What Bread To Eat?!

[Darion89]

Hi guys,

Was diagnosed T1 about 4 months ago, I posted on here explaining my story etc. Since then my main struggles have been testing blood; I've stopped altogether because I find it time consuming when I'm ready for a meal, and the whole process gets me down,.the times I can't find blood, the times it takes me 4 5 or 6 strips and stabs to draw the right amount. I would say I haven't tested my bloods for 2 months now, and only do so of I'm feeling like I'm about to have an episode, which has been twice!
My other problem is diet, I've always been a good eater, savoury not sweet thank god! And had struggled with weight up until a couple of years ago when all of a sudden it started dropping off me and I thought I was doing well to lose weight, but it was in fact the diabetes that hadn't yet been diagnosed! So my main issue now is snacking, I want to constantly eat, and I'm trying to stick to salads and low fat, carb and sugar things, but it's hard. The worse for me is bread, I cannot find a loaf that is low fat, less than 1% sugar and low carb. Can anyone recommend the best type or tell me I'm doing it wrong and should be looking for different things in my bread?!

Thanks
Darion

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi guys,

Was diagnosed T1 about 4 months ago, I posted on here explaining my story etc. Since then my main struggles have been testing blood; I've stopped altogether because I find it time consuming when I'm ready for a meal, and the whole process gets me down,.the times I can't find blood, the times it takes me 4 5 or 6 strips and stabs to draw the right amount. I would say I haven't tested my bloods for 2 months now, and only do so of I'm feeling like I'm about to have an episode, which has been twice!
My other problem is diet, I've always been a good eater, savoury not sweet thank god! And had struggled with weight up until a couple of years ago when all of a sudden it started dropping off me and I thought I was doing well to lose weight, but it was in fact the diabetes that hadn't yet been diagnosed! So my main issue now is snacking, I want to constantly eat, and I'm trying to stick to salads and low fat, carb and sugar things, but it's hard. The worse for me is bread, I cannot find a loaf that is low fat, less than 1% sugar and low carb. Can anyone recommend the best type or tell me I'm doing it wrong and should be looking for different things in my bread?!

Thanks
Darion

Hi Darion - Sorry to hear you're having struggles finding a bread that you find acceptable to you and your way of managing your condition. You have posted your thread in an area of the forum discussing eating disorders. I think you would probably receive more replies if your thread was posted in the general T1 area, or in one of the areas discussing diabetes management.

I or any of the Mods can move your thread for you if you just tag one of us. You can tag by either replying to this post, or by typing @ directly in front of the person's name, like this @Darion89

Just lets us know if you'd like your thread moved and to where.

 

[Darion89]

Hi Darion - Sorry to hear you're having struggles finding a bread that you find acceptable to you and your way of managing your condition. You have posted your thread in an area of the forum discussing eating disorders. I think you would probably receive more replies if your thread was posted in the general T1 area, or in one of the areas discussing diabetes management.

I or any of the Mods can move your thread for you if you just tag one of us. You can tag by either replying to this post, or by typing @ directly in front of the person's name, like this @Darion89

Just lets us know if you'd like your thread moved and to where.

Hi @DCUKMod

Ah ok I didn't realise, I was posting this while still half asleep! Yeah if you could move it to wherever it needs to go I'd appreciate that!

Many thanks
Darion

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi @DCUKMod

Ah ok I didn't realise, I was posting this while still half asleep! Yeah if you could move it to wherever it needs to go I'd appreciate that!

Many thanks
Darion

No worries - we've all done it at some time.

I'll move your thread out into the general T1 area where it'll get maximum exposure.

 

[Deleted Account]

I assume you are eating low carb to avoid BG spikes which you are unable to track due to your problems with testing.
I eat any bread (as long as it tastes good), do not follow a low carb diet and maintain good BG control through timing of my insulin.

Therefore, I wonder whether you would benefit from an alternative way of testing.
I am thinking perhaps you could trial the Libre system.
It is not as accurate as finger pricking but is much better than no testing and you can use this to understand trends (such as what happens when you eat bread or pasta or an apple or ...) to see how fast your BG rises.

 

[EllieM]

OK, is there a reason you're going low fat?
Low fat and low carb is a big ask, you have to get calories from somewhere.
Are you trying to lose weight? Honestly, as a T1 for 48 years I worry about carbs and not fat. (And I'm 15kg overweight, but my priority has to be my blood sugar, not my weight).

Are you sure you're T1 and not T2 (skimmed through your previous posts and there were T2 indicators, specially the fact that you've had symptoms for a year? But I may have misread). If you're T2, the way to go is to lose the bread and go low carb (and then you should lose weight automatically).

I'm very concerned that you don't do blood tests. It's not a good look for a T1 (I did no blood tests for my first 15 years of T1 but I did do urine tests, and I can tell you know that the glucometer was an awesome invention). You could consider something like the freestyle libre (self fund if you can afford it or see if your doctor will prescribe, it's a postcode lottery in the UK). But even if you're using that, you should occasionally blood test to see that it's giving you accurate results (it doesn't for everyone).

