# Pasta confusion



## kentish maid (Feb 8, 2018)

Recipes in the free magazine I get from my local Coop have delicious pasta recipes which are shown as low in sugars, saturates and salt, and count as 2 of my five a day. That's fine, BUT, having decided to reduce carbs I find the pasta quantities used confusing. They suggest 150grams of dried pasta for a meal for 2 people. Something is telling me that is too much, but I am now in a muddle over the carb content of cooked and uncooked pasta of the same weight. Since Christmas I have been reducing the amount I use in the recipes to 100grams dried pasta, with the other half having a larger serving than me. (btw I don't have a monitor as yet, but not sure if that is relevant lol)


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## chaoticcar (Feb 8, 2018)

If you get a monitor and test before your meal and 2 hours after you will know what effect the pasta is having on your glucose levels 
   CAROL


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## Beck S (Feb 8, 2018)

Pasta was recommended to me as 1 portion = 100g of cooked pasta (though this introduces the question of how much this is in dried pasta, it's a bit trial and error)  It's about two tablespoons full.  I am unsure of what the difference is between the carb content of cooked and uncooked.  I would be more inclined to weigh your cooked pasta.

Pasta does have a low GI value, so in theory, you are more likely to have a rise in BG that is longer and more gradual (therefore easier to cope with) than a spike.  Plus wholewheat pasta will be better again in general  As Carol says above though, you would likely need to test pre-meal and 2 hours after at least to see how the pasta effects your BG.


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## kentish maid (Feb 8, 2018)

Thank you ladies, must order up a monitor. None of the health care professionals I have seen so far have suggested one, but having read some of the threads on here it does seem the way to go


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## mikeyB (Feb 8, 2018)

There’s no carb difference between dried and cooked pasta - the difference is just water, after all.


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## grainger (Feb 8, 2018)

I’m not specifically low carb, especially not at the min but I normally find that 60-70g dried pasta is plenty for a single portion meal.


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## Mark Parrott (Feb 9, 2018)

I have to avoid pasta at all costs.  Sends my BG to the moon & back regardless of portion size.


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## Sally W (Feb 9, 2018)

Mark Parrott said:


> I have to avoid pasta at all costs.  Sends my BG to the moon & back regardless of portion size.


out of interest Mark, have you tried cooking and reheating to see if that makes a difference? (I’ve only just ordered a monitor and haven’t plucked up courage to start yet) i’m Intending to experiment and see if affects BS


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## kentish maid (Feb 9, 2018)

Sally W said:


> out of interest Mark, have you tried cooking and reheating to see if that makes a difference? (I’ve only just ordered a monitor and haven’t plucked up courage to start yet) i’m Intending to experiment and see if affects BS


The Hairy Bikers reheated pasta I think, when they did their weight loss programmes. I'm like you Sally, bit apprehensive about monitoring, afraid I might get a few nasty shocks


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## Mark Parrott (Feb 9, 2018)

Sally W said:


> out of interest Mark, have you tried cooking and reheating to see if that makes a difference? (I’ve only just ordered a monitor and haven’t plucked up courage to start yet) i’m Intending to experiment and see if affects BS


When I tried this it ended up a gooey mess, so I passed on it.


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## AdeleTurner72 (Feb 9, 2018)

Mark Parrott said:


> When I tried this it ended up a gooey mess, so I passed on it.


Snap! One way to cut out carbs though


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## Sally W (Feb 9, 2018)

Mark Parrott said:


> When I tried this it ended up a gooey mess, so I passed on it.


Once I pluck up courage to get started I’ll experiment and report back


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## Beck S (Feb 9, 2018)

What effect does reheating pasta have?


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## kentish maid (Feb 9, 2018)

Beck S said:


> What effect does reheating pasta have?


I wondered that as well. A rather long winded report, but this explains an experiment Trust Me I'm a doctor did https://www.sciencealert.com/heating-your-pasta-makes-it-significantly-better-for-you


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## Beck S (Feb 9, 2018)

Oh wow.  I am definitely trying that out, thanks for the link!  If it works, I can get back to my favourite pasta bake.


