# Testing porridge



## Kaylz (Feb 21, 2017)

I want to try porridge again as never actually tested it a tthe 2 hour mark but I'm really scared it spikes me, whats the best way to go about trying it out again, like whens best to bolus etc, I don't have an appointment with my DSN until 7th March and I really would like to try it out before then, getting so frustrated just having toasted waffles and peanut butter all the time  x


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## SadhbhFiadh (Feb 21, 2017)

When I have porridge, I use a mixed-grain from M & S and I only have 20g. Even that will spike me more than my usual egg & protein bread or rice cakes, but not above the 3mmol marker. I think that when I mix any carb with a protein in a meal, my BGs behave better. (As opposed to me _mis_behaving) 
My husband adds blueberries to his, but it's just a small handful. Fruit doesn't seem to bother him.


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## Kaylz (Feb 21, 2017)

I generally eat the Tesco porridge pot, I want to try one tomorrow but I'm unsure  would anyone recommend more tests like a 1,2,3 and 4 hour reading, and a best bolus time etc, really don't know what to do  x


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## Northerner (Feb 21, 2017)

Kaylz said:


> I generally eat the Tesco porridge pot, I want to try one tomorrow but I'm unsure  would anyone recommend more tests like a 1,2,3 and 4 hour reading, and a best bolus time etc, really don't know what to do  x


Those porridge pots are highly refined and will probably cause a rapid spike. If you want to eat porridge, it's worth making 'proper' porridge with Jumbo oats as they are much more likely to have a slow release


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## Kaylz (Feb 21, 2017)

Northerner said:


> Those porridge pots are highly refined and will probably cause a rapid spike. If you want to eat porridge, it's worth making 'proper' porridge with Jumbo oats as they are much more likely to have a slow release


What like Scots Porridge Oats or Tesco own brand, any advice on bolusing timing and testing and also  things to add to it, I really don't know how to go about it  sorry x


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## Bubbsie (Feb 21, 2017)

Kaylz said:


> What like Scots Porridge Oats or Tesco own brand, any advice on bolusing timing and testing and also  things to add to it, I really don't know how to go about it  sorry x


I tried porridge this morning...pleasantly surprised it didn't raise my BG very much at all...agree with Northerner better made from scratch...I used the Scotts Porridge oats...no sugar...just made with skimmed milk (can't tolerate full fat milk)...to make it interesting you can add a little bit of 'friendly' fruit...raspberries...blueberries...avoid any that are too sweet...good luck.


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Feb 21, 2017)

Sorry I can't help you as I hate the texture of porridge, it makes me vom
OH has it everyday(apart from Sunday when he has bacon and eggs!)  and makes his own using Tesco Scottish oats, his favourite. I guess you'll have to treat it as an experiment and see how it goes, it might be fine


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## khskel (Feb 21, 2017)

I've had Quaker Oats super goodness porridge and that proved to be nearly as none spiking as Lizi's granola for me. It's made with whole oats which is probably why. No guarantee they'd be as kind to you, only your meter will tell you that.


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## Kaylz (Feb 21, 2017)

Bubbsie said:


> I tried porridge this morning...pleasantly surprised it didn't raise my BG very much at all...agree with Northerner better made from scratch...I used the Scotts Porridge oats...no sugar...just made with skimmed milk (can't tolerate full fat milk)...to make it interesting you can add a little bit of 'friendly' fruit...raspberries...blueberries...avoid any that are too sweet...good luck.


Would you recommend testing more, and see how it says 40g - 24g carbs does that mean dry weight and how it says 36.5g carbs when made with 275ml semi skimmed milk if using water would I take it as the 24g carbs (sorry) x


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## KookyCat (Feb 21, 2017)

On my box of oats it's gives carbs per 100g which is dry weight, then per 30g serving which includes the recommended amount of milk in the carb calculation.  So if you were using 30g of oats but using water you weight out 30g and then work it out dry using the per 100g value.  Not sure if your box or packet is the same.  You can get Quaker and scotts oats in pre weighed sachets that are unsweetened if the weighing is a pain/ mind boggling


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## Bubbsie (Feb 21, 2017)

Kaylz said:


> Would you recommend testing more, and see how it says 40g - 24g carbs does that mean dry weight and how it says 36.5g carbs when made with 275ml semi skimmed milk if using water would I take it as the 24g carbs (sorry) x


 Traditional porridge oats works out around 24-26g of carbs for a 40g serving... it will give the nutritional information on the package... after that you just need to work out the carbs in the milk you use... Semi-Skimmed milk has about 5g of carbs per 100ml serving...I can't tolerate semi-skimmed milk or full fat...been on skimmed for so long...both taste like cream to me...as khskel says the only way to tell is to test after breakfast.


