Ready made packet grains

[Charslie]

Hi all im new to all this and was wondering if anyone could advise me on those pouches of ready-made grains etc?

I know it’s best to cook fresh but my job can have me anywhere at any point and I need a safe plan for emergencies.

Are any of them ok?

Thanks x

 

[Anna DUK]

Hi @Charslie, I'm not quite sure which pouches you mean but generally the advice is to look at the food labels, specifically at the amount of salt, fat and sugar per 100g. See page 5 of our pdf attached.

Being on the road for work can be tricky, but there's plenty of options to fall back on. You might find this link helpful which includes ideas for lunch on the go:

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-t...th-diabetes/healthy-swaps/healthy-swaps-lunch

Hope this helps! 🙂

 

[rebrascora]

Hi @Charslie, I'm not quite sure which pouches you mean but generally the advice is to look at the food labels, specifically at the amount of salt, fat and sugar per 100g. See page 5 of our pdf attached.

Being on the road for work can be tricky, but there's plenty of options to fall back on. You might find this link helpful which includes ideas for lunch on the go:

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-t...th-diabetes/healthy-swaps/healthy-swaps-lunch

Hope this helps! 🙂

I find it quite shocking that DUK representatives are still suggesting people look at labels for salt, fat and sugar content with no reference whatsoever to carbohydrates, when it is all carbohydrates which break down into glucose and increase BG levels in diabetics.

Grains are high in carbohydrates so in general they will raise BG levels significantly and therefore portion size usually needs to be restricted. I am guessing these are the microwavable pouches which have mixed wholegrains and sometimes also include Quinoa. I would not expect such a product to have much sugar or fat, so your post would suggest that these grains are fine for people who are trying to manage their diabetes through diet, when they most likely won't be unless a smaller than recommended portion size is used.

 

[Anna DUK]

I find it quite shocking that DUK representatives are still suggesting people look at labels for salt, fat and sugar content with no reference whatsoever to carbohydrates, when it is all carbohydrates which break down into glucose and increase BG levels in diabetics.

@rebrascora, for those at risk of diabetes, (and generally for all of us really) there's reasons to cut back on salt, fat and sugar. Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which in turn can increase a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Too much fat, especially saturated fat, can lead to an increase risk of cholesterol levels, which can impact heart health. Too much added sugar, is calorific, leading to weight gain. Weight gain can increase a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy balanced diet. Carbs give us energy. As I'm sure you're aware, what is important are the type of carbs, with the wholegrains, wholemeal varieties breaking down into glucose slower. Portion sizes are of course important too. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/portion-sizes

 

[rebrascora]

I am not an advocate for very low carb/keto diets, but eating high carb foods like grains is not essential or necessarily for a healthy diet and I think if someone is coming to the forum for the first time seeking advice on managing their risk of diabetes, then some mention of reducing carbohydrate intake is actually more important than mentioning salt and fat and sugar, especially with a product which is unlikely to be high in those things, but will be high in carbohydrates, so it will cause their Blood Glucose (BG) levels to rise.

I am not saying these products should not be eaten by someone at risk of diabetes, but having an awareness of carbohydrate content and portion control is more important to diabetes management than fat and salt and sugar.

@Charslie I find grabbing a salad works well when away from home. Things like a Greek salad with feta and olives or a plain salad and have it with cooked meat (roast chicken/ham/beef/pork) or fish or boiled eggs or cheese and full fat coleslaw. If you reduce your carbohydrate intake then you need a bit more fat and protein and eating full fat products like coleslaw and creamy Greek style natural yoghurt and milk and cheese will provide you with the energy you are no longer getting from the higher carb foods. We don't need those high carb foods like grains to provide us with energy because we can get plenty from other foods that are lower in carbs like tomatoes and peppers and salad leaves and cabbage/carrot in coleslaw and yoghurt and berries and many many other foods which are not grains and also from protein and fat.

What many of us find is that reducing your intake of carb rich foods like grains and anything make from grains like bread and pasta and rice and couscous and pastry and breakfast cereals and also reducing our intake of high carb veggies like potatoes and high carb fruits like bananas and mangoes and pineapple and grapes and eating more of the lower carb foods helps us to manage our BG levels better and lose weight and still enjoy our food.

