Blood Glucose - Dietary Effects

[NW-Bound]

Throughout my life, my fasting blood glucose was usually in the high 90s. I do remember some time in my early 40s being told by my doctor to watch out for carby food like bread, pasta, and rice, as my BGL (blood glucose level) got close to 100.

I have always been trim, with BMI never exceeding 25 (23 currently). I used to eat whatever I wanted, in any amount I wanted. And I ate a lot.

But old age crept up on me, and last year coming back from a long European trek, my wife, who is even slimmer than myself, found herself with a BGL of more 116 during an annual medical visit! Holy mackerel! Her number used to be lower than mine and in the 80s.

So, I bought a test kit, with the intention of monitoring my wife's BGL to be on top of the condition. And I tested myself too. It was also in the 110's. YIKES!

How the heck did that happen? How did both of us become pre-diabetic all of a sudden? Too much French baguette during the trip? But we did not really eat that much bread.

We both watched our diet at that point. No more coffee/cream/sugar in the morning. No more bread. No more chocolate for my wife, nor the occasional weekly ice cream for me. From this forum, I learned that it helps to take a walk immediately after a meal, and we started to do that. We always did our daily walk, so it was just a matter of changing the time to do that after each of the two daily meals.

Surely enough, our BGL went down. In fact, they went down to the mid 80s, which was previously normal for my wife, but unprecedented for me. Hurrah! My wife's doctor, in a follow-up visit, said that whatever we did worked, so we should continue to do that to help ourselves.

But, but, but with BGL down to the 80s, should we not indulge ourselves a little? My wife started to eat some chocolate again. I resumed my occasional ice cream, and coffee+cream+sugar. Yep, our BGL crept back to the mid 90s, which was fine.

I also relaxed the frequency of testing, and did it once every two weeks instead of once a week. Life was good.

And then, a month ago, all of a sudden, our BGL shot up to the mid 110s again. ARGHH! What happened?

We sat down and thought about food we ate most recently. The only thing different was sweet corn. Yes, sweet corn! It was in season, and the stores had sales of 10 ears for $1. I would eat 2 ears for lunch each day. And only after 2 or 3 such days, my BGL shot up that high. Holy mackerel!

Upon further reflection, we recalled that the same thing happened last year when we came back from that trip. It was also the corn season!

I immediately cut back to 1/2 ear of corn a day. And I do not eat it every day either. Our BGL is now back to the mid 90s.

Thought I would share with y'all that those sweet corns could hurt you bad. Maybe our bodies do not tolerate corn well, while others can. But I am glad that by watching our BGL, we know what hurts us in order to avoid it.

And I am still doing BGL test once every 2 weeks. Life is still good, and I want to keep it that way.

 

[zinger1457]

My fasting BGL had been between 100-110 for as long as I can remember. When I switched to a daily 16 hr fasting diet my fasting BGL dropped to mid 90's. No changes in the types of food I eat.

 

[athena53]

Thanks! Like you and DW, I'm borderline high glucose. The last reading was 109. BMI under 20, very active, no family history of diabetes, even later in life (I'm 65). Got my hbA1c down from 6.0 to 5.7 over the past 2 years by cutting out potatoes, rice, pasta, white bread, etc. and substituting quinoa, bulghur and other healthier grains.

The corn story is a red flag, though- think of all the corn products in processed foods, starting with high-fructose corn syrup, cornstarch as thickeners and other things with "corn" in the name. I already avoid high-fructose corn syrup and make most of my meals from basic ingredients but will have to read labels more carefully.

 

[Dtail]

Interesting, not to mention there isn't much nutritional value with corn.

 

[aja8888]

Just had my physical week. BGL is at 87. I am 74 and really don't worry too much about what I eat. Cholesterol numbers are great. Everyone is different. I'm a little overweight but walk the dog about 1.5+ miles each day.

Like Athena53 said, corn is everywhere! It's a major chore to get it cut out completely.

 

[NW-Bound]

Thanks! Like you and DW, I'm borderline high glucose. The last reading was 109. BMI under 20, very active, no family history of diabetes, even later in life (I'm 65). Got my hbA1c down from 6.0 to 5.7 over the past 2 years by cutting out potatoes, rice, pasta, white bread, etc. and substituting quinoa, bulghur and other healthier grains.

The corn story is a red flag, though- think of all the corn products in processed foods, starting with high-fructose corn syrup, cornstarch as thickeners and other things with "corn" in the name. I already avoid high-fructose corn syrup and make most of my meals from basic ingredients but will have to read labels more carefully.

Both my parents are borderline diabetics, so I have to really watch my BGL. Hence, the decision to do a finger-prick test at home once every 2 weeks instead of waiting for an annual doctor visit.

