American food and blood sugar

[MarinaDE]

So. Last week I wrote to this forum in a complete panic, because my blood sugar was all over the place, and during the night I was going very low. I was travelling through the US at the time. I actually wondered if the sensor was wrong, because the values were so weird.

Problem solved! The sensor is fine. Since I've been back, my blood sugar readings have looked like they always do, and I've checked them with fingerpricks.

The problem seems to have been what I was eating. I was eating at either the hotel or at restaurants (not fast food ones). I generally eat pretty healthily, but everything I chose must have been packed with sugar, because my blood sugar would soar and crash. Sometimes I eat very little at night, and normally there's no problem, but if I didn't have very regular meals and snacks while in the USA, I was in trouble. Sugar would turn up in the weirdest things — I had an Irish stew that was theoretically just beef, broth and vegetables, but pretty quickly my blood sugar was soaring.

Many American restaurants list calories. I wish they would list sugars and carbs, because boy oh boy, was that trip traumatic.

And a big thank you to everyone who gave me advice!

 

[Duane Charles]

Just a thought, could it be that your body clock was confused by your eating times?

 

[MarinaDE]

Just a thought, could it be that your body clock was confused by your eating times?

Could be, but I'd been in Australia the week before with really horrible jetlag and my blood sugar stayed rock solid. By the time I got back to Europe after a whirlwind trip of Australia and then the US, I was a complete mess in terms of sleep deprivation and jet lag, but my blood sugar readings returned to normal.

 

[Leadinglights]

The other thing with American product information is that FIBER is included in the carbohydrate value whereas in the UK the FIBRE is already deducted. The clue is in the spelling.

 

[khskel]

I found in the USA the trick was to go nearer KETO levels of carbs than normal. 11 days survived on a diner diet.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Problem solved! The sensor is fine. Since I've been back, my blood sugar readings have looked like they always do, and I've checked them with fingerpricks.

Glad your levels have settled back down again @MarinaDE . Sorry the BG upheaval cast a bit of a shadow over your trip

 

[Inka]

I found North American food always had more carbs than I’d estimate. Yes, they add too much sugar or, more likely corn syrup, but there also seems to be a lot of gloopy filler in things that ups the carbs.

 

[Bloden]

gloopy filler

Ugh... 😳

 

[Mumpie_olgran]

Yes I've found the same in the US. I actually didn't mind the nutritional labelling, which is pretty comprehensive. It was more when eating out and guessing at"normal" values like bread, which I've subsequently discovered frequently has sugar added to it, such that it can be 2x what I'd been guessing for carbs

 

[nonethewiser]

Everything is big in USA, eldest has been few times & has shown me photos of food they serve, massive & I would need pocket of insulin to match those meals.

 

[SimonP]

Everything is big in USA, eldest has been few times & has shown me photos of food they serve, massive & I would need pocket of insulin to match those meals.

Absolutely, massive plates full, which means either leaving half or dialling up much more insulin than would be typical in this country. I found it quite easy to dial up a normal quantity of insulin and then accidentally eat more than I'd planned to.

Especially bad with pasta as it's quite hard to judge what you've eaten when it's half gone!

 

[mikeyB]

Yes I've found the same in the US. I actually didn't mind the nutritional labelling, which is pretty comprehensive. It was more when eating out and guessing at"normal" values like bread, which I've subsequently discovered frequently has sugar added to it, such that it can be 2x what I'd been guessing for carbs

Bread baked in this country also lists sugar as an ingredient. When I bake bread, I also add sugar - about 1 tsp for a 1lb loaf. Although it is listed as an ingredient, the sugar is only there as food for the yeast to make the bread rise with the Carbon Dioxide produce by the yeast using the sugar. No carbs from the sugar are left if you get the ratios correct. If the ratios are wrong, then your bread will be more like brioche, and you would be aware of the sweet taste if that were the case in the US.

 

[nonethewiser]

Absolutely, massive plates full, which means either leaving half or dialling up much more insulin than would be typical in this country. I found it quite easy to dial up a normal quantity of insulin and then accidentally eat more than I'd planned to.

Especially bad with pasta as it's quite hard to judge what you've eaten when it's half gone!

Was brought up to never leave anything on your plate, so guess what I'd easily eat american size portions as I've always had a good appetite anyway.