 

[Charslie]

Hi @Charslie, I'm not quite sure which pouches you mean but generally the advice is to look at the food labels, specifically at the amount of salt, fat and sugar per 100g. See page 5 of our pdf attached.

Being on the road for work can be tricky, but there's plenty of options to fall back on. You might find this link helpful which includes ideas for lunch on the go:

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-t...th-diabetes/healthy-swaps/healthy-swaps-lunch

Hope this helps! 🙂

Thank you for taking the time to reply but im so confused now
I thought breads and pastas were to be massively limited due to the carb level

 

[Anna DUK]

Sorry you're confused. There are different types of carbs and some of them, like wholemeal bread and wholegrain pasta, has a higher fibre content. This fibre slows down how quickly the carb turns into glucose (sugar). The quicker something turns into glucose, the quicker your pancreas needs to work to release insulin. Maybe this link will help to explain things too: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/carbohydrates-and-diabetes

 

[Robin]

Thank you for taking the time to reply but im so confused now
I thought breads and pastas were to be massively limited due to the carb level

A lot of people with type 2 diabetes, and some with pre diabetic levels, find their Glucose levels easier to control if they limit the amount of carbohydrate in their diet. Some GPs are advocating this too, but I don’t think it’s become 'official' NHS dietary policy yet, and DUK has a quandary when recommending alternative approaches.
The Freshwell approach is one such GP led initiative, which is often quoted on the forum. The thread I’ve linked below has a link to it, or you can type Freshwell into the search box, top right of your screen.

How others view Diabetes and Diabetics

My diagnosis was very badly handled in 2013, and unfortunately, it doesn't look like things have improved much in the interim. We have just changed GPs. The old ones used to be fabulous (notwithstanding the diagnostic debacle), but when a particular Gp left and a couple of partners retired it...

forum.diabetes.org.uk

People generally have to experiment and find what amount of carbohydrate in the diet works for them personally, even with unprocessed grains, bodies can vary a lot in the amount they can cope with.

 

[silentsquirrel]

Thank you for taking the time to reply but im so confused now
I thought breads and pastas were to be massively limited due to the carb level

Yes, limited. How limited depends on the individual. Anna has to put forward the official NHS view, which just does not work well for very many of us. Our bodies didn't get the memo about fibre, low GI etc. For a few very lucky people switching to wholegrain can make a big difference, for others it will make a little difference, but portions may need to be massively reduced and for some people there would seem to be virtually no difference at all. Carbs are carbs, whatever colour.

Of course, there are other advantages in a high fibre diet, but this can often be achieved with eg seeds, nuts and vegetables rather than grains, with much less impact on our blood glucose levels.

 

[rebrascora]

Yes, fibre is important and I get mine from other sources than grains. The amount of fibre in grains does not make a significant difference to the speed of absorption of glucose from the carbs they contain for many people who are diabetic, so whilst wholegrains are marginally better than white flour products, they still contain a high percentage of carbs and therefore glucose and it is down to the individuals digestive system as to how fast that glucose is released into the blood.

Porridge is the classic example of this in that it is supposed to be slow release but using a CGM I can see that it starts releasing it's glucose into my blood stream within 20 mins of eating it, so only 10 mins slower than straight glucose and is gone within a couple of hours. And that was with quality jumbo oats not packet mixes which are worse.

The best thing that you can do to reduce the confusion about food and adjust your diet to what suits you and your body is to invest in a BG meter and test strips and start testing just before and 2 hours after meals to see how you respond to particular foods and then reduce the portion size of the carb rich foods to a point where the rise in BG 2 hours after the meal is less than 2-3mmols higher than the premeal reading. If you can then develop a repertoire of meals which minimize the rise in BG to this level then you will be successful in managing your risk of diabetes.

 

[Martin.A]

I find it quite shocking that DUK representatives are still suggesting people look at labels for salt, fat and sugar content with no reference whatsoever to carbohydrates

Especially when we are forever telling people to ignore the traffic light system on food packaging and look at the nutrition panel instead.

 

[Anna DUK]

Especially when we are forever telling people to ignore the traffic light system on food packaging and look at the nutrition panel instead.

The traffic light system can be an easy and accessible way for people to understand how a food item fits into a healthy, balanced diet. However, as you know it doesn't help those who are carb counting in which case it's best to look at the total carb rather than just the 'of which sugars'. What's your reasons @Martin.A for ignoring the traffic light system?

