Does porridge put up your glucose level.?

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mikdod2000

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Type 2
Hi
I have type 2 diabetes and I wear a Dexcom 1 monitor.
I have just gone onto insulin and when I have porridge for breakfast my glucose levels go sky high.
Can anybody explain this as I’ve always considered porridge as good.
 
Porridge has carbs so will raise your BG. Some type 2s can still tolerate it enough to be able to eat it. Some can’t. Your dexcom will help you to see how quickly you come down again after the spike.
 
Which insulins are you using and when do you inject them?

All grains including wheat rice, oats and barley are high in carbohydrates and those break down quite quickly in your digestive system to release glucose. So porridge, which is obviously made from oats is what we would consider quite high carb and will therefore release glucose into your blood stream and spike your levels. For some people it digests more slowly than others and releases the glucose more slowly but many of us find that porridge is like rocket fuel for our Blood Glucose levels. Bread/toast, which is obviously made from wheat may well do the same as will most breakfast cereals.... because they are made from "cereals" ie grains. Bacon and eggs and mushrooms on the other hand contain almost no carbohydrate providing you don't have bread/toast/baked beans or hash browns with them. Many of us have creamy Greek natural yoghurt with a few berries and chopped nuts or mixed seeds for breakfast. Berries are the lowest carb fruits, whereas bananas and mangos are high carb and apples and pears and oranges in the middle. If I have a banana as an very occasional treat, I have half one day and the other half the next or share it with my partner.
 
rebrascora said:
Which insulins are you using and when do you inject them?

All grains including wheat rice, oats and barley are high in carbohydrates and those break down quite quickly in your digestive system to release glucose. So porridge, which is obviously made from oats is what we would consider quite high carb and will therefore release glucose into your blood stream and spike your levels. For some people it digests more slowly than others and releases the glucose more slowly but many of us find that porridge is like rocket fuel for our Blood Glucose levels. Bread/toast, which is obviously made from wheat may well do the same as will most breakfast cereals.... because they are made from "cereals" ie grains. Bacon and eggs and mushrooms on the other hand contain almost no carbohydrate providing you don't have bread/toast/baked beans or hash browns with them. Many of us have creamy Greek natural yoghurt with a few berries and chopped nuts or mixed seeds for breakfast. Berries are the lowest carb fruits, whereas bananas and mangos are high carb and apples and pears and oranges in the middle. If I have a banana as an very occasional treat, I have half one day and the other half the next or share it with my partner.
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That's very helpful, i have porridge every morning
 
Andy62 said:
That's very helpful, i have porridge every morning
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Some people's digestive system will cope OK with porridge and it will live up to it's "slow release" low GI reputation but for many of us, it doesn't. This is one of the reasons why we encourage people to use a BG test kit so that they can see how your particular body responds to various foods.... and drink... because it can be quite individual. Testing before eating a meal and then 2 hours after first bite will show you how well or poorly your body coped with it. A rise of more that 3mmols from the starting reading tells you that it wasn't a good choice or you need to reduce the portion size if it is a food that you really enjoy and don't want to give up. Ideally a rise of 2 or less is what you are aiming for but start with 3 initially and work on it.
It is a balancing act between what you enjoy and what your body can cope with. If you enjoy something lower carb more than a bowl of porridge then go for the alternative, if you love porridge, reduce the portion size but perhaps add other lower carb ingredients to it, like chopped nuts and seeds or unsweetened coconut or a dollop of peanut butter or a few berries and keep testing until you a combination which doesn't spike your levels too high. If you are currently adding sultanas or raisins, then cut those and try a few blueberries or raspberries instead because grapes either fresh or dried can be little sugar bombs and unfortunately, it doesn't matter how "natural" or "healthy" that sugar source is, it all break down into glucose.
I was a sugar addict prediagnosis and having cut most of the sources of sugar from my diet it amazes me how sensitive I now am to it but also how much more I enjoy savoury and sour and bitter flavours too and how much I really enjoy half an apple or half a banana as a treat. You really start to appreciate all the things you took for granted before and they suddenly taste extra special again, when they become a rare treat.
 
Interesting about porridge. Maybe it's reputation as a 'good' carb is because oats are 'better for the heart' ? (as we are told?) (ie, relative to other grains?)

I wonder if 'raw' oats (ie, museli) are less swiftly broken down to glucose than cooked oats (ie, porridge)?
 
Callista said:
Interesting about porridge. Maybe it's reputation as a 'good' carb is because oats are 'better for the heart' ? (as we are told?) (ie, relative to other grains?)

I wonder if 'raw' oats (ie, museli) are less swiftly broken down to glucose than cooked oats (ie, porridge)?
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I am a bit cynical about any dietary advice we have been given over the years particularly in respect of heart health and diabetes.

Yes it may be that for some people, raw oats work better. Again, it is a question of testing and of course, if they enjoy eating raw oats. No point in eating a car rich food with diabetes if you don't enjoy it.

