# Breakfast Cereal



## MissieMoo (May 8, 2021)

Since starting to monitor my sugar levels I find my breakfast the most important meal - I am usually quite hungry. 

Can anyone recommend/suggest an appropriate cereal to ensure sugar levels don’t spike too much!

Everything I look at has too higher levels!
Thanks


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## SB2015 (May 8, 2021)

Welcome to the forum @MissieMoo 

I was surprised how  big my breakfast spike was  when 8 got a Libre.  Like you I was after a change for bring those down.  I make a muesli using quinoa flakes,nuts, flaxseed.  I used a