So, back to bread. Some T1s eat lots of carbs and it's fine. Some T1s can't eat it at all (coeliac's is relatively common for T1s). Supermarkets add sugar to bread as a preservative, so you're generally better buying from a bakery (the faster it goes off the less sugar it has in it). But.... as a T1 you should be worrying about total carbs, with the proviso that you go lowish gi, so I'm not sure of the relevance of the less than 1% sugar. Just count the carbs (here in New Zealand you can buy "low carb" bread but it doesn't taste great).

Personally, I've nearly dropped bread (occasionally have 1 slice but can't cope with more), but I'm borderline T2 and go lowish carb because it just makes everything easier. Cheese and nuts make great snacks, avocadoes are way better than sliced bread....

Good lcuk

 

[SamJB]

If you low carb, all starchy carbs (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes etc) are off the menu I'm afraid. If you must eat bread, one of the lower carb ones are the Burgen breads.

 

[Bluey1]

Knowing your glucose levels is essential. Look into a CGM and then there are no, or much fewer finger pricks. The insertion of the sensor is not painful and only occurs every 6 - 14 days depending on the sensor.

Bread in moderation is ok, providing you go for the low GI (not the same as low carb, however normally they are related) which is normally a multi grain type of bread.
I suggest you see a good diabetic nurse or educator as you appear to have a poor technique at getting blood from out of your finger into the strip. A good D professional will have your testing sorted in no time. If you don't like the D professional keep looking until you find one that suits you.

You seem to be annoyed (stronger language is more applicable, but there are hard working, long suffering moderators with a delete button) with situation, don't worry we all suffer that occasionally, the trick is how to manage it and reduce the length of time, experience is the best teacher. Just having the occasional gripe here can do wonders, but as you are new to this game of D you need some good professional help. Once you have a grip on on D that normally takes about a year, you can join most of us here in some really bad behaviour as far as the professionals are concerned, but we take care of ourselves for most of the time and have a really good time.

 

[NaomiT]

I buy low Gi cob loaf from Lidl. Slice it and keep it in the freezer. Freezing it seems to improve the gi impact even more. I probably get through a loaf a fortnight, as still a carb.

 

[Fairygodmother]

Hi @Darion89, before recommending any bread I really wish to know what insulin you’re using and whether you’ve been given insulin to carbohydrate ratios as I’d hate to recommend a bread if it were going to badly affect your blood sugars.
I personally prefer low GI breads such as rye and wholemeal, partly because I like the taste and partly because they’re less likely to spike my blood sugars. My ratio is 1u of rapid acting insulin for 10g of carb and I use Carbs and Cals, which comes as a book or an app, and packaging information to find out the carb content of food. So for a 22g of wholemeal bread I’ll inject 1u of rapid acting insulin.
If you’re trying to go low carb, though, you should limit the amount of bread you eat.
There are some breads that are lower in carb but to me they tend to taste like cotton wool.
Maybe a crisp bread would suit you better.
On a more serious note, it’s not wise for a T1 to forego testing. Knowing that you can keep your blood sugars lower is key to avoiding the health issues that can beset you if you let them run wild. What kind of testing equipment do you use? You mention lancets but don’t say whether they’re in a device or just the lancet on it’s own. There are devices, such as the accucheck fastclix, which are easier to use than bare lancets and they tend to cause less pain. It also helps if your finger is warm, as well as clean, as this encourages the capillaries to expand and release blood more easily. Using the side of the fingertip is also better than using the pad as there are usually fewer nerves there.
A visit to a health professional would not only help with testing but should also enable you to talk through the difficulties you’re having and give you ways to eventually manage the whole diabetes thing without finding it so frustrating. It seems that you’ve been having a really good go at coping with it so far but you need someone medical on your side too.
Good luck!

 

[Darion89]

I assume you are eating low carb to avoid BG spikes which you are unable to track due to your problems with testing.
I eat any bread (as long as it tastes good), do not follow a low carb diet and maintain good BG control through timing of my insulin.

Therefore, I wonder whether you would benefit from an alternative way of testing.
I am thinking perhaps you could trial the Libre system.
It is not as accurate as finger pricking but is much better than no testing and you can use this to understand trends (such as what happens when you eat bread or pasta or an apple or ...) to see how fast your BG rises.

Hi Helen,

Yeah you've pretty much hit nail on the head there! So I was advised by the dietician to keep carbs low bout the Cal's and carb book and if im honest I've neglected it due to the frustration of putting weight on as I'd worked hard to lose it, I have been injecting before meals religiously. I was also told to eat low fat/low sugar bread , and that seeded wasn't very good.

I'm glad I posted this now it's made me realise I need to get a grip of it.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Darion89]

OK, is there a reason you're going low fat?
Low fat and low carb is a big ask, you have to get calories from somewhere.
Are you trying to lose weight? Honestly, as a T1 for 48 years I worry about carbs and not fat. (And I'm 15kg overweight, but my priority has to be my blood sugar, not my weight).

Are you sure you're T1 and not T2 (skimmed through your previous posts and there were T2 indicators, specially the fact that you've had symptoms for a year? But I may have misread). If you're T2, the way to go is to lose the bread and go low carb (and then you should lose weight automatically).