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## Kaylz (Feb 21, 2017)

KookyCat said:


> On my box of oats it's gives carbs per 100g which is dry weight, then per 30g serving which includes the recommended amount of milk in the carb calculation.  So if you were using 30g of oats but using water you weight out 30g and then work it out dry using the per 100g value.  Not sure if your box or packet is the same.  You can get Quaker and scotts oats in pre weighed sachets that are unsweetened if the weighing is a pain/ mind boggling


I don't have a box in at the moment going to get some this week and try it out friday and do a 2 hour test then a 4 hour test before lunch, I will just try injecting my usual 10 mins before eating that way I can jab and get on with making it, I've seen the sachets online but not sure if my nearest Tesco have them in and to be honest weighing it out etc doesn't really bother me, I must be some sort of freak haha  x


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## Kaylz (Feb 21, 2017)

Bubbsie said:


> Traditional porridge oats works out around 24-26g of carbs for a 40g serving... it will give the nutritional information on the package... after that you just need to work out the carbs in the milk you use... Semi-Skimmed milk has about 5g of carbs per 100ml serving...I can't tolerate semi-skimmed milk or full fat...been on skimmed for so long...both taste like cream to me...as khskel says the only way to tell is to test after breakfast.


I won't be using milk I'll just be using water haha if I do fancy it a bit creamier I might just put a spoon of cream in it, now just need to get the porridge, got cinnamon to put in it if I fancy then will try other things out too, oohh actually I have some desiccated coconut in the house I could throw in with it  x


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Feb 21, 2017)

Kaylz said:


> I won't be using milk I'll just be using water haha if I do fancy it a bit creamier I might just put a spoon of cream in it, now just need to get the porridge, got cinnamon to put in it if I fancy then will try other things out too, oohh actually I have some desiccated coconut in the house I could throw in with it  x



 Cream will be good instead of milk.


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## khskel (Feb 21, 2017)

I make mine with unsweetened roasted almond milk so I can slosh in as much as I want because it's zero carb and I prefer the taste now but a bit of cream +/or cinnamon doesn't go amiss either.


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## john pardo (Feb 22, 2017)

I have a banana in my porridge to give me energy till lunch as my work can be quite physical.


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## weecee (Feb 22, 2017)

I never touch the quick stuff in a pot. Too refined. I make mine with 30 or 40g proper full oats and water, then sprinkle cinnamon on top. Sometimes I add canderel but not always. Berries are good too and I put them into the pot so they get hot and mix through the oats. That's it. No milk.


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## Kaylz (Feb 22, 2017)

Ok decided Friday is the day to try this out (took 40g of oats out of my grandads box but if it works for me will buy my own lol) so I'm going to have some peanut butter in it (don't diss lol) question is if porridge likes me could I add honey or syrup to it? x


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## Bryan Osborne (Feb 22, 2017)

My chum is Type 1 and quite severe. He swears by porridge and makes his own from the Oats. I tried 40g with 250ml of Lactose Free Milk and made it up on the hob. It says use 300ml but I like mine stodgy.
Added about a dozen blueberries. Scoffed the lot was OK for me!


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## Rosiecarmel (Feb 22, 2017)

Very interested to hear how you get on Kaylz! I adore porridge but havent managed to crack the whole bolusing for it. Doesn't help that I'm a lot more insulin resistant on a morning!


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## Kaylz (Feb 22, 2017)

Rosiecarmel said:


> Very interested to hear how you get on Kaylz! I adore porridge but havent managed to crack the whole bolusing for it. Doesn't help that I'm a lot more insulin resistant on a morning!


I love it too so really hoping it agrees with me will post my 2 and 4 hour readings on Friday afternoon fingers crossed  x


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## Anthony Stirrat (Feb 23, 2017)

When I'm home I have 50grm of porridge and oat bran made with 200ml of semi skimmed milk and 50-80grm of raspberries. I'm lucky that it has little effect on me


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## Kaylz (Feb 24, 2017)

Well I am so disappointed and sounds stupid but now sitting nearly crying, started at 6.0, 2 hours later - 4.7, 3 hours later 4.7 I would normally eat then but wanted to do a 4 hour so 4 hours later - 8.4  really upset with myself and didn't even want to eat anything after seeing that x


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## Robin (Feb 24, 2017)

Kaylz! Don't worry! 8.4 is still a safe level to be at, even though it wasn't quite what you were looking for, long term, just before lunch. 

Several things could be going on here, and you can't tell much from a one off experiment. Maybe your body treats porridge as a particularly slow release form of carb, so you need to bolus a bit later. Maybe your bolus was all used up after three hours, and your basal wasn't quite covering the gap. Who knows?

I couldn't possibly work out which was causing the late rise, until I'd eaten porridge for several days, recorded the results, and looked for a pattern emerging.