There is fibre in any grain just like there are carbs but it is the soluble fibre which I believe helps gut health and oats are perhaps higher in soluble fibre than other grains. Soluble fibre also helps lower cholesterol and protect the cardiovascular system. I prefer to get my soluble fibre from other lower carb sources like chia and psyllium and my gut seems to really prefer that too and despite eating lots of fat including a high percentage of saturated fats, my cholesterol remains reasonably low. I believe that carbs were the main factor in a number of health issues for me and cutting them and eating more fats and fibre, from other sources than grains, has been really beneficial for me. That is just what I have found experimenting with my own diet on my own body, but everyone's body will respond differently and their tastes are different.
The huge benefit of home testing is that it allows you to see what works for your body.
 
Yes, it really does seem to be a question of, as you say, seeing what works for your body. As ever, (sigh), what protects one thing (eg heart) can attack something else (kidneys etc), so it really is a question of trying to find (no pun intended!) the 'sweet spot' when it comes to the balance of what foods we eat and when, what exercise we take and when, and what our inherent and personal physiology is like.
 
Callista said:
Interesting about porridge. Maybe it's reputation as a 'good' carb is because oats are 'better for the heart' ? (as we are told?) (ie, relative to other grains?)

I wonder if 'raw' oats (ie, museli) are less swiftly broken down to glucose than cooked oats (ie, porridge)?
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This is straight out of my X-PERT book:-

Muesli
Carbs per serving 48
Impact on BG - High
GI - Medium

Porridge
Carbs per serving 36
Impact on BG - High
GI - Low

Muesli is worse than porridge but they both have the same HIGH impact on BG.

Oats are a good fibrous food and are good for your bowel, just not so good if you have diabetes! Fibre from veggies is a better option 🙂
 
mikdod2000 said:
Hi
I have type 2 diabetes and I wear a Dexcom 1 monitor.
I have just gone onto insulin and when I have porridge for breakfast my glucose levels go sky high.
Can anybody explain this as I’ve always considered porridge as good.
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Eat porridge most mornings & can keep within my bg target range, to do this just prebolus to allow time for insulin to kick in.

Using something like Dexcom Libre devices will help you gauge how far ahead to prebolus, for myself in range its 20mins.

Callista said:
Interesting about porridge. Maybe it's reputation as a 'good' carb is because oats are 'better for the heart' ? (as we are told?) (ie, relative to other grains?)

I wonder if 'raw' oats (ie, museli) are less swiftly broken down to glucose than cooked oats (ie, porridge)?
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It is good carb no doubt about it, helps lower bp & cholesterol as it contains a fibre called beta glucan one reason why I like it each morning as its great start to day ahead.
 
Deb_l said:
Oats are a good fibrous food and are good for your bowel, just not so good if you have diabetes! Fibre from veggies is a better option 🙂
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Or from nuts and seeds. I pad out my porridge, made from a small portion of jumbo oats, with milled flaxseed and chopped pecans. I suspect the flaxseeds in particular have a greater effect on my bowel than the oats. (I also add a spoonful of double cream and berries (or occasionally red/black currants or rhubarb)).
 
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Yes, porridge pushes BG up as a spike. I love porridge for my breakfast and like @nonethewiser I have to prebolus by about 30 minutes to prevent the spike going too high and coming back down quickly into range.

Here’s today’s porridge spike for me! (poor TIR thanks to lots of lows at the moment, but it shows you the effect of porridge!)

DFF372EE-3B1A-422F-A096-AE895575E71A.jpeg
 
This is why I asked the OP to clarify which insulin(s) they are using. If they are just on basal, they obviously can't prebolus. With a mixed insulin they may be able to, to a certain extent but it wouldn't have the same flexibility of a basal/bolus regime to deal with porridge.
 
rebrascora said:
This is why I asked the OP to clarify which insulin(s) they are using. If they are just on basal, they obviously can't prebolus. With a mixed insulin they may be able to, to a certain extent but it wouldn't have the same flexibility of a basal/bolus regime to deal with porridge.
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Good point, I was assuming a basal / bolus regime, but as you say the OP may be on just basal or a mixed insulin in which case they wouldn’t have the flexibility of prebolus timing.
 
mikdod2000 said:
Hi
I have type 2 diabetes and I wear a Dexcom 1 monitor.
I have just gone onto insulin and when I have porridge for breakfast my glucose levels go sky high.
Can anybody explain this as I’ve always considered porridge as good.
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Hi @mikdod2000

Key thing for me is, are they whole oats or quick oats. Made with water, skimmed, semi or whole milk. Also need to pre bolus about 20mins before I eat them.
 
I think porridge is best eaten raw as in Muesli rather than being 'stewed' as the latter releases the starch/sugars more quickly.
 
DaveB said:
I think porridge is best eaten raw as in Muesli rather than being 'stewed' as the latter releases the starch/sugars more quickly.
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But then it is not really porridge.
Not surprising muesli is higher carbs than just oats as it usually has lots of other things added like dried fruit, dates, seeds, nuts and most likely some sugar.
 
Porridge seems to be one of those things that defies classification.

It’s brilliantly reliable, filling and slow release for some people, and basically like eating a bowlful of jam for others.

You just have to see how you react as an individual and make your choices accordingly I think.
 
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