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Feb 9, 2018)

kentish maid said:


> I wondered that as well. A rather long winded report, but this explains an experiment Trust Me I'm a doctor did https://www.sciencealert.com/heating-your-pasta-makes-it-significantly-better-for-you




Very interesting, I will be trying that out


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## Sally W (Feb 9, 2018)

Beck S said:


> Oh wow.  I am definitely trying that out, thanks for the link!  If it works, I can get back to my favourite pasta bake.


I think resistant starch can be made in on re-heated rice, pasta and potatoes but not oats. They only contain resistant starch when raw. I’m a big Michael Mosley fan and have all his books


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## kentish maid (Feb 9, 2018)

Sally W said:


> I think resistant starch can be made in on re-heated rice, pasta and potatoes but not oats. They only contain resistant starch when raw. I’m a big Michael Mosley fan and have all his books


Have just got his Clever Guts and 8 Week Blood Sugar books, looking forward to picking up some hints


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## Mark Parrott (Feb 9, 2018)

I'm hoping Michael Mosley will help change things in nutritional circles.  He talks my language.


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## Mark T (Feb 9, 2018)

I usually find pasta hits me much later then expected, I've found the peak at 3 hours before now!


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## Dave W (Feb 9, 2018)

kentish maid said:


> Recipes in the free magazine I get from my local Coop have delicious pasta recipes which are shown as low in sugars, saturates and salt, and count as 2 of my five a day. That's fine, BUT, having decided to reduce carbs I find the pasta quantities used confusing. They suggest 150grams of dried pasta for a meal for 2 people. Something is telling me that is too much, but I am now in a muddle over the carb content of cooked and uncooked pasta of the same weight. Since Christmas I have been reducing the amount I use in the recipes to 100grams dried pasta, with the other half having a larger serving than me. (btw I don't have a monitor as yet, but not sure if that is relevant lol)


Cooked pasta has approx 50% less carbs for an equal weight than dry pasta. This is logical as the additional weight due to cooking is made up from water.
Doing a very rough calculation on the 150g dried pasta, this equates to about 27.9g/150g carbs boiled pasta per serving which, for me at least, is pretty high.


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## Drummer (Feb 9, 2018)

I can't eat pasta - I can't eat any grain without my BG going up and I feel dreadful as well - no food is worth that.


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## kentish maid (Feb 9, 2018)

Dave W said:


> Cooked pasta has approx 50% less carbs for an equal weight than dry pasta. This is logical as the additional weight due to cooking is made up from water.
> Doing a very rough calculation on the 150g dried pasta, this equates to about 27.9g/150g carbs boiled pasta per serving which, for me at least, is pretty high.
> View attachment 6684


Thank you for posting this Dave, certainly helps clarify things


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## Dave W (Feb 9, 2018)

kentish maid said:


> Thank you for posting this Dave, certainly helps clarify things


What you really ought to do, if you can, is to test before and after eating pasta. We all react differently, though pasta is very high in carbs and I would guess that it pushes up most folk's BG level even if reheated.


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## kentish maid (Feb 9, 2018)

Dave W said:


> What you really ought to do, if you can, is to test before and after eating pasta. We all react differently, though pasta is very high in carbs and I would guess that it pushes up most folk's BG level even if reheated.


None of the health professionals I have seen have mentioned anything about monitoring, but having read the posts on here over the last few days I realise I should invest in a monitor.


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## Dave W (Feb 9, 2018)

kentish maid said:


> None of the health professionals I have seen have mentioned anything about monitoring, but having read the posts on here over the last few days I realise I should invest in a monitor.


If you don't test then you don't have a clue about how what you eat influences your blood glucose levels.BG levels are an Input (foods)-BG function.
It might be worth you looking at Diabetes (dot co)(dot uk) as you'll find there a massive user base and advice about BG monitoring devices.


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## kentish maid (Feb 9, 2018)

Dave W said:


> If you don't test then you don't have a clue about how what you eat influences your blood glucose levels.BG levels are an Input (foods)-BG function.
> It might be worth you looking at Diabetes (dot co)(dot uk) as you'll find there a massive user base and advice about BG monitoring devices.


