Why increase in sugar?

[Shazza41]

I'm on a testing day today so I checked my sugars this morning 8.5, bef lunch 6.7, bef tea 11.4 before I go on I'd like to add that my sugars are usually in double figures so these are good for me. My question is, why would my before tea reading 11.4? For lunch I did have 2 pieces of white bread, tuna mayo, onion and cucumber and a tangerine. I also had a costa latte. 3 hours later my sugars where 11.4. I can only imagine the bread has been too much but I had similar amount of carbs at lunch on Monday and my sugars were 9.0. Any ideas? X

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi Shazza,

The bread, plus the tangerine, plus the costa latte will not have done you any favours at all, and if it was a shop bought sandwich the mayo probably was a cheapo version with lots of added sugar. This is most likely why you were at 11.4 at 3 hours later. That was a very carb heavy lunch you had. My blood sugars are well controlled but even I would see double figures after that lunch.

 

[Shazza41]

Thinking about it, you are probably right and the latte would of been all milk where I wouldn't usually have that at lunch. It was only cos I met a friend for lunch. God, this is so technical!!! X

 

[lovinglife]

I'm on a testing day today so I checked my sugars this morning 8.5, bef lunch 6.7, bef tea 11.4 before I go on I'd like to add that my sugars are usually in double figures so these are good for me. My question is, why would my before tea reading 11.4? For lunch I did have 2 pieces of white bread, tuna mayo, onion and cucumber and a tangerine. I also had a costa latte. 3 hours later my sugars where 11.4. I can only imagine the bread has been too much but I had similar amount of carbs at lunch on Monday and my sugars were 9.0. Any ideas? X

The white bread, tangerine, latte if it was a medium one adds up to approx 55g of carbs even more if the latte was large - you may want to look at reducing your carbs by considering your food choices, get the myfitnesspal app and put all your food into that to get an idea of the carbs you are eating.

I eat burgen bread at 12g carbs a slice and I can cope with 1 slice, forget the lattes they are full of carbs - go for tea or some on here have coffe with cream - I take mine black.

Have you read the intro for newbies that @daisy1 posts? It has some good info explained in a great way.

Don't worry you'll get there we were all new once​

 

[lovinglife]

Beat me to it @Bluetit1802 lol

 

[daisy1]

@Shazza41

Hello and welcome to the forum

Here is the information that lovinglife mentioned which we give to new members and it contains a lot of information on diets, carbs in particular, which should be useful to you. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 over 130,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

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 bloodglucose 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.

 

[Bluetit1802]

@Shazza41 Have you read the thread about low carbing for beginners? It is easy to understand and very useful http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/a-new-low-carb-guide-for-beginners.68695/

 

[Shazza41]

Thanks everyone. Believe it or not I was diagnosed about 18 years ago. Diet, tablets, now injections. It's only in past few weeks have I realised the effect of carbs on my sugars. I've listened to the dietician who say eat carbs at every meal. Then I started looking on here and researching it then I was like, that makes sense. I have been having milk roll bread 8g a slice which is great. I can't believe how many carbs in a latte. That told me!!! I wouldn't mind. I usually have an Americano or a cap, why I had a latte, I don't know. X

 

[Shazza41]

Omg I've just been onto costa website to look at carbs in their coffees. I'm shocked!!! X

 

[Bluetit1802]

Don't worry about your tuna mayo sandwich. I had one, with onion and a bit of salad stuff, on 2 slices granary bread in a brasserie a few months ago. I was also in double figures for over 2 hours, after starting at somewhere under 6. I had a black decaf to drink. It just shows what rubbish they actually produce in these places, no matter how posh they pretend to be.

 

[Shazza41]

Me again! Why, in the link does it say you can have cream and not milk? What's the danger with milk? X

 

[Robbity]

Both contain sugar/carbs in the form of lactose, BUT - the percentage in thick/double cream is about half of that in milk. Also you are probably likely to consume a much larger portion of milk than you do of cream, so a (reasonable!) helping of cream is less likely to cause any glucose spikes. You need to check both the carbohydrate content is (per 100g) and also consider the size of the portion that you'd normally eat to estimate any "spike risk factor". It can all be quite confusing , but is actually very much common sense... and should get easier with time.

Robbity

 

[Bluetit1802]

Me again! Why, in the link does it say you can have cream and not milk? What's the danger with milk? X

Both contain sugar/carbs in the form of lactose, BUT - the percentage in thick/double cream is about half of that in milk. Also you are probably likely to consume a much larger portion of milk than you do of cream, so a (reasonable!) helping of cream is less likely to cause any glucose spikes. You need to check both the carbohydrate content is (per 100g) and also consider the size of the portion that you'd normally eat to estimate any "spike risk factor". It can all be quite confusing , but is actually very much common sense... and should get easier with time.

Robbity

Sainsbury's double cream has no sugar, no carbs. (or at the very most a tiny trace per 100ml) Cream has no lactose normally as this is separated in the process of making it (curds and whey, like cheese) Check the nutrition labels.

 

[Robbity]

Sainsbury's double cream has no sugar, no carbs. (or at the very most a tiny trace per 100ml) Cream has no lactose normally as this is separated in the process of making it (curds and whey, like cheese) Check the nutrition labels.

@Bluetit1802
This is what I understood too but found this table when attempting to double check the whys and wherefores. My Tesco's thick cream contains 1.6g carbs per 100ml, which is pretty minimal though. Obviously I should have read my label first... Or maybe gone to Specsavers...

Robbity

 

[Bluetit1802]

@Bluetit1802
This is what I understood too but found this table when attempting to double check the whys and wherefores. My Tesco's thick cream contains 1.6g carbs per 100ml, which is pretty minimal though. Obviously I should have read my label first... Or maybe gone to Specsavers...

Robbity

I can't find double cream on that table. Should I join you at Spec Savers? LOL

 

[Shazza41]

Haha. Just as an aside, I'll shut up after this. I'm having an eye operation on Monday were skin is being grafted from my mouth so I'll have quite a sore mouth for a few days. Considering what I will and won't be able to eat, someone suggested homemade smoothies. I know fruit is high carbs but I'll be on soft food for a few days anyway. What's everyone's take on home made smoothies (considering my predicament)? X

 

[Bluetit1802]

Poor you That will be sore and uncomfortable for a while.

Fruit smoothies aren't wise, but you could try a green smoothie (vegetables mostly).

 

[Shazza41]

Don't think I could stomach a green smoothie. Sugars down to 8.2 now. Chilli and a little rice for tea x