I learned that my siblings also have high BGL, despite all being trim. The genetic factor is strong.

About food, we have cut way down on bread. For rice, we eat Uncle Ben converted rice (not to be confused with instant rice), which has an even lower glycemic index (GI) than brown rice. Sticky rice, the kind that Oriental people like, is the worst in terms of GI. I also eat quinoa regularly for lunch.

For years, I have had no soda in the house. Being lactose intolerant, for diary products I can only eat aged cheese and yogurt, and have learned to like plain yogurt with no added sugar. I have found that dropping some black berries or strawberries in the yogurt gives all the sweetness that I need.

Interesting, not to mention there isn't much nutritional value with corn.

True, but the problem is that food that tastes good is often of that category. Instead of shunning them all, I try to find the level that will not hurt me too badly.

 

[eytonxav]

If your concerned get your A1C checked. That will give you a 90 day view which may be more revealing. I am diabetic, but at last check my A1C was in the normal range at 5.4, although I am on metformin. My fasting blood glucose always runs high, last test at 109.

 

[NW-Bound]

If your concerned get your A1C checked. That will give you a 90 day view which may be more revealing. I am diabetic, but at last check my A1C was in the normal range at 5.4, although I am on metformin. My fasting blood glucose always runs high, last test at 109.

My wife's doctor did order the A1C when her fasting BGL was found to be high. It was a bit above 6, as I recall. Later, it went down to 5.5.

As for me, I also had that done a year earlier. Similar result.

The common BGL test measures the current condition, which is severely affected by the most recent meals as I have experienced myself. On the other hand, the A1C measures the average BGL in the past 2 or 3 months, and is not influenced by a recent bad meal.

For regular monitoring and avoiding "bad" food, I think the finger-prick test is cheap and good for quick detection of developing problems.

By the way, if one's BGL jumps up with a bad meal, then goes down afterwards, would that still be OK? Why should one be concerned?

I have read that "stressing" your system in this manner is not good. Not knowing the medical terms, I will say that my understanding is that you slowly develop insulin resistance, and that leads to diabetes in your old age. Diabetes is no fun.

I knew a person who said his diabetes was controlled with drugs, and so he could still eat whatever he wanted. One day, he passed out while driving because of his diabetes, and the police took away his driver license. His health declined and he died a few years later.

And he was an MD!

Oh well, he died in his mid-70s, so being able to self-indulge up to that age would not be too bad, except that his last years were of low quality of life. It is a trade-off that an individual has to make for himself.

 

[athena53]

True, but the problem is that food that tastes good is often of that category. Instead of shunning them all, I try to find the level that will not hurt me too badly.

I agree. I just try to be VERY selective about what I eat that's bad for me. I can easily skip sweetened sodas, fruit juices, fried things, potatoes, etc. Once in awhile I thoroughly enjoy every carbohydrate gram in a piece of frosted cake (give me the corner, please, with a flower on it!) or a piece of pecan pie. Then I go back to brussels sprouts and quinoa.

 

[NW-Bound]

We do not have a sweet tooth, so not having sodas, cookies, or cakes is not the problem. However, we like carby food like rice, pasta, bread, potato, fries, etc... These can be really bad.

We eat a huge amount of vegetable. I actually like brussel sprouts and quinoa, as well as countless other veggies. So, having a lot of veggie and fiber intake is a given.

The problem is there are only 3 foods that provide calories: protein, fat, and carb. I like meat and cheese, so that's my calorie intake. My wife on the other hand is almost vegetarian, and needs to get her calories from carb. I try to get her to eat the better carb, the ones with a low GI.

 

[Bamaman]

I come from a long line of family diabetics going back 120 years. And genetics is hard to overcome.

My grandmother was a type II diabetic that was never diagnosed. She was a large woman and was a fantastic cook. Probably too good a cook.

My father and uncle lived next to each other. As they got older, their type II diabetes got worse, and their blood sugar levels varied wildly. Extra low blood sugar was the real danger as organs and the brain start shutting down.

It got to where one of the other would bottom out and the ambulance had to haul them to the hospital weekly. When their kidneys ceased to work well, they both had to go on dialysis. The most dreaded part of diabetes is bad kidneys as life expectancy is only about 4 years on hemodialysis.

My uncle's daughter is also diabetic, and she has not been to the doctor in her adult life. How dumb for the daughter and granddaughter of diabetics? My cousin is now 62 years old and cannot walk. She goes to hemo dialysis 3x weekly for 3 hrs. each. She looks 85 years old and does not have long life expectancy.

