Lessons, tests and a result!

In order to find out what each type of food is doing to my blood glucose (BG) levels I've been testing immediately before eating, then 2hrs post eating.  The idea being that your BG level should return to the pre eating level after two hours.

 

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Type 2 BG levels are

• Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l
• 2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l

For all you non-diabetics out there you might want to know what normal BG levels should be so here you are:

• The normal blood glucose level in humans is about 4 mM (4 mmol/L or 72 mg/dL)
• The body, when operating normally, restores the blood sugar level to a range of about 4.4 to 6.1 mmol/L (82 to 110 mg/dL).
• Shortly after eating the blood glucose level may rise temporarily up to 7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dL) or a bit more in non-diabetics.

The result of all this testing is very sore finger tips and that high carbohydrate foods send my BG levels soaring. Even the good carbs that the medical profession insist that you fill your plate with are very bad for me.

In the bad books go
Bread (White and wholemeal both give me over 12 mmol/l )
Tortillas (gave me my highest reading of 15 mmol/l!!!)
Potatoes (sweet and regular)
Rice (white and wholemeal)
Flour (white and wholemeal)
Pasta (white and wholemeal)

Porridge (even the few oats in Haggis set my BG skywards)

Good books
Everything else!

Swaps
Unfortunately 'bad' foods are the stuff that had made up the bulk of my diet so just excluding them is not really an option for me. However I have managed to swap some of them for better alternatives and maintain a steady BG level.

Potatoes have been the easiest as I love my root vegetables. I made Cottage Pie with a celeriac and swede mash the other night and both Andrew and myself agreed it was far better than the regular mashed potato topping. I've also heard that celeriac makes great chips and roasties ... mmmm.

Cauliflower rice was something I thought I would struggle with but it was very quick and easy to make and not as strong tasting as I would have thought. However the effects the next day were explosive ... it'll be a while until I can go back to that supermarket again!

Chinese leaves make a great alternative to bread on a sandwhich. I filled three up with chopped celery, red onion, cheese and tomato. It was delish and kept me full for hours. However I do accept that Chinese leaves have their limitations as bread substitute .. I'm not going to be able to toast it and cover it with Marmite!

I've heard that cabbage makes a good pasta substitute but I haven't tried it yet. I will let you know.

Result
After the 8 mile walk in The Wyre Forest on Sunday my BG level was at a record low of 5.6 which is in the non-diabetic range! Huge thanks to Lisa and Jack for helping to make that happen.