what can YOU get away with?

[jem51]

can you consume small amts. of pasta and bbq sauce if you mke it sugar free? what's your experience w nuts? i know dr bernstein says don't bother since they all have too many carbs but when i worked w diabetics, i never saw peanut butter effect BG. the other day i ate yogurt (homemade, a little stevia and cinnamon added), w a mix of; 1T ground flax, 2 T unsweetened coconut, 1 T sunflower seeds and two walnut halves...all raw. 2 1/2 hr later my test was 123. i was shocked. yogurt and buttermilk (all homemade) has no effect and sometimes 1 hr pp it's lower so i know it's not that. so what's your experience w any or all of those nut/seeds? is it strictly related to quantity? i'd love to hear about experiences w ANY food that was a surprise spiker!!

[Cajunboy47]

Quantity is key to contoling BG numbers...

I've been eating buckwheat noodles lately and doing fine with it. I eat yogurt almost every day. I limit nuts to about 3 days a week because I don't know when to stop eating them, but I do try to limit myself to a handful at a time, no more than twice on the days I consume them. I don't do additives, such as BBQ sauce, stevia, cinnamon, flax, coconut, as I get enough enjoyment out of the large variety of foods I eat every day.

It is claimed that buckwheat and yogurt have a BG lowering effect. This lowering is not noticed as in a check at 2 hours afer meals, but over time when eating consistently within a low carb diet. At least, I notice it, can't say it will work for anyone else...

[Rose1942]

Well, as it happens, tonight I had something that was NOT a spiker, and it really surprised me but I was living dangerous because I sensed from the labels that it would be ok.

I cooked some of that Dreamfield's spaghetti (the one that claims it does not raise blood sugar, and it doesn't for me and some others) - along with Classico Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce. It was fabulous! And 2 hours PP my blood sugar is 102, which is astounding considering that it was pasta. I will check in another hour and maybe once more, as some say that we should assume that there might be a delayed spike, but so far Dreamfield's has not done this to me. Here are the nutritional facts for the sauce (it's yummy): http://www.classico.com/flavors/product_details.aspx?pid=36

Edited to add the Dreamfield's link also: http://www.dreamfieldsfoods.com/low-carb-pasta.html

[Korban]

can you consume small amts. of pasta and bbq sauce if you mke it sugar free? what's your experience w nuts? i know dr bernstein says don't bother since they all have too many carbs but when i worked w diabetics, i never saw peanut butter effect BG...

...is it strictly related to quantity? i'd love to hear about experiences w ANY food that was a surprise spiker!!

One ounce of garden variety pasta (28 grams) contains about 21 grams of Carb... I typically eat 22 - 31 grams of carbs in a day. Haven't checked for pasta but at my present weight I would be willing to bet that I would get near a 21 x 3.3 ~ 70 point spike in bg.

I think the carbs in peanut butter affect the bg more gradually due to all the fat content but haven't really titrated it.

I do eat an ounce or two of almonds at times and one ounce may take me up as much as 10 points in an hour (~3 g net carb per ounce) but it is usually less.

A 4 gram carb glucose tablet generally takes me up 12 to 14 points within about 30 minutes (assuming my present bg is not moving up or down quickly). The rise in bg is very individualized from what I understand and roughly inversely proportional to weight (assuming similar insulin resistance for both weights - which is unlikely).

Therefore, if I weighed one-half of present weight with the same IR, I might expect my rise to be ~6.6 mg/dl per gram of glucose. I hope this doesn't sound confusing and I am sure it is a gross simplification of reality.

To measure is to know... so I test a lot. :)

I love Italian food... and I could eat pasta but thus far I have chosen not to... and as I am not the arbiter of others' eating habits, I wish you success regardless of what you may choose to eat. I have only been around here for a couple months so I have much to learn but have learned a lot of options re: food.

As to Bernstein and his suggestions on living - I have drunk the Kool-Aid.

This is a good forum for me and there is much wisdom, experience, and hope here. Welcome, and keep coming back.