I too have inherited the family plague. I am type II and have chosen to give up metformin and pills for insulin given through an insulin pump. I check my blood sugar 3-4 times per day and am very stable. My endocrinologist is very happy with my sugars running in the 150s and stable. I am a big guy and need to get off the carbs, but we do mostly eat healthy. What really helps is hard work outside--manual labor. I can drop 50 points in 3 hours cutting grass manually.

If your fasting blood sugar is 80-90, don't worry about your blood sugar. Let up, eat what you want and just enjoy life within moderation. Just be glad you had good genes. Those running in the 110-120s, find yourself a great doctor, cut your carbs and lose 10% of your current body weight. Chances are you will see improvements right away.

 

[Chuckanut]

The corn story is a red flag, though- think of all the corn products in processed foods, starting with high-fructose corn syrup, cornstarch as thickeners and other things with "corn" in the name. I already avoid high-fructose corn syrup and make most of my meals from basic ingredients but will have to read labels more carefully.

An interesting article I read claimed that six food ingredients are in most of the processed foods we eat: Wheat, sugar, corn, soy,salt and one other I don’t remember at the moment.

 

[RAE]

If your concerned get your A1C checked. That will give you a 90 day view which may be more revealing. I am diabetic, but at last check my A1C was in the normal range at 5.4, although I am on metformin. My fasting blood glucose always runs high, last test at 109.

Another valuable blood test to have done is the fasting insulin test. Most doctors won't order it unless you persuade them to, but to me it is more valuable than fasting glucose. The short article at the link below explains why:
The One Test Your Doctor Isn’t Doing That Could Save Your Life - Dr. Mark Hyman

 

[Katsmeow]

I had an A1C result a couple of years ago that was just about at the pre-diabetic range. My fasting blood glucose was OK as I recall but just a slightly high A1C.

What I did was experiment. I got a meter and testing my blood glucose fasting every morning. Then I for a couple of weeks or so testing before each meal then about an hour after each meal. I tested beforehand to see the baseline before the meal. Then I tested an hour later to see how much my blood sugar went up. If it didn't go up above 125 I wasn't concerned with eating that food in future (I tested foods more than once over a period of time). If it went above 125 I would check an hour later and see if it had come down.

From doing this, I found that some foods really did cause my blood sugar to sharply rise. Of course, higher carb meals were more likely to do this. But, some foods that had X amount of carbs would raised blood sugar more than other meals with the same amount of carbs. It could be a mix of the other parts of the meal or the type of carbs. But, I learned a lot doing this. There were some seemingly "healthy" carbs that would result in my blood sugar going to 160 in an hour. At the same time, some meals that I would have thought would raise blood sugar didn't.

I used this information to decide what to eat an not eat. I did not totally eliminate any foods that I really enjoyed. What I did find was that amount of food eaten often made a huge difference. That is, I could eat something higher carb paired with, say, chicken and it might be fine. But if I ate the same higher carb food and paired it with rice then it might not be fine.

Also, I never gave up chocolate. I ate a piece of dark chocolate (usually about 80 to 100 calories worth) several days a week. It was small enough that it made no real significant difference in my blood sugar.

After a year of all this I had everything rejected and my A1C was normal.

 

[NW-Bound]

We never did a detailed test like the above, because lucky for us just simple dietary and exercise changes were enough to turn things around.

Earlier, I said my wife's BGL unexpectedly shot up to 116 last year, but I now recall that it was higher at 122 at an annual physical test! And that was from eating corn, as we discovered.

... What I did find was that amount of food eaten often made a huge difference. That is, I could eat something higher carb paired with, say, chicken and it might be fine. But if I ate the same higher carb food and paired it with rice then it might not be fine...

Yes. In real life people eat a mixture of food in a meal, and the effect is not the same as the simplistic clinical test researchers use to measure GI (glycemic index) of different individual food items.

And yes, eating a carb along with meat helps a lot, compared to eating that carb alone. For example, I recall reading that researchers found that fried rice had a lower GI than the same rice when plainly boiled. Apparently, the oil used to fry the rice helps slow down its digestion and absorption, and makes it less bad.

What makes it very bad for some people, particularly vegetarians, is that they eat mostly carby food with no protein, and with very little fat or oil. They think it is healthy, but it is actually very bad.

PS. As mentioned, we ate 2 ears of corn for lunch for a couple of days, with nothing else. It hit our fasting BGL right away!

 

[Yarnstormer]

Ironic, since Weight Watchers recently declared corn to be a “free” food. Crazy!!

 

[Katsmeow]

Ironic, since Weight Watchers recently declared corn to be a “free” food. Crazy!!