Thank you


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## kentish maid (Feb 9, 2018)

Dave W said:


> If you don't test then you don't have a clue about how what you eat influences your blood glucose levels.BG levels are an Input (foods)-BG function.
> It might be worth you looking at Diabetes (dot co)(dot uk) as you'll find there a massive user base and advice about BG monitoring devices.


btw I am not on medication, and had been led to believe I only need monitor if I was


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## Dave W (Feb 9, 2018)

So, you’ve been diagnosed as T2D and not prescribed medication which is good. But how have you been advised to manage the condition? You can either manage it or let it manage you, and the best way to learn how to manage it is by learning how what you eat and your lifestyle affects your blood sugar level.
Have a look at the link I suggested.


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## Drummer (Feb 9, 2018)

Not testing is like being shown how to drive in a car which has no working speedometer and being told - oh if you get points on your licence then you are driving too fast.


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## kentish maid (Feb 10, 2018)

Dave W said:


> So, you’ve been diagnosed as T2D and not prescribed medication which is good. But how have you been advised to manage the condition? You can either manage it or let it manage you, and the best way to learn how to manage it is by learning how what you eat and your lifestyle affects your blood sugar level.
> Have a look at the link I suggested.


My HbA1c was 48 in September last year, GP implied if I lost a stone I would 'reverse' the diabetes. Have seen diabetic nurse twice, and been on a Derek course. Since September I have lost 12kgs, now weighing 75kgs with a BMI of 25. Have stopped eating cakes, crisps, puddings and also what my son calls 'double carbing' (eating garlic bread with pasta dishes and having bread with dishes which already have potato or rice in them). Ditched ready meals almost entirely and now cook from scratch. Have always enjoyed veg and salad so am eating more of those but have to be careful with fruit as I have other digestion problems. Also doubled the length of my afternoon walk with the dog so I got more exercise. Diabetic nurse says my HbA1c will be checked again at my annual review in October, and didn't check it in January when I saw her. To be honest I felt deflated, as she said Diabetes could not be reversed, you just went into remission, and appeared unimpressed by my weight loss. Came away not really knowing if what I had been doing had helped or not. Her only real advice on eating was to swap my Jordans Country Crisp for Weetabix (which I can't tolereate due to IBS), only eat baby bananas and to not walk around bare foot !!! (which I usually do from April - September) Sorry if I have gone on a bit.  btw have read the link, found it very helpful, thank you


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## Sally W (Feb 10, 2018)

kentish maid said:


> Have just got his Clever Guts and 8 Week Blood Sugar books, looking forward to picking up some hints


The really interesting bit of clever gut book is where the doctor has microbiome testing and finds out croissants didn’t affect her BS levels. I’m definitely  testing done once it’s available in UK


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## Sally W (Feb 10, 2018)

kentish maid said:


> My HbA1c was 48 in September last year, GP implied if I lost a stone I would 'reverse' the diabetes. Have seen diabetic nurse twice, and been on a Derek course. Since September I have lost 12kgs, now weighing 75kgs with a BMI of 25. Have stopped eating cakes, crisps, puddings and also what my son calls 'double carbing' (eating garlic bread with pasta dishes and having bread with dishes which already have potato or rice in them). Ditched ready meals almost entirely and now cook from scratch. Have always enjoyed veg and salad so am eating more of those but have to be careful with fruit as I have other digestion problems. Also doubled the length of my afternoon walk with the dog so I got more exercise. Diabetic nurse says my HbA1c will be checked again at my annual review in October, and didn't check it in January when I saw her. To be honest I felt deflated, as she said Diabetes could not be reversed, you just went into remission, and appeared unimpressed by my weight loss. Came away not really knowing if what I had been doing had helped or not. Her only real advice on eating was to swap my Jordans Country Crisp for Weetabix (which I can't tolereate due to IBS), only eat baby bananas and to not walk around bare foot !!! (which I usually do from April - September) Sorry if I have gone on a bit.  btw have read the link, found it very helpful, thank you


Firstly well done for your impressive results. Be proud of yourself. Your nurse sounds just like mine. All she said to me was eat low-fat and don’t have 8 pieces of toast or 4 jacket potatoes at once! I think they need re-education.