/smile

[Korban]

Hmm, I may check into Dreamfield's pasta though. :)

Thanks Rose.

/smile

PS somehow Dreamfield sounds better than buckwheat )

[RobLL]

I can get away with some tomato and onion. Dream Field Pasta just raises my BGs later. If I am doing hours of low intensity exercise (walking, ambling, touring) I can eat 30-50 grams of carbs a meal. If I am doing hours of high intensity exercise I can eat 40 or so grams of carbs an hour.

[Rose1942]

Just an update on the Dreamfield's and alfredo. As I said above, my BG at 2 hour was great. I did check at 3 hours and again at 4. Here's how it went..........

2 hours: 102
3 hours: 127
4 hours: 112

Okay it did spike it some but not scary enough to prevent me from having it again occasionally.

But I am thinking also that it might be because I ate too MUCH tonight, just too much food altogether. Dreamfield's did not do this before when I had it as a small side dish - tonight it was the main course, with a salad. I have to remember not to eat too much - of anything, in fact - because I tend to digest a full meal slowly and then I do see a spike no matter what it was that I ate. It is now over 4 hours past dinner and I am still feeling full, I don't like that.

It's a learning curve for life, I guess!

[triplemom]

But I am thinking also that it might be because I ate too MUCH tonight, just too much food altogether. Dreamfield's did not do this before when I had it as a small side dish - tonight it was the main course, with a salad. I have to remember not to eat too much - of anything

Rose, this is the key for me. Too much of ANYTHING, even protein or fat, will make me spike. I can always tell when I've overdone it - I feel like a slug and my vision gets blurry. Some of my most surprising BS readings have come after a low-carb meal where I just had too much food.

Practicing portion control has been a real challenge for me, and it probably always will be. I didn't have this problem in my 30's or early 40's, but since I'm fast approaching that "next decade," I've definitely had to change the way I even look at low carb. Bummer.

[Sunflwr1]

Rose, this is the key for me. Too much of ANYTHING, even protein or fat, will make me spike. I can always tell when I've overdone it - I feel like a slug and my vision gets blurry. Some of my most surprising BS readings have come after a low-carb meal where I just had too much food.

Practicing portion control has been a real challenge for me, and it probably always will be. I didn't have this problem in my 30's or early 40's, but since I'm fast approaching that "next decade," I've definitely had to change the way I even look at low carb. Bummer.I sure can relate to that, Rhonda! I really need to work on portion control! Not just for my BG, but weight loss as well, which will have a positive affect on my BG... I hope! :) I have a voracious appetite, especially for beef.:yum: It tastes so good I have a hard time stopping at what's considered a normal portion, in fact I don't. I look at 4 oz. and think, "you gotta be kiddin' me???" Last night I had way too much London Broil and this AM my FBG was 123. Hasn't been that high in a while. Too much food, but more than that I think too much protein???

Rose, I haven't tried pasta and don't intend to, LC or not. I just would never be happy with it for a side dish. A whole plate or none! :lol:

[jem51]

i don't eat any grain products so will continue my zucch threads in place of pasta. but i love pasta sauce, tomato based and no sugar. guess i'll cut down the amt and test. i know dr b says forget tomato stuff. i had a greek salad yesterday w 4 cherry tomatoes. maybe that was a little too much, i'll have to look at my log. seems like it was a bit more than expected.

[dancinbr]

Hello,

I was going to say that pasta creates a delayed spike so be careful.

I was happy to see that you tracked it further. Pasta shows up OK at two hours, higher at three hours and sometimes still up there at 4 hours for me.

Ralph

[Nancy LC]

I remember reading somewhere that with Dreamfields you may very well get a spike, and a big one, but it is delayed for many hours, I think it was something Jenny had written. So you might want to keep testing to make sure it isn't kicking in 5 or 6 hours later.

[eddiemcm]

I don't get significant spikes on small portions of
oatmeal,yogurt or mac and cheese.Didn't used to be
that way.
Eddie