Thank you Jen and FHS! You get it!!! Some people here think I am bashing the ADA which I am NOT but it’s very frustrating when endos and diabetes educator go by the ADA guidelines and say that I should be eating more whole grains. It has been my experience that my cholesterol and BG levels have drastically improved by avoiding the things that I know will spike my blood sugar. I’m not advocating that anyone eat snickers instead of grains, I’m simply stating that for me regular soda will spike my BG less than whole grains will, no matter how I bolus for them. I’m interested in other peoples experience…not bashing the ADA or saying that everyone should copy what I am doing.
Nobody should be afraid to speak their mind here. Glad to hear what you're going through and your opinions about it. It's a fact that the recommendations I had for decades did me little good, where the understanding of a great educator changed my life and brought my A1C below 7 for good. Keep looking for the right answer for you.
Well, to answer your original question, which I think others have as well, I definitely tolerate wheat bread much better than I tolerate soda or even white bread. I could probably be the poster boy for the "ADA diet" as I understand it to be from the general tone in this forum.
Unfortunately, that doesn't help you much when diabetes educators use people like me as the blueprint for everybody else.
You are probably gluten-sensitive.
Yep...the CGM is a great tool, many individuals have no idea what their BG profile really looks like throughout the day.
I think old timers who used the exchange system have a big advantage. Most of us ate 1 bread exchange per meal (15carbs and some of the slices where more like 10 carbs), many of the new bread loafs today are huge, some slices will not even fit in a toaster and one slice of whole grain bread can be 22-25 carbs. I pre bolus for bread and it's important to weigh bread because the slices are not uniform like the old sandwich bread was.
Sorry but after 20-30 years you may find some balance, figure out what you can eat, and maybe even learn to forget about your Bete's for a few minutes every day...I did say maybe.;-)
Gluten intolerance and Celiac disease are becoming a broad complaint for the DOC. I notice that many comments here suggest you get tested. Gluten intolerance does not typically cause the complaint you are posting about, which is a spike of your bg. That can be managed with proper bolus. By the way - it is not the Feds who are modifying our food, it's the seed company that is forcing farms to grow biotechnology altered seeds and operate the farms, and raise the animals using these unnatural herbicides and seeds.
Your continued comment(s) that the ADA "push" wheat is probably what caused me to want to suggest otherwise and to remind folks of what they DO say. They don't have any specific guideline other than to select healthy nutritious foods. I still can't get my head around your continued enjoyment of Coke. I wonder what your educator says about that?!? LOL
I enjoy wheat and multigrain bread for my PB and Js and BLTs with no soaring blood sugars and have for years and years. I attribute my excellent bg results and A1c numbers to knowing how much to bolus for my healthy food choices, for keeping tabs on the necessary basal needs, and for taking excellent care of myself. I agree that diabetes is NOT a one size fits all approach.
I have some intolerance to certain food types, but I don't disparage anyone who gives others advice to eat them and enjoy them. Enjoy your cokes and snickers. I am going to flip up a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat and enjoy an apple. Not only is it delicous, it's perfectly manageable. I might have a full belly when I'm done, but that's not the same as the silly Wheat Belly nonsense.
Well, I can't say that I've done any scientific experiments, but I do know that when I used to eat shredded wheat for breakfast (which I liked because it had nothing else in it...no other ingredients except the wheat), even though I measured carefully, my bg typically went well over 180 after breakfast.
Because of that I switched to Cheerios (original), measure carefully, and my bg typically doesn't go over 155, and it comes down faster than it did on the shredded wheat.
I'm on a pump, and bolus appropriately, but I've definitely noticed that other wheat products also seem to make my bg's go higher than some other high-carb foods.
But as they say, your mileage may vary.
Ruth
Thanks Ruth for sharing!! I’m sorry you have the same problem but I’m glad to hear from someone who has a similar experience. My doctors look at me like I’m nuts when I say things like plain wheat spikes my BG more than coke or candy. It’s so strange! I too am on a pump and bolus appropriately. I’ve tried pre bolusing, extended bolus, extra bolus…doesn’t matter I hit 240 no matter what I do and then the rest of the day despite corrections…I can’t get under 180. I usually stay right at 100.
I spike after eating wheat too. In fact I have been eating low carb for 3 months, no grain, starch, sugar or fruit and have had much better BS levels including less spikes. Today I ordered French Onion soup and it had a slice of bread in it. I tried to avoid it but ate a couple bites of bread. My BG went up to 175-185 and has stayed elevated for hours, even though I’ve been doing correction boluses. I’ll factor this experience in as helpful info as I continue to experiment with what works well for me. Right now, I’m thinking bread, even a small amount, is going to cause more damage than what it’s worth.
