coffee

[dingdong]

have a least 3 cups of coffee when i first get up with semi skimmed milk would this affect my blood glucose if so would double cream be better or not thanks

 

[Drummer]

It all depends on how well you cope with the lactose.
I have found that I am lactose intolerant now - at the age of 70, after 5 years low carbing and having extra thick cream in my coffee at home, frothed up with the Bamix (other kitchen toys are available) if I have a coffee with ordinary milk my insides start to gurgle and I have diarrhoea, and as that is when I am away from home I really need to be careful these days.
I have found I need to be more careful about carb intake in the mornings than in the evening - so maybe testing your blood glucose would give you the best information - maybe try milk for a few days, cream for a few days, and see how your levels vary. It really helps to have a meter and to check your own reaction as we are all different in our response to carbs.

 

[helli]

With morning coffee, there are a few things to consider
- carbs in the milk ... as Martin mentioned above
- Foot on The Floor - you mention that you are drinking coffee first thing in the morning. Many of us find our liver dump glucose when we get up so we see a rise even if we eat or drink nothing.
- Caffeine - some of us find that caffeine can raise our blood sugars.

But all of this is "some people find". What is most important is what happens to your body. And the only way to find out is to test. You can experiment with coffee with milk, coffee with cream and, if you fancy it, black coffee.

 

[grovesy]

I did an experiment a few weeks ago I tried drinking black coffee, instead of my usall with milk, for me not having the milk made no difference!

 

[harbottle]

I find that in the morning (When I drink a lot of black coffee, usually around 4-5 cups) my BG levels are a little bit higher (High fives, low sixes) than the afternoon/evenings when I drink decaff tea/coffee and it slides back down to the low 5s/high 4s. I‘ve had the odd cappuccinno but don‘t recall seeing much difference in BG levels.

 

[grovesy]

I found when drank more cappuccino's they did raise my levels more, and was much better sticking to white coffee in cafe's.

 

[nonethewiser]

No effect with coffee wgatsoever, mind never drink it first thing as has to be strong mug of tea. Couldn't think of anything worse than putting cream in coffee, just full fat milk does trick.

 

[Jennyninja]

With morning coffee, there are a few things to consider
- carbs in the milk ... as Martin mentioned above
- Foot on The Floor - you mention that you are drinking coffee first thing in the morning. Many of us find our liver dump glucose when we get up so we see a rise even if we eat or drink nothing.
- Caffeine - some of us find that caffeine can raise our blood sugars.

But all of this is "some people find". What is most important is what happens to your body. And the only way to find out is to test. You can experiment with coffee with milk, coffee with cream and, if you fancy it, black coffee.

I've recently changed to almond milk for animal welfare reasons (that documentary last week ). Although I'm aware of the carb content of cow's milk, I didn't expect the impact of changing from small amounts of cow's milk in tea and coffee to next to no absorbable carbs in almond milk, to be so noticeable. It might be a coincidence but BGs have been lower pretty consistently and I've had to manage a couple of hypos too. It might be different next week. Or tomorrow. Thought I'd throw that one in the mix.....

 

[trophywench]

Sorry, cruelty to animals is not the case on the majority of farms - so PLEASE don't tar them all with that brush. (how on earth would it benefit a farmer who relies on the animals for a living - and happy healthy cows actually produce more and better milk!) Have you investigated the carbon footprint of almond milk? I may have my priorities wrong but I'm afraid cruelty to a few cows pales into insignificance to me in comparison to global warming and people dying!

 

[Jennyninja]

Sorry, cruelty to animals is not the case on the majority of farms - so PLEASE don't tar them all with that brush. (how on earth would it benefit a farmer who relies on the animals for a living - and happy healthy cows actually produce more and better milk!) Have you investigated the carbon footprint of almond milk? I may have my priorities wrong but I'm afraid cruelty to a few cows pales into insignificance to me in comparison to global warming and people dying!

Hi @rebrascora, it is a tough one. I'm very much aware of global warming impacts. Not all almond milks are the same and I accept not all dairy farmers are the same. There's no one right answer and we each do what we think is best. The reason for my post was to contribute to the discussion from a blood glucose impact point of view.

 

[andyp64]

so .... what's the consensus? Black coffee or skimmed milk or cream or almond milk or what????

 

[Leadinglights]

so .... what's the consensus? Black coffee or skimmed milk or cream or almond milk or what????

Cream has less carbs than milk, but what suits one person will not suit another either with what they prefer of the effect on their blood glucose. Just as coffee itself can affect people differently so really it come down to personal choice.

 

[Annette&Bert]

I don’t add milk to anything and always have black coffee when I wake. I do hav double cream with fruit and desserts.

 

[helli]

so .... what's the consensus? Black coffee or skimmed milk or cream or almond milk or what????

The consensus is that we are all different and you have to work out what suits you, your body and your lifestyle.

 

[harbottle]

I have been trying cappuccinos from high street cafes just recently - and find that I get pretty much no effect on BG. I've tried one from Pret today (12g of carbs) and had no change from before, an hour later, and then two hours later.