Is There Any Point In Eating Cereals

[Jon]

Following on from my post about Tesco flakes i have been looking at lots of different cereals.
My problem is the portions are so small for the amount of sugar in them.
A 40 gramme portion would not fill a corner of my stomach.

It would take 2 or 3 of those portions to satisfy me but look at the amount of sugar i would be consuming.

I hate being diabetic so much.

 

[Andy HB]

Following on from my post about Tesco flakes i have been looking at lots of different cereals.
My problem is the portions are so small for the amount of sugar in them.
A 40 gramme portion would not fill a corner of my stomach.

It would take 2 or 3 of those portions to satisfy me but look at the amount of sugar i would be consuming.

I hate being diabetic so much.

It is so dependent on how you react to them, really.

Personally, I avoid all cereals with added sugar. I tend to go for porridge and perhaps Shredded Wheat. For sweetness, I add a small amount of dried fruit (cranberries are my current favourite) and I also add a bit of nutmeg to the porridge for additional flavour.

Andy

 

[Alan S]

Following on from my post about Tesco flakes i have been looking at lots of different cereals.
My problem is the portions are so small for the amount of sugar in them.
A 40 gramme portion would not fill a corner of my stomach.

It would take 2 or 3 of those portions to satisfy me but look at the amount of sugar i would be consuming.

I hate being diabetic so much.

I can't speak for others but for me the answer is a resounding NO.

With one exception I have not eaten cereal, oats, muesli or similar as a breakfast food since I first realised what they did to my post-breakfast blood glucose levels. The exception is a mix I make for a bedtime snack of Psyllium, Fibre, Muesli and Nuts which helps my dawn phenomenon and is also useful for adding fibre to my menu. But I only eat a tiny serve of that by your standards and I don't eat it every day.

Contrary to popular opinion, processed cereal is neither mandatory as a breakfast food nor was even popular as one before Sanitarium (of the Seventh Day Adventist organisation) and later Mr Kellogg convinced America - and the rest of the western world - otherwise. Tomorrow, try some of the ideas from here: Breakfasts

My favourite breakfasts almost all involve eggs, one way or another.

 

[Robster65]

Hi jon.

Try to think of it as your brain telling you that it needs so much food. Your body, on the other hand, is telling you that it can't handle what you've been feeding it to satisfy your brain's urges.

You need to make the choice between your brain and your body unfortunately. As we all do. You have some time to do it gradually but once you make the psychological change from hating it to seeing it as a means of eating within your body's limitations (we've all got faulty bodies in one way or another), you should feel a lot healthier.

I used to eat a huge bowl of cereal and I've been diabetic for a long time but chose to guess at portions. Recently, I was convinced that measuring would be a good idea and I was shocked, as you are, at the paltry amounts in the bowl. But once I got used to the amounts, my stomach adjusted along with my brain and I feel a whole lot happier that I can live a long healthy life with less risk of complications.

No one forces any of use but for our own sake we need to make that choice.🙂

Rob

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Regardless of whether they are supposed to be healthier high fibre versions, or sugary nasties, I seem to find my post- breakfast levels unacceptably high after cereal. I've been experimenting for a year or so now. There seem to be times when I can cope with them (with the benefit of a rapid acting insulin injected perhaps 45 minutes before eating) but more often than not my system absorbs them way too quickly at that time of day.

 

[am64]

i was such a good girl pre dx ...had my prridge and shredded wheat ate loads of fruit and only drank fresh juice ...then i was dx started testing and realised what they did to my levels 😱 so breakie now is usually a whole meal roll with some kind of filling !! or a piece of toast and peanut butter

 

[Robster65]

After clinging on to my beloved weetabix and bran flakes (in ever decreasing portions!) for years, I recently tried unsweetened muesli and natural yoghurt, in place of milk. Once it's all mashed up together it's actually quite nice and no matter what I do, my BG seems to stay well below 10 as it oozes out of my system gradually.

Rob

 

[Estellaa]

i eat crunchy nut every morning more or less, but i give my insulin afterwards, so depending on how much i've eaten and what my levels are i will give a little bit more insulin to cope with the sugaryness of crunchy nut, i told my dietitian what i have for breakfast she gave me other suggestions however she didn't seem that bothered about me having it.
so yeah i think there is a point in cereals, cause i wouldn't eat anything else apart from them in the morning, what else do you eat par cereals?

 

[Jill-Louise]

OMG....i always have a bowl of cereals before i go to work. I don't particularly like having toast as it doesn't seem to keep the hunger at bay !

I usually have shredded wheat...is this ok or should i really not be having this for breakfast ?

I also have a bowl of cereal sometimes before i go to bed if i haven't eaten a proper dinner.

Sorry Jon i hope you don't mind me stealing your thread. I'm new to all of this and i can't believe the amount of stuff i'm not meant to eat...

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

i eat crunchy nut every morning more or less, but i give my insulin afterwards, so depending on how much i've eaten and what my levels are i will give a little bit more insulin to cope with the sugaryness of crunchy nut, i told my dietitian what i have for breakfast she gave me other suggestions however she didn't seem that bothered about me having it.
so yeah i think there is a point in cereals, cause i wouldn't eat anything else apart from them in the morning, what else do you eat par cereals?

Interesting that you are able to take your insulin afterwards Estellaa. Have you done much in the way of tests after breakfast to see what happens to your BGs? I think even plain cornflakes are expected to hit the bloodstream pretty quickly (in that they will be faster than a jam doughnut for many people). I suspect I'd certainly need to give my injection quite a bit before eating Crunchy Nut to stand any chance of staying out of the teens at the 1.5 hour mark.

