readings with some meters. It is hidden sugar.

Click to expand...

Hi Oldvatr

I've been cooking real Italian food since I started cooking, I tend to try using fresh tomatoes and in the summer I have a glut of them normally.. I like the tarter taste to the really sweet one, it's just I was out of fresh and frozen ones that's why I used the tinned ones. I've been shopping and it's official my family is beginning to hate th extra hour and a half spent in the supermarket reading labels... It's certainly been an education....

However what I hadn't realised was that there were hidden sugars in products.. I'm not going yo pull out my soap box here, but using a substitute that gets away with not having to declare different values is just plain evil...

Ok my learning curve is growing every day but I think it's going to have to be fresh is best for the time being,,,

Winnie53 said:

Interesting. I live in the USA and actually switched to an imported marinara sauce from Italy. A lot less added sugar, more intense flavors. So good. Worth the additional cost.

Click to expand...

Winnie, I really don't know how you cope over there with all the added corn syrup etc, it's bad enough over here but at least that's banned...

Another one of my real misses is peanut butter... Yes it's sold in the uk with a lot less sugar BUT I LOVED... note the past tense American peanut butter especially Reece's ...

When my doctor said no sugar it was one of the first things I had to send over to my daughters house... It was too dangerous for me to keep in the cupboard.

I have visited Italy numerous times and the food there makes what's served here as Italian food a cheap copy...

Bluetit1802 said:

I eat tomatoes every day, either cherry toms or grilled proper toms and don't have a problem. However, on the occasions I have some tinned ones I do get a reaction so I have to limit the amount.

Click to expand...

Hi Bluetit

I've tried real tomatoes today, your right they don't spike very much at all

Ross.Walker said:

1/2 an hour? That is not a problem in my view or have I missed a vital point?

Click to expand...

Hi Ross

The half hour wasn't the problem the doubling of my blood sugars two hours later was it's taken so much to get them diwn and keep them down, it was the first time I had used canned tomatoes since starting my low carb journey and I wanted to see what they did to my levels

walnut_face said:

Just being devilish.....and chucking this into the mix. Tomatoes have the highest concentration of nicotine of any food

View attachment 22206

Click to expand...

Wallnut_face they are the cigarettes of the food world in that case... And highly addictive

Winnie53 said:

Back in the days when I worked in a restaurant, late 90's, early 2000's, a customer mentioned to me that giving up all corn products significantly improved her health. From that point forward, I tried to buy processed foods with sugar, not corn syrup, but continued to eat corn chips and corn bread. Today I rarely eat grains or anything with added sugar. And because I live in the USA, I try to eat organic, non-GMO, whole foods as much as possible.

I love Reeces Peanut Butter cups, my absolute favorite junk food, but I really do have a food sensivity to chocolate so rarely have them now. Switching to peanut butter helped. I was delighted to find in our local health food store that it's now possible to buy organic peanut butter with no added sugar or salt or other additives that you have to stir and store in the refrigerator. Perhaps you have something similar too. If you can eat a tablespoon or less, it's actually a nice treat on the low carb diet.

Reading this thread has got me thinking about growing some Roma tomatoes this year. We have deer though. Fingers and toes crossed deer don't like tomato plants.

Click to expand...

Hi Winnie

We have several brands of organic peanut butter without the added sugars etc, I think I'm going to investigate further, because I use it to cook with as well as eat on toast ... And I'm with you on the peanut butter cups... I found the mini ones great because I would only eat two at a time at the most.

Good luck on growing your tomatoes, I kill off plants so leave the tomato growing to my sister and neighbour. My neighbour grows the big nice sweet plum tomatoes which I'm sure are your Roma ones, and I end up with bags full of them... This is why I normally have a stock of sauces in my freezer... There is nothing sweeter than homegrown free tomatoes...

I have to admit about the only thing I've been able to grow with sucess in my garden is blackberries... And I normally make jam / jelly with them... I'm still going yo make it this year but I think it's all going to go to my friends who normally fight over my spare bottles... Unless I can find a sugar free way of preserving them...