Not sure this is right group but give it a go..

[JimmyBlue]

I have been trying to be good and measure my BG before and after meals but I am not sure whether I am doing it right. When I eat I don't necessarily sit down at a specific time and then eat my meal. I am more a sit down eat the first part of the meal, maybe do something afterwards and then eat something else. In part this behaviour is driven by my work (no real time for lunch so spread it out between calls) and is less common in the evening. So my question is when do I test two hours after my meal? Is it two hours after I start to eat or two hours after I finish eating or some other two hour point?

On a slightly different point, has anyone seen any changes to their BG by experimenting with the idea of resistant carbs? I froze a couple of slices of bread (made in a home breadmaker) and then toasted them to have for lunch. Didn't feel that the difference in BG was sufficient to call the experiment a success.

 

[Inka]

It depends on how long your meal takes @JimmyBlue ie how long a gap there is between your first and subsequent parts.

 

[Martin.A]

On a slightly different point, has anyone seen any changes to their BG by experimenting with the idea of resistant carbs? I froze a couple of slices of bread (made in a home breadmaker) and then toasted them to have for lunch. Didn't feel that the difference in BG was sufficient to call the experiment a success.

It's not claimed to reduce BG, only to result in a slightly lower rise after eating due to the reduction in digestible carbs..

 

[JimmyBlue]

Thanks for that Martin, I am struggling to tell if it impacted on the rise in my BG but it is possible. I have been getting a few point in time results of 9.4 as I get over being ill for a week and before that my higher results tended to be less than 9. Will leave that type of experimenting for now.

 

[JimmyBlue]

Hi @Inka , it is normally no more than 15 mins but sometimes can go up to 20 depending on what is distracting me. My wife is suggesting that for more mainstream meals like me evening meal I should measure from about 2 hours after I have eaten and not from when I start so will give that a go and see what happens.

 

[Inka]

That doesn’t sound like too long @JimmyBlue The aim isn’t to cram your food in asap. You test just before eating, eat your meal at a normal pace and then test two hours after the start time of your meal. If you still manage to eat your meal within a reasonable time then it doesn’t matter 🙂

 

[JimmyBlue]

@Inka thanks for the guidance, the key for me was trying to understand when the 2 hours starts from. My wife felt it was following the end of the meal and I thought, as you said, from when you start the meal.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

@Inka thanks for the guidance, the key for me was trying to understand when the 2 hours starts from. My wife felt it was following the end of the meal and I thought, as you said, from when you start the meal.

I think if I were having a longer meal, eg with some nibbles beforehand, I think I might be tempted to start the ‘clock’ from the start of the main bit. But tbh as long as your approach is fairly consistent I don’t think it would make a huge amount of difference. Part of it is trying to get a timing based around the first and second phases of insulin release. Checking at 1hr might show a higher initial BG rise if first phase insulin is impaired, so by checking at 2hrs you should be allowing time for things to have steadied a little.

Resistant starch seems to get a mixed response on the forum. some find it makes little or no discernible difference, while others find it a useful strategy.

Thread 'Resistant Starch'

Sep 8, 2024

I vaguely remember reading something about this before, but I must get into the habit of doing this when I want to eat same 😉

Resistant Starch Link

133K views · 3.1K reactions | How the lower the carbs in your foods #resistantstarch #lowcarb #carbs | Diabetic Health and Wellness

How the lower the carbs in your foods #resistantstarch #lowcarb #carbs.

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• Jodee
• Replies: 20
• Forum: Food/carb queries + recipes

 

[Jodee]

Hi Jimmy I have always thought the before food was fasting, ie no food for 2 hours or more previously applying this to both the before and after food testing.

But if you are seeing any positive reduction you are headed in the right direction. I think snacking can sometimes not be so helpful unless its things like a palmful of walnuts, a boiled egg or some cheese, although personally I do still do it. I always find an apple a good snack 🙂

 

[Martin.A]

.Resistant starch seems to get a mixed response on the forum. some find it makes little or no discernible difference, while others find it a useful strategy.

The assertion is that the rise in BG after eating would be slightly lower through cooking/cooling/reheating starchy foods but you would need to take BG readings at your post-prandial peak to be able to see if it's made any difference. In the experiment referenced on the DUK page the participants, after eating, measured their blood glucose levels every 15 minutes for two hours, not just after two hours as per the post-prandial norm. The latter wouldn't show whether you peaked lower than you would have otherwise done.

 

[JimmyBlue]

@Jodee I used to snack a lot before my diagnosis, now not so much and when I do it is normally a handful of nuts. The incentive not to snack is that to get at the almonds I need to go into what used to be called the sweet cupboard, wherein lies my wife's large selection of largely uneaten chocolate bars. She has much better control than I ever did over not eating sweet things.

If asked I am sure I can find a vintage bar of Tony Chocaloney's Christmas 2022 salted caramel milk chocolate

 

[Jodee]

@JimmyBlue ha ha I am familiar with - I am so naughty when it comes to chocolate 😛