I'd be very interested in your BG levels before and then 1 hour and 2 hours after breakfast.

Most T2's, of course, don't have the luxury of sticking insulin in to cover fast acting carbs, so for them the breakfast situation can be particularly complicated (especially if medical types keep telling you to eat lots of carbs at the time of day your body seems to struggle most with them!).

Jill - no one can tell you whether you can cope with shredded wheat apart from your BG meter. If you haven't got one already it's absolutely your best weapon in the battle against high BGs. Different people react differently to all sorts of foods at different times of the day. Low GI/GL can help, but many T2s seem to find breakfast particularly difficult where carbs are concerned.

 

[caffeine_demon]

Since my diagnosis - I've discovered that bran flakes do send my levels sky high - even in a small quantity (Have you seen the sugar conrtent in kellogs bran flakes though??), all bran is fine.

most days my brekky is porridge mixed with a bit of bran, and I may try that psyllium stuff as well! - 1.5 oz gives a good portion (cereal portions are one thing I have managed to cut down on over the years!) another good thing I've discovered is one of my local health food shops sells malted toasted wheat flakes - no added sugar - these are good with a sprinkling of sultanas.

 

[Steff]

I used to have cornflakes with milk only on but i found i would struggle to get single figures with that, only after someone gave me the idea on here cant remember who it was to try scrambled egg and bacon did i try it and now thats what i stick to if i have the time in the morning which is 5 mornings out of 7...So I now avoid cereal now accept the odd occasion i have porriage.

 

[FM001]

Avoid the sugar coated cereals and go for no added sugar muesli or rough cut scotch porridge oats, most cereals contain added vitamins and are a great source of dietary fibre which is beneficial to the digestive system. Sprinkle a few berries on and a spoonful of low fat yogurt and you have a delicious and nutritious breakfast to start the day.

 

[Estellaa]

i dont usually test until lunch time so i wouldn't know, but i don't have snacks in the morning, therefore i eat crunchy nut which usually keeps my levels at a stable level until have lunch.

 

[C*5_Dodger]

Following on from my post about Tesco flakes i have been looking at lots of different cereals.
My problem is the portions are so small for the amount of sugar in them.
A 40 gramme portion would not fill a corner of my stomach.

It would take 2 or 3 of those portions to satisfy me but look at the amount of sugar i would be consuming.

I hate being diabetic so much.

Dear Jon,

Not withstanding all the advice you've been given, the only person that can answer your question is you! If you don't have a BG meter you need to get one. Then you can determine what foods (carbs) you can tolerate. Have a look at this site for a way to go about determining what foods you can eat, left click on this link http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php

Warmest Regards Dodger

 

[donnarob]

hi Guys,

If you're anything like me, I kinda go off eggs if I'm having them too often. However, if I have eggs for breakfast, my levels are always reasonable. If I have porridge (which I love, sprinkled with Cinnamon and topped with berries), I spike. Porridge is slow releasing energy though and I always feel good when I have it. Usually after 4 hrs, my levels come down to under 6. How does short term spiking affect you?

Donna

 

[C*5_Dodger]

hi Guys,

If you're anything like me, I kinda go off eggs if I'm having them too often. However, if I have eggs for breakfast, my levels are always reasonable. If I have porridge (which I love, sprinkled with Cinnamon and topped with berries), I spike. Porridge is slow releasing energy though and I always feel good when I have it. Usually after 4 hrs, my levels come down to under 6. How does short term spiking affect you?

Donna

Dear donnarob,

Not at all, because I have used my meter to discover what carbs I can tolerate. In fact I only test once a day now because I know what I can safely eat.

Warmest Regards Dodger

 

[rossi_mac]

I personnally am also amazed at how we all automatically eat cereals in the morning and how much sugar is in them even the ones that are thought to be healthy!

I do love some porridge in the cold mornings and any form of eggs, have of late been having more natural yoghurt (home made) with red berries dates and a sprikle of oats, but generally speaking my cereal would be 2 shredded wheat, they seem okay I think they are low GI and I like them as it is then a fixed amount of carbs without weighing.

but yes it is probably the worst part od the D for me!

 

[margie]

hi Guys,

If you're anything like me, I kinda go off eggs if I'm having them too often. However, if I have eggs for breakfast, my levels are always reasonable. If I have porridge (which I love, sprinkled with Cinnamon and topped with berries), I spike. Porridge is slow releasing energy though and I always feel good when I have it. Usually after 4 hrs, my levels come down to under 6. How does short term spiking affect you?

Donna

If by you, you mean the generic you then it will depend on the size of your spike. If (with your spike) you stay below 10 I can't see it being a problem - I was told that non-diabetics could get close to but not over 10. Over that I couldn't really comment as there are so many variable ie the length of time at higher levels, genetics etc ( sorry not a very helpful response)

 

[C*5_Dodger]

If by you, you mean the generic you then it will depend on the size of your spike. If (with your spike) you stay below 10 I can't see it being a problem - I was told that non-diabetics could get close to but not over 10. Over that I couldn't really comment as there are so many variable ie the length of time at higher levels, genetics etc ( sorry not a very helpful response)

Dear margie,

Non diabetics never go anywhere near 10 no matter what they eat. It is more like 7mmol/L

Regards Dodger