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## kentish maid (Feb 10, 2018)

Sally W said:


> Firstly well done for your impressive results. Be proud of yourself. Your nurse sounds just like mine. All she said to me was eat low-fat and don’t have 8 pieces of toast or 4 jacket potatoes at once! I think they need re-education.


Thank you  
I think you are right, some of the nurses are not very well informed.
One strange thing I found was that a month after I was diagnosed I went to my grandson's 6th birthday, and felt it would be rude not to have cake, took one mouthful and found it far too sweet !!! Having eaten really luscious cupcakes previously, and gone back for more, I was surprised how quickly my tastes had changed


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## aseret (Feb 10, 2018)

You test just before eating and again 2 hours later. if there is a MASSIVE difference (and i think the guide says more than 2 but sometimes mine goes up by as much as 5 or 6 - I used to panic but i am more pragmatic about it now) then you know that something in that meal was not suitable and you cut it out. 

The weight loss is _brilliant  - _do you feel better for it????_  - _and it DOES help. 

I have 'adapted' the Atkins and formed a sort of hybrid between Atkins and 16 hour fasting, (I dont eat before 11am and i never eat after 7pm), this works well for me, but it is not for everyone. I too have upped my exercise - not started running marathons or anything, but walk more briskly with my dogs (they look a bit thinner too actually) and do a fitness class a couple of times a week.  I am gradually introducing 'slow release' carbs back into my diet but with caution.

Its a bit 'trial and error' and the attitude of the medical team is not helpful because it appears that the bulk of their advice revolves around Low Fat, Low Calorie diets (which incidentally is what probably got me overweight in the first place). It sounds as though you are doing really really well. Don't let 'them' get you down. sorry, i have gone on and on. Nous sommes tous magnifiques!


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## aseret (Feb 10, 2018)

Sorry, that last post seemed to cut off the first part of my reply.......


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## kentish maid (Feb 10, 2018)

aseret said:


> You test just before eating and again 2 hours later. if there is a MASSIVE difference (and i think the guide says more than 2 but sometimes mine goes up by as much as 5 or 6 - I used to panic but i am more pragmatic about it now) then you know that something in that meal was not suitable and you cut it out.
> 
> The weight loss is _brilliant  - _do you feel better for it????_  - _and it DOES help.
> 
> ...


Thank you, or should I say Merci beaucoup . Yes I do feel better, and now when I get on the scales with the dog to weigh her our combined weights are less than I used to weigh lol. She has lost weight too.


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## Blodwen (Feb 11, 2018)

kentish maid said:


> Recipes in the free magazine I get from my local Coop have delicious pasta recipes which are shown as low in sugars, saturates and salt, and count as 2 of my five a day. That's fine, BUT, having decided to reduce carbs I find the pasta quantities used confusing. They suggest 150grams of dried pasta for a meal for 2 people. Something is telling me that is too much, but I am now in a muddle over the carb content of cooked and uncooked pasta of the same weight. Since Christmas I have been reducing the amount I use in the recipes to 100grams dried pasta, with the other half having a larger serving than me. (btw I don't have a monitor as yet, but not sure if that is relevant lol)




Hi if you are looking for a monitor have you looked at careens spirit healthcare.  They will send you a monitor if you ask them and they are very economical  I find them very helpful.  I only know about them beacause I was given one by the specialist nurse. Having a monitor does help you understand the effect of lifestyle on your blood sugars

Good luck


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## grovesy (Feb 11, 2018)

Blodwen said:


> Hi if you are looking for a monitor have you looked at careens spirit healthcare.  They will send you a monitor if you ask them and they are very economical  I find them very helpful.  I only know about them beacause I was given one by the specialist nurse. Having a monitor does help you understand the effect of lifestyle on your blood sugars
> 
> Good luck


Yes but what is the cost of the strips, many companies give free monitors but to self fund the strips can still be expensive. This how they make money.


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## kentish maid (Feb 11, 2018)

Blodwen said:


> Hi if you are looking for a monitor have you looked at careens spirit healthcare.  They will send you a monitor if you ask them and they are very economical  I find them very helpful.  I only know about them beacause I was given one by the specialist nurse. Having a monitor does help you understand the effect of lifestyle on your blood sugars
> 
> Good luck


I will certainly look into that, thank you


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## Blodwen (Feb 11, 2018)

grovesy said:


> Yes but what is the cost of the strips, many companies give free monitors but to self fund the strips can still be expensive. This how they make money.


