Porridge

[PaulG]

I try to look at all aspects.
Loads of calories in nuts, loads of sugar in berries.
Diet is not just a carb.

 

[silver minion]

I try to look at all aspects.
Loads of calories in nuts, loads of sugar in berries.
Diet is not just a carb.

Yes it's about balance but also being aware of any particular food or food combination that sends your BG into orbit. All I can say is for me reducing the overall carbs in my diet has helped lower my BG and regain some weight and muscle mass that I lost prior to diagnosis.

 

[debs248]

Just to add, you may be able to eat porridge in the evenings, even if your body can't handle it for breakfast. I'm far more sensitive to insulin after about 6pm so try to avoid carbs before then.

 

[Martin.A]

I try to look at all aspects.
Loads of calories in nuts, loads of sugar in berries.
Diet is not just a carb.

Agree, which is why portion control is so important. My scales and my BG meter are my best friends.

 

[rebrascora]

I try to look at all aspects.
Loads of calories in nuts, loads of sugar in berries.
Diet is not just a carb.

Calories themselves are not a problem unless you have a lot of weight to lose and berries are not "full of sugar". Raspberries (my favourite fruit) are about 6g carbs per 100g and yes that 6g is mostly, if not all sugar, but that hardly compares to porridge oats which are about 65g carbs per 100g. If your body is one of those that has read the Low GI handbook and gives you slow release glucose from porridge then great but it is like rocket fuel for some of us and just not worth the BG aggravation.

 

[marlyn7]

Whoa, @marlyn7 ...... If you had a big spike then a crash, the net outcome is not necesaarily as bad as you make this sound. To my reading your body managed your porridge very well.

What are the numbers and timings? BG immediately before 1st mouthful, then 2 hrs later? How high did you go and how long did that last? Your body is very complex and many other things can influence a single result from a meal, such as:

Were you particularly active in the 4 hrs after eating?​

Has the weather changed?​

How well did you sleep last night?​

Are you using a CGM just now? If so you get the advantage of a graph showing the continuous outcome ALONG with the limitations of CGM; those limitations include sometimes too much information; lag with interstitial readings that might (or might not) be smoothed out by the built in algorithm of the CGM; uncertainty about the accuracy of CGM readings.

Have you taken fp readings to establish that in steady state your CGM is giving you valid numbers?

Are you aware that the principle benefit of CGM is to provide a clear picture of BG TREND, rather than very precise nos (whereas fps give you snapshots at various moments, the trend is not visible without fps every 15 mins). Your trend is a rise in BG and then a fall as your metabolism did what it should be doing. The big question to my mind is how long did that all take? If unacceptably long, then (perhaps) your porridge might not be ideal. With the benefit of CGM you can not only see cause and effect from eating; but cause and effect of timings, exercise / activity, from the weather, from outside factors including stress and emotions (which trigger hormones that tell your liver to release glucose from the stores!). And some 30+ other factors.

Don't rush to judgement on the basis of one result and do understand the information that one result has given you in the wider context of this one day. Easier to do with CGM, much more difficult from fps alone.

Tried porridge several times, different combinations, all with same result huge spike then massive crash, so not just 1 instance.learn a bit more info each day. Thanks

 

[marlyn7]

I've never been a fan of porridge, although my wife is and we always have oats in the larder. I'll help myself to 20g if I decide to do overnight oats. I generally stick to berries, crushed walnuts and Greek yogurt, ie:-

View attachment 35655

18g carbs in this bowl and fills me enough to get me to lunchtime.

Looks nice,but have tried similar, didn't work for me, but thanks anyway.

 

[pjgtech]

When you say porridge, do you mean just normal commercially available packs, eg: Quaker type, as they may have fairly high levels of sugars and other ingredients added? Or do you make your own using plain oats, etc?

Obviously we are all different....I can't have "normal" porridge, which I love, but I can have overnight oats (which I make myself) or plain granola works ok for me too.

For overnight oats (eg: oats that are soaked overnight in milk, etc to soften) I use 100% rolled oats.
I think I have read that steel cut oats are the healthiest, but are apparently not the best texture/flavour?

My overnight oats recipe is:
I use a typical "mason" jar, eg: jam jar.
50g oats
50g milk or almond milk
50g greek yoghurt
1Tsp chia seeds
Thats the basic recipe, then I just add flavours, eg: berries, nuts, pumpkin seeds, honey or maple syrup.
Leave in fridge overnight, eat in the morning (either hot or cold).

That does not seem to spike my BG at all.