Thank you Paul! I'm still pretty new to this and really appreciate hearing about other people's experiences. I agree, a great educator can make all the difference in the world. My new diabetes educator is Type 1 herself and has given me a lot of useful advice....far better than my former educator who thought she knew everything and the all diabetics followed the patterns of the textbooks to a "T".
Thanks FHS!! I'm glad you understand! LOL. I sure wouldn't want a diabetes educator using me as the blueprint for everyone else either because my body does a whole lot of wonky things! I had to change diabetes educators and endo's because they both refused to acknowledge "Dawn Phenomenon" as a real thing. They told me I was eating too many carbs before bedtime or for dinner (I was on a modified low carb diet at the time), so I fasted for 24 hours on numerous occasions to show that I was spiking to 200 around 3 a.m. I just got my Dexcom not too long ago. I made copies of the charts and sent a letter to them. They are really doing people a diservice by not acknowledging "Dawn Phenomenon".
I don't drink Coke on a regular basis, nor do I eat Snickers. However, when I have indulged upon occasion I have noticed that my blood sugar doesn't spike as much as with wheat. And my Endo and Diabetes Educator are quite happy with my progress. My last A1C was 5.1. I've found what works for me and that's the important thing.
Thanks John!! Could you download some of your knowledge about diabetes to disk and let me upload it to my brain so I don't have to wait the 20-30 years?!! :-) ;-)
Marcia!!! I am right there with you!!! When I eliminate the starches including breads, wheats, pasta, ect my blood sugar doesn't spike at all! My Dexcom shows a straight line all day long. It's incredible, but the minute I have even a teaspoon of rice, or some bread, or anything else starchy....up it goes. I can do correction bolus after correction bolus on whole wheat products and grains and nothing will touch it!!! It's like it temporarily make me insulin resistant or something. Crazy!!!! I can't believe how much better I feel without the continuous ups and downs. I have fewer highs and fewer lows....things are just steady all day long. Loving that!! And I agree totally that bread products, even a small amount, just aren't worth it for me!! :-)
That's very likely Arlene. I had cancer about two years ago. I was diagnosed with 4 autoimmune diseases after that, including diabetes. I'm in the process of being tested for Celiac.
Marcia, I've been making some breads and snacks with Almond meal instead. I made peanut butter almond meal cookies and they were delicious. I bolus as normal with almond meal and have had no crazy weird spikes like I do with whole grains.
Would love to see some of your dex lines. Have you checked out the flatliners group. Plenty of places to share what works or not for you.
One reason I can post fairly consistent lines is that I will eat to my meter. White rice,instant oatmeal, farro with no protein and fat added will spike me to the stratosphere. But barley salad with a good vinaigrette, steel cut oats plus whey protein powder, hummus and veggie, black beans and veggie burritos, refried beans, green lentils with diced veggies and vinaigrette will keep me on a gentle curve. I can do thin crust pizza if has lots of veg, cheese, meat but can't if it's plain.
What works will be individual for each of our systems. Learning to stay between the lines takes commitment and the willingness to use all the tools we are given.
Thanks Pump Girl! So nice to find a kindred soul in the wheat spiking world! Thanks for sharing about almond meal. I use that a lot too. Other things that work well for me are flax meal and chia seeds. I make concoctions using those things, with egg, some cream, cocoa, or other ingredients and Truvia…put in a mug and microwave for a quick breakfast. Also often put in ricotta, coconut oil or cream cheese.
I remember when I was put in the hospital after being misdiagnosed with T2 for 2 years. My first day, the dietician saw bacon on my tray and criticized me for not watching my "fat."
I was admitted at 115 lbs. on a 5 ft 10 inch frame. For the next week, she insisted on making sure I had 2 huge fruits with each meal. I knew thy would make my BG spike high, so I got to hiding them in the nightstand drawer. By the time I left, you couldn't open the drawer, lol.
I find that wheat does spike me a lot of the time, I do better with berries/yogurt, jam etc. than I do with wheat, but not just wheat, potatoes have that effect too. I have eliminated it for the most part although I do get toast cravings which I indulge in occasionally. I plan to be tested for celiac again soon. I have always had a reaction to wheat long before diabetes, but I tested negative for gluten reactions and I assumed it must be something else. I don't pay much attention if any to the ada and I don't see a dietician/educator. I see how certain foods affect me and follow what seems best for me. The problem is each day is so different.