They are very reasonable have a look on their website


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## kentish maid (Feb 11, 2018)

grovesy said:


> Yes but what is the cost of the strips, many companies give free monitors but to self fund the strips can still be expensive. This how they make money.


Thank you for the comment about cost of strips. Pasta confusion is fast turning into monitor confusion. I think research is needed on my part, will sit down with pen and paper and work out the various options, pros and cons.


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## grovesy (Feb 11, 2018)

Blodwen said:


> They are very reasonable have a look on their website


I don't need a monitor at the moment I already own 2 ta.


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## Browser (Feb 11, 2018)

Using wholewheat pasta can also keep BG down a bit.


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## kentish maid (Feb 11, 2018)

Browser said:


> Using wholewheat pasta can also keep BG down a bit.


I do use it sometimes, makes very little difference to the taste of the dish, but hopefully is better for me


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## Beck S (Feb 13, 2018)

kentish maid said:


> My HbA1c was 48 in September last year, GP implied if I lost a stone I would 'reverse' the diabetes. Have seen diabetic nurse twice, and been on a Derek course. Since September I have lost 12kgs, now weighing 75kgs with a BMI of 25. Have stopped eating cakes, crisps, puddings and also what my son calls 'double carbing' (eating garlic bread with pasta dishes and having bread with dishes which already have potato or rice in them). Ditched ready meals almost entirely and now cook from scratch. Have always enjoyed veg and salad so am eating more of those but have to be careful with fruit as I have other digestion problems. Also doubled the length of my afternoon walk with the dog so I got more exercise. Diabetic nurse says my HbA1c will be checked again at my annual review in October, and didn't check it in January when I saw her. To be honest I felt deflated, as she said Diabetes could not be reversed, you just went into remission, and appeared unimpressed by my weight loss. Came away not really knowing if what I had been doing had helped or not. Her only real advice on eating was to swap my Jordans Country Crisp for Weetabix (which I can't tolereate due to IBS), only eat baby bananas and to not walk around bare foot !!! (which I usually do from April - September) Sorry if I have gone on a bit.  btw have read the link, found it very helpful, thank you


Agree, you've definitely been doing fantastic, so don't let the nurse get you down.  The weight loss will only help you!  Also, Jordan's Country Crisp is one of my allowed cereals as it doesn't raise my BG much.  I'd never give it up!!  Luckily, my DN is also diabetic, so she was able to advise me from her point of view and understood that it may take time for me to adjust.

So I tested the reheated pasta at the weekend when I was out at Costa and tried their macaroni cheese.  Pre-meal, was 6.2, two hours post was 8.2, so it seems to be an acceptable first test and I'm definitely going to explore it further.  I was out, so didn't really have chance to test for a later peak so I will have to factor that in next time.


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## AdeleTurner72 (Feb 13, 2018)

Beck S said:


> Agree, you've definitely been doing fantastic, so don't let the nurse get you down.  The weight loss will only help you!  Also, Jordan's Country Crisp is one of my allowed cereals as it doesn't raise my BG much.  I'd never give it up!!  Luckily, my DN is also diabetic, so she was able to advise me from her point of view and understood that it may take time for me to adjust.
> 
> So I tested the reheated pasta at the weekend when I was out at Costa and tried their macaroni cheese.  Pre-meal, was 6.2, two hours post was 8.2, so it seems to be an acceptable first test and I'm definitely going to explore it further.  I was out, so didn't really have chance to test for a later peak so I will have to factor that in next time.


I've been avoiding breakfast cereals, after finding how much porridge raised my blood sugar. Love Jordan's Country Crisp. It's going on my "to try" list!


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## Beck S (Feb 13, 2018)

AdeleTurner72 said:


> I've been avoiding breakfast cereals, after finding how much porridge raised my blood sugar. Love Jordan's Country Crisp. It's going on my "to try" list!


I've got a couple that I eat - this one, and Dorset Cereal Honey Granola, which has a lower carb content, and actually tastes quite nice.  I stick to the recommended portion sizes give or take.  I had porridge once and it seemed ok, I want to get back to it but I need more testing.