As to not daring to eat because you're in the 8s - this is what a correction dose is for, just let your meter work out what you need, and it will take into account what your starting level is.


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## grovesy (Feb 24, 2017)

Sorry to hear you feeling disappointed. 
I found I were you I would bear in mind what Robin has sadi and take time to think it over.


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## Kaylz (Feb 24, 2017)

Robin said:


> Kaylz! Don't worry! 8.4 is still a safe level to be at, even though it wasn't quite what you were looking for, long term, just before lunch.
> 
> Several things could be going on here, and you can't tell much from a one off experiment. Maybe your body treats porridge as a particularly slow release form of carb, so you need to bolus a bit later. Maybe your bolus was all used up after three hours, and your basal wasn't quite covering the gap. Who knows?
> 
> ...


Is it safe to try it again though that probably sounds like the most stupid thing to ask but I dunno  x


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Feb 24, 2017)

Kaylz said:


> Is it safe to try it again though that probably sounds like the most stupid thing to ask but I dunno  x


Sorry you're so upset (((hugs))) I sometimes go up 10 or 11 after some foods and correct. Its all a massive learning curve xx


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## Robin (Feb 24, 2017)

Kaylz said:


> Is it safe to try it again though that probably sounds like the most stupid thing to ask but I dunno  x


Personally, if I'd had results like that, I'd think, well, it shows promise, I'll give it another go.


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## HOBIE (Feb 24, 2017)

It defiantly agrees with me. SLOW release & keeps bg stable . Good luck


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## Kaylz (Feb 24, 2017)

Robin said:


> Personally, if I'd had results like that, I'd think, well, it shows promise, I'll give it another go.


Would you suggest changing anything, i bolused 10 minutes before eating it x


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## Kaylz (Feb 24, 2017)

HOBIE said:


> It defiantly agrees with me. SLOW release & keeps bg stable . Good luck


Thanks @HOBIE I really hope I can find a way to make it work as I love porridge  x


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## Robin (Feb 24, 2017)

I'd do everything the same for the next couple of goes ( unless you get a complete nightmare), otherwise if you get a different result, you won't know whether it was because you altered something, or just random variation.


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## Kaylz (Feb 24, 2017)

and yeah Robin i had a 1 unit correction with lunch that brought me down to a .5.2 for tea x


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## Kaylz (Feb 24, 2017)

Robin said:


> I'd do everything the same for the next couple of goes ( unless you get a complete nightmare), otherwise if you get a different result, you won't know whether it was because you altered something, or just random variation.


Ok thanks will mean borrowing more porridge off my grandad but he doesn't mind thank god lol x


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## Stitch147 (Feb 24, 2017)

I'm lucky and can tolerate porridge so have it most days. It sometimes lowers my waking numbers. I sometimes use almond milk instead of normal milk.


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## Kaylz (Feb 24, 2017)

Stitch147 said:


> I'm lucky and can tolerate porridge so have it most days. It sometimes lowers my waking numbers. I sometimes use almond milk instead of normal milk.


I used water and got that awful result  x


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## Radders (Feb 24, 2017)

Kaylz said:


> I used water and got that awful result  x


Did you add the peanut butter Kaylz? If so that might be the reason you had such a late spike. As Robin said though it could be a random blip. I wouldn't decide to give up on porridge on the basis of one test, that's for sure. Even if the pattern repeats, it might just be a case of going for a brisk walk or a few flights of stairs to head off the spike!


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## Kaylz (Feb 24, 2017)

Radders said:


> Did you add the peanut butter Kaylz? If so that might be the reason you had such a late spike. As Robin said though it could be a random blip. I wouldn't decide to give up on porridge on the basis of one test, that's for sure. Even if the pattern repeats, it might just be a case of going for a brisk walk or a few flights of stairs to head off the spike!


Yeah but it was only 15g of peanut butter, do you think next time I should miss the peanut butter out and see what happens, and hey I live in a middle flat so could easy do the stairs thing haha  x


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## Stitch147 (Feb 24, 2017)

Give almond milk a try, lower in carbs than normal milk. I don't like porridge made with water.


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## Radders (Feb 24, 2017)

Kaylz said:


> Yeah but it was only 15g of peanut butter, do you think next time I should miss the peanut butter out and see what happens, and hey I live in a middle flat so could easy do the stairs thing haha  x


Depends: did you like it? If not, leave it out, but if you did, keep it in and see what happens next time.


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## Radders (Feb 24, 2017)

Stitch147 said:


> Give almond milk a try, lower in carbs than normal milk. I don't like porridge made with water.


Or soya milk : quite a bit cheaper.


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## Anthony Stirrat (Feb 25, 2017)

Why not start basic, just plain porridge and if you don't have a big reaction then start adding things the next time like berries, or PB, or a knob of butter and a splash of whisky?  But always keep your baseline the same


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