I'm very concerned that you don't do blood tests. It's not a good look for a T1 (I did no blood tests for my first 15 years of T1 but I did do urine tests, and I can tell you know that the glucometer was an awesome invention). You could consider something like the freestyle libre (self fund if you can afford it or see if your doctor will prescribe, it's a postcode lottery in the UK). But even if you're using that, you should occasionally blood test to see that it's giving you accurate results (it doesn't for everyone).

So, back to bread. Some T1s eat lots of carbs and it's fine. Some T1s can't eat it at all (coeliac's is relatively common for T1s). Supermarkets add sugar to bread as a preservative, so you're generally better buying from a bakery (the faster it goes off the less sugar it has in it). But.... as a T1 you should be worrying about total carbs, with the proviso that you go lowish gi, so I'm not sure of the relevance of the less than 1% sugar. Just count the carbs (here in New Zealand you can buy "low carb" bread but it doesn't taste great).

Personally, I've nearly dropped bread (occasionally have 1 slice but can't cope with more), but I'm borderline T2 and go lowish carb because it just makes everything easier. Cheese and nuts make great snacks, avocadoes are way better than sliced bread....

Good lcuk

Hi Ellie,

The main reason for going low carb is advice from my dietician, the same applies with low fat. With regards to the blood sugar I just found it was getting repetitive and my levels were settled to a consistent level, add that to the fact it was annoying having to prick my finger every time I eat breakfast dinner and tea I think I just got ****** off with it, I'm definitely going to start testing again.

I am definitely T1, wish I wasn't! The symptoms were there for over a year, more like 2.

The funny thing is before being T1 I ate hardly any bread, now because I have to eat regularly, I have sandwiches for lunch and cerial and toast for breakfast so have completely changed my diet to suit.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Darion89]

I buy low Gi cob loaf from Lidl. Slice it and keep it in the freezer. Freezing it seems to improve the gi impact even more. I probably get through a loaf a fortnight, as still a carb.

I have seen this loaf, and thought it looked great and would work, but when I did some research on it I found that people were saying it caused big spikes in their levels.

 

[Drachula]

If you low carb, all starchy carbs (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes etc) are off the menu I'm afraid. If you must eat bread, one of the lower carb ones are the Burgen breads.

 

[Drachula]

Hi Darion
Bread is a big gap in my life too! Actually, now I don't miss it that much. I make sesame crisp breads from dietdoctor or use lettuce leaves, a salad instead. There are lots of other recipes for breads on dietdoctor, also I like ditchthecarbs.
I reckon it's impossible to get a really good low carb bread to buy. There are some parts of the country where you can buy it, but not particularly widespread. You can buy low carb flour from lonjevity-foods, but it does take a bit of time to get used to the flavour - it's very full of flax, and it isn't gluten free (but that means it rises better)
The worst think about a low carb diet for me is not having anything starchy to mop up the juices on the plate!! courgette doesn't quite mash like potatoes do.
Good luck with finding a way to test your bloods, and hopefully you can get more comfortable with eating low carb healthy fats. - you have to get calories from somewhere and if you don't eat fats then I find people get a sugar craving.

 

[Drachula]

Hi Ellie,

The main reason for going low carb is advice from my dietician, the same applies with low fat. With regards to the blood sugar I just found it was getting repetitive and my levels were settled to a consistent level, add that to the fact it was annoying having to prick my finger every time I eat breakfast dinner and tea I think I just got ****** off with it, I'm definitely going to start testing again.

I am definitely T1, wish I wasn't! The symptoms were there for over a year, more like 2.

The funny thing is before being T1 I ate hardly any bread, now because I have to eat regularly, I have sandwiches for lunch and cerial and toast for breakfast so have completely changed my diet to suit.

Thanks for your advice!

Hopefully you can find some T1Ds who do low carb and don't have to inject too much. Perhaps the eating regularly is wrong too - you "just" need to change your insulin dose to suit what and when you are eating. Ian Lake in Diabetes Unpacked is really interesting on that. Good luck

 

[Darion89]

Hopefully you can find some T1Ds who do low carb and don't have to inject too much. Perhaps the eating regularly is wrong too - you "just" need to change your insulin dose to suit what and when you are eating. Ian Lake in Diabetes Unpacked is really interesting on that. Good luck

Yeah the target is to regulate my insulin I'm still on my original dosages.When I say eat regularly.i mean 3 times a.day
This was advised by doctors

 

[NaomiT]

I have seen this loaf, and thought it looked great and would work, but when I did some research on it I found that people were saying it caused big spikes in their levels.

Have you seen The Truth About Carbs? It was on iplayer. Freezing and the toasting the bread changes the molecular structure so it becomes a resistant carb that's slow burning and feeds the gut, I've found it's fine for me. Everyone is different, so maybe try this with one of their low gi rolls and see what it does? I hope you find something that works, I love bread so never having it again would make me very sad!

 

[carty]

I found a high protein low carb bread in Asda it is polish I think it is expensive at £1.20 for 5 slices but it is tasty maybe worth a try for a treat ,it freezes well
Carol