 

[rebrascora]

The traffic light system is simply not helpful to those people with diabetes and it can actually be harmful to suggest it is helpful, as it can lead people to think that something is beneficial for their diabetes management when it may not be. The packets of wholegrains being a case in point..... low fat, low sugar, low salt would get it a green traffic light but the product is predominantly carbohydrate which would make it problematic for many diabetics in the recommended portion size, let alone the modern trend of eating a larger than normal portion that I am sure many of us did pre-diagnosis. Those packs are usually 2 portions for a normal person, so it may be that a quarter of the pack is suitable for someone who is trying to manage their diabetes through diet, which probably amounts to a couple of dessert spoons, which to me seems pointless when you could have a lot of other lower carb food for that couple of spoons of grains, that probably don't even taste that great anyway.

 

[Anna DUK]

I respect your viewpoint @rebrascora. However, not all people living with diabetes or at risk of diabetes follow a low-carb diet. I'm with you on the portion sizes.

 

[helli]

This is summed up brilliantly at the top of every page on the forum:

"Additionally, everyone manages their health differently.

 

[silentsquirrel]

I respect your viewpoint @rebrascora. However, not all people living with diabetes or at risk of diabetes follow a low-carb diet. I'm with you on the portion sizes.

Even if not low-carb or needing to count carbs for insulin all people with diabetes or at risk need to be aware of the carbs they eat, and that as far as their diabetes goes, the carbs are the crucial factor, not fat or salt, which is why traffic lights are unhelpful. They perpetuate the myth that diabetes is all about sugar, not carbs.

 

[Martin.A]

The traffic light system can be an easy and accessible way for people to understand how a food item fits into a healthy, balanced diet. However, as you know it doesn't help those who are carb counting in which case it's best to look at the total carb rather than just the 'of which sugars'. What's your reasons @Martin.A for ignoring the traffic light system?

Because the nutrition panel gives me all the information I need, including %RI.

 

[Robin]

@Anna DUK also suggested correctly, above, that wholegrains were more suitable than refined carbs for people who aren’t managing their diabetes by low carb, and they certainly tend to be healthier in general with vitamins etc in the bit that’s removed in processing, but the traffic light system tells you nothing about that at all!

 

[Inka]

Hi all im new to all this and was wondering if anyone could advise me on those pouches of ready-made grains etc?

I know it’s best to cook fresh but my job can have me anywhere at any point and I need a safe plan for emergencies.

Are any of them ok?

Thanks x

Do you mean the ‘posh’ ones like Merchant Gourmet, eg the mixes of grains and pulses they do, or are you talking about the budget ones? I find the budget ones tend to have more fillers and artificial things in them. It would depend on the brand and the particular one you chose.

As said above, there are a variety of different diets and what suits one person might not suit the next. For example, a very low fat plant-based diet can help improve insulin resistance. That has wholegrain carbs as @Anna DUK mentions.

It’s all a case of finding what works for you - for your body, for your lifestyle, for any other medical conditions you might have, etc etc.

 

[Drummer]

Thank you for taking the time to reply but im so confused now
I thought breads and pastas were to be massively limited due to the carb level

I don't eat grains as that is an easy way to eliminate a significant source of carbs - but I started out fully diabetic with HvA1c of 91 and a long period of blissful ignorance about a test which was flagged up but never acted upon by my GPs.
I ate a healthy balanced diet following the printout from my GPs year after year - for decades. I ended up very overweight and rather unwell, with a HbA1c of 91.
By ignoring the rules I returned to normal numbers and a lower weigh very quickly, and felt a couple of decades younger.
I eat saturated fat and my cholesterol levels actually fell. My intake of fat is lower as I don't eat seed oils now.
Without salt added to my cooking I get cramps at night.
The traffic light system is as much use as a chocolate tea pot - actually rather less.
There are different types of carb, sugars and starches are the two basic forms, but as soon as they are chewed they are all heading off to become sugars in the bloodstream, so it is best to just count them all and consider if you really want to take that route.
These days I just tell it as I find it - low carb has sorted out my full blown type 2, apparently long term. I am a very uncomplicated type 2, it seems, and hope to stay in the ordinary category for the foreseeable future.