OK, putting on my hat as lifetime member of Weight Watchers. Corn is not a "free" food. Free food implies that one can unlimited amounts of something and that the calories are negligible. So you might think of plain coffee or other things with zero or near zero calories as "free" although Weight Watchers itself doesn't use that term.

Corn is, however, a zero point food. Zero point foods doesn't mean zero calories. For example, skinless chicken breast is a zero point food. That doesn't mean it has no calories or that you can eat unlimited amounts of it.

In general, most fruits and vegetables (which are high in carbs, of course) are zero point foods, as are skinless chicken breast and turkey breast and most fish. All that means is that you don't count points for those foods. WW feels that people generally don't tend to gain weight as a result of eating those kinds of foods and so don't have to exercise strict portion control on them.

While corn does raise blood sugar in some people (as do carbs in general), it doesn't raise it to a problematic basis in every person. Some people can eat a meal with a lot of corn and find that it only briefly raises their blood sugar and it isn't a problem for them. Others...not so much.

 

[DrRoy]

I have issues here too. Go with dark chocolate. It has less sugar and is better anyway.

 

[audreyh1]

My blood glucose has always been decent. Low 90s at the most. Recently, purely for prescreening reasons but a surprise to me, the gyno ordered an A1C test which came in very good. But he also ordered blood insulin and that turned out to be barely borderline high.

He kind of scoffed at the good A1C result telling me that if it’s above normal that means your body has already given up, and pointed out the non-optimal blood insulin level which needed to be slightly lower.

In Spain people drizzle high quality EVO on everything edible, so I resolve to adopt that practice at home!

 

[NW-Bound]

Ironic, since Weight Watchers recently declared corn to be a “free” food. Crazy!!

Well, we did not gain weight during our sweet corn binge. I just look up to see that a large ear of corn has 110 calories. Two ears for lunch, that's 220 which is quite low.

We never have problems with weight, and maintaining low BGL is our goal. Still, as Katsmeow said, the same food affects people differently. And that's why the GI (glycemic index) of a food item is established by taking the average across several test subjects.

And so, GI should be used as a guideline, not as an absolute. However, I bet that most people do not realize that breakfast cereal is awful for diabetes.

PS. I did not spread butter on my corn. Had I done so, perhaps the fat in butter would reduce the impact.

A study shows that premium ice cream with lots of butter fat has a lower GI than cheaper ice cream. There you go!

 

[eytonxav]

By the way, if one's BGL jumps up with a bad meal, then goes down afterwards, would that still be OK? Why should one be concerned?

If it spikes and comes down quickly, it may not be a problem. I would do a postprandial measurement 2 hours after the bad meal and see if it is still high.

 

[harley]

I'm diabetic, and I discovered years ago that just about the worst thing I can eat (BGL-wise anyway) is corn products. For some reason eating tortilla chips or taco shells makes my next day's FBGL 30-50 points higher than normal. I've never really watched the effect of plain corn, as I rarely eat it. It might not have as extreme an effect since it's fairly non-digestible. But the milled and processed stuff is way off limits for me now. If I eat Mexican I tend to go with fajitas. Even if I eat the wheat tortillas (which I don't usually) it doesn't effect my FBGL anywhere near as much as the corn stuff.

 

[NW-Bound]

If it spikes and comes down quickly, it may not be a problem. I would do a postprandial measurement 2 hours after the bad meal and see if it is still high.

The high BGL observed was fasting after a night rest, and more than 10 hours after dinner.

We have never done a postprandial test, and don't know what to look for. I figure if our fasting BGL is good, we are OK.

I'm diabetic, and I discovered years ago that just about the worst thing I can eat (BGL-wise anyway) is corn products. For some reason eating tortilla chips or taco shells makes my next day's FBGL 30-50 points higher than normal. I've never really watched the effect of plain corn, as I rarely eat it...

It is found that generally the food cooked at high temperature has a very high GI. Examples include these tasty tortilla chips. Same with cookies, rice crackers, french fries, and the aforementioned breakfast cereal.

Well, perhaps dipping tortilla chips in cheese sauce reduces the harmful effect. It is something worthwhile to check out.

 

[Chuckanut]

Ironic, since Weight Watchers recently declared corn to be a “free” food. Crazy!!

It was only 10 years ago that Froot Loops stopped carrying the heart healthy label. Note the Heart Check symbol on the image back then.

 

[eytonxav]

The high BGL observed was fasting after a night rest, and more than 10 hours after dinner.

We have never done a postprandial test, and don't know what to look for. I figure if our fasting BGL is good, we are OK.

Take a look at the chart in this link:
https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/what-is-a-normal-blood-sugar-level/