Hi All,
I thought this might be of help to some people.. I think the way I work Nathan's insulin out in relation to food eating, and BG at the time has caused some confusion, but I also look at the science behind cooking food as well.
Again diabetes is a very individual condition what works for one, may not work for another, dependent on many factors.
What I am typing here is granted out of the Dr Hanas Bible...but the theory behind it, I use in relation to Nathan and what I have been taught.
Glucose from food can only be passed into the bloodstream after it has passed into the intestines. It cannot be absorbed through the lining of the mouth, as it used to be believed. To reach the intestines, the food must first pass through the lower opening of the stomach..Pylorus.
Complex carbs must first be broken down to simple sugars before they can be absorbed into bloodstream. The lenght of the carbohydrate chain does not seem to affect absorbtion as much as it was once believed since ''cleavage'' (breaking) is a fairly rapid process.
Simple carbs are cleaved by enzymes in the intestinal lining while more complex carbs and starch are first prepared by amylase, an enzyme found in the saliva and pancreas. Starch fibre cannot be cleaved into carbs in the intestine.
At one time, carbs were divided into quick and slow acting, mainly depending on the size of the molecule. It is more accurate to speak of quick acting and long acting foods and to evaluate the composition, fibre content and preperation in order to determine the effect on the blood glucose level, rather than simply its content of pure sugar. The term ''glyceamic index'' is used to describe how the blood glucose level is affected by different foods.
Dietary fibre content and particle size seem to be particularly important according to recent studies. The starch in vegetables is broken down more slowly than the starch in bread. The starch in potatoes is quick to break down to glucose. The starch from pasta products is broken down more slowly, even though it is made from white flour, which is low in fibre.
How you chew the food and the size of the food particals swallowed also influences the blood glucose response. Industrially manufactured mashed potatoes contain a fine powder that is mixed with fluid. The glucose in mashed potatoes is absorbed just as quickly as a glucose solution. Pasta and rice are swallowed in larger bites and must be digested before they can be absorbed. Likewise a whole apple will give a slower rise in blood glucose than apple juice which contains smaller particles and is in liquid form.
Heating decomposes starch, making sugar more accessible and faster to digest. Industrial food processing ususally involves higher temperatures which gives food a quicker blood glucose raising effect compared to a home-cooked meal. Indusrtrial baby food and semi-manufactured food (sometimes used in schools) can raise the BG more than comparable home-cooked meals.
The amount of carb listed on a food label can be misleading as no indication is made between digestible and indigestible carbs. Indigestable carbs cannot be broken down in the intestines and will therefore not give you a BG response.
I can also type out factors on emptying the stomach, and factors that increase the BG level more quickly, factors that increase the BG level more slowly...If you would like me to do so, it may help some of you others may already know...
Heidi
🙂
I thought this might be of help to some people.. I think the way I work Nathan's insulin out in relation to food eating, and BG at the time has caused some confusion, but I also look at the science behind cooking food as well.
Again diabetes is a very individual condition what works for one, may not work for another, dependent on many factors.
What I am typing here is granted out of the Dr Hanas Bible...but the theory behind it, I use in relation to Nathan and what I have been taught.
Glucose from food can only be passed into the bloodstream after it has passed into the intestines. It cannot be absorbed through the lining of the mouth, as it used to be believed. To reach the intestines, the food must first pass through the lower opening of the stomach..Pylorus.
Complex carbs must first be broken down to simple sugars before they can be absorbed into bloodstream. The lenght of the carbohydrate chain does not seem to affect absorbtion as much as it was once believed since ''cleavage'' (breaking) is a fairly rapid process.
Simple carbs are cleaved by enzymes in the intestinal lining while more complex carbs and starch are first prepared by amylase, an enzyme found in the saliva and pancreas. Starch fibre cannot be cleaved into carbs in the intestine.
At one time, carbs were divided into quick and slow acting, mainly depending on the size of the molecule. It is more accurate to speak of quick acting and long acting foods and to evaluate the composition, fibre content and preperation in order to determine the effect on the blood glucose level, rather than simply its content of pure sugar. The term ''glyceamic index'' is used to describe how the blood glucose level is affected by different foods.
Dietary fibre content and particle size seem to be particularly important according to recent studies. The starch in vegetables is broken down more slowly than the starch in bread. The starch in potatoes is quick to break down to glucose. The starch from pasta products is broken down more slowly, even though it is made from white flour, which is low in fibre.
How you chew the food and the size of the food particals swallowed also influences the blood glucose response. Industrially manufactured mashed potatoes contain a fine powder that is mixed with fluid. The glucose in mashed potatoes is absorbed just as quickly as a glucose solution. Pasta and rice are swallowed in larger bites and must be digested before they can be absorbed. Likewise a whole apple will give a slower rise in blood glucose than apple juice which contains smaller particles and is in liquid form.
Heating decomposes starch, making sugar more accessible and faster to digest. Industrial food processing ususally involves higher temperatures which gives food a quicker blood glucose raising effect compared to a home-cooked meal. Indusrtrial baby food and semi-manufactured food (sometimes used in schools) can raise the BG more than comparable home-cooked meals.
The amount of carb listed on a food label can be misleading as no indication is made between digestible and indigestible carbs. Indigestable carbs cannot be broken down in the intestines and will therefore not give you a BG response.
I can also type out factors on emptying the stomach, and factors that increase the BG level more quickly, factors that increase the BG level more slowly...If you would like me to do so, it may help some of you others may already know...
Heidi
🙂