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## MikeTurin (Feb 13, 2018)

Speaking about reheated pasta, Spaghetti frittata was a trick to reheat leftover spaghetti without a microwave.









Frankly I never liked it very much but sombody liked it a lot.


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## kentish maid (Feb 13, 2018)

MikeTurin said:


> Speaking about reheated pasta, Spaghetti frittata was a trick to reheat leftover spaghetti without a microwave.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That looks interesting, might be worth a try


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## kentish maid (Feb 13, 2018)

Beck S said:


> Agree, you've definitely been doing fantastic, so don't let the nurse get you down.  The weight loss will only help you!  Also, Jordan's Country Crisp is one of my allowed cereals as it doesn't raise my BG much.  I'd never give it up!!  Luckily, my DN is also diabetic, so she was able to advise me from her point of view and understood that it may take time for me to adjust.
> 
> So I tested the reheated pasta at the weekend when I was out at Costa and tried their macaroni cheese.  Pre-meal, was 6.2, two hours post was 8.2, so it seems to be an acceptable first test and I'm definitely going to explore it further.  I was out, so didn't really have chance to test for a later peak so I will have to factor that in next time.


The DN I see told me Jordan's Country Crisp was too high in sugar, and to avoid all foods with more than 10g per 100 of sugar.  Having read a lot of what people have said on the various forums it has become apparent that it is the carb content that should be taken into account as well as the sugar, something which I was made more aware of when I went on the DERIK course. You are lucky to have a DN that is diabetic, she can at least talk from experience.


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## Beck S (Feb 13, 2018)

That frittata looks both weird and kind of appealing!!



kentish maid said:


> The DN I see told me Jordan's Country Crisp was too high in sugar, and to avoid all foods with more than 10g per 100 of sugar.  Having read a lot of what people have said on the various forums it has become apparent that it is the carb content that should be taken into account as well as the sugar, something which I was made more aware of when I went on the DERIK course. You are lucky to have a DN that is diabetic, she can at least talk from experience.


My DN told me to cut down to small portions of carbs with each meal, she talked to me about how it was better in the long run for my BG levels to rise and fall gradually rather than spike - trouble is, it took me a fair while to work out what a small portion of carbs was.  With cereal, I mostly look at just the carbs - I believe that the carb content of food in the UK already takes the sugar content into account, so I kind of just lump it in, and then I just test everything new I introduce.


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## kentish maid (Feb 13, 2018)

Beck S said:


> That frittata looks both weird and kind of appealing!!
> 
> 
> My DN told me to cut down to small portions of carbs with each meal, she talked to me about how it was better in the long run for my BG levels to rise and fall gradually rather than spike - trouble is, it took me a fair while to work out what a small portion of carbs was.  With cereal, I mostly look at just the carbs - I believe that the carb content of food in the UK already takes the sugar content into account, so I kind of just lump it in, and then I just test everything new I introduce.


Makes much more sense, and I am gradually getting my head around it all


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## MikeTurin (Feb 13, 2018)

kentish maid said:


> That looks interesting, might be worth a try


As I said I prefer them with the green vegetables, like spinach, borrage or turnip greens, but when you have half a bowl of yesteday pasta it's an idea, I'll neve make fresh spaghetti for a frittata.


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## weecee (Feb 19, 2018)

The Clever Guts book is an interesting read. I have reheated pasta and rice by draining the water when cooked and reheating in fresh water. So far no problems.  I do take off the pasta just before fully cooked so it won't go mushy when reheating .


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## Sally W (Feb 20, 2018)

weecee said:


> The Clever Guts book is an interesting read. I have reheated pasta and rice by draining the water when cooked and reheating in fresh water. So far no problems.  I do take off the pasta just before fully cooked so it won't go mushy when reheating .


It’s a brilliant book isn’t it? Also love the bit about the doctor eating different foods: some carbs like croissants having no effect on BS.


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## Brando77 (Feb 21, 2018)

Why is it that when you cook spaghetti you have enough left over to feed a small village? Has anyone, after a spag bol said " Mmmm, perfect amount of spaghetti wasn't it?"


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