I had a very bad BG reaction from eating just 8 small gluten-free crackers (half a "serving")--1/2 hour later my BG reading was 245, a second reading of 246 to confirm. This is insanely high for me! and with only 12g of carbs (1g sugar) Usual post meal readings rarely go above 140. I haven't had a reading over 200 since I went semi LC.

This remained a mystery for me (I threw the rest of the crackers out), until I finally had a chance to read Wheat Belly. Dr. Davis warns against gluten-free products, says they will wreak havoc with your blood sugar! Apparently the flours and starches used break down extremely fast, which is what I saw. The carby ingredients were brown rice flour, potato starch, corn and dried cane syrup.

With all the gluten-free products I'm seeing all over, I doubt this is widely known or understood. No point in trying to avoid gluten, but hammering your blood sugars like that. I'll never eat a gluten-free product again.

Yeah, for sure, that's why you have to look at ingredients, not just carb count or gluten-free status. No one ever suggested that gluten-free = low carb.

To be fair, there are gluten-free products that won't do this. I've seen some flax/almond crackers that I'd try if they weren't way too expensive. Tofu shiritaki noodles are another gluten-free product I trust. It comes down to the ingredients. When you see rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, etc... that's when you need to be wary.

Gluten free products like your crackers are even worse because the ingredients they use are even higher carb than the original.

Yes, the point I was making is that my BG reaction is waay out of proportion to the actual amount of carbs I ingested. For instance I ate 7 triscuits (24 grams of carbs and a lot more volume) and got a PP reading of only 165. Not great, but better than 246!

This is only relevant to those of us who still eat some starches, but are concerned about blood sugar levels and insulin levels. Of course anyone who avoided all starches would not have this issue. For me, the gluten-free foods were an attempt to avoid wheat, but wheat doesn't appear to be an issue with me (can't see any difference when removed from my diet).

I'm just really surprised to see stuff like potato starch, white rice and coconut sugar promoted as part of a Paleo diet. Is there no concern about BG responses at all?

Holy smokes! Please don't say coconut sugar, potatoes and rice are supposed to be part of a paleo. I don't know what sort of paleo diet you're reading about, but that stuff isn't part of my diet!

Here's what you need to know about paleo, the non-commercialized form of the diet: Real food, no GPS. Grains, potatoes, or sugar (or legumes). Take a look at the "Whole 30" diet if you need inspiration.

Gluten free products are just another way to keep you eating *products* when your body won't tolerate wheat.

My husband has Non Coeliac Gluten Syndrome (NCGS) and as he's healthy and normal weight, he does indulge in a few treats here and there. I tried a really yummy gluten-free chocolate chip cookie from Spain on Sunday, bought in a discount store. 6.5g carbs each so I tried one and got away with it.

Normally, we both low carb and are pretty strict, they just jumped out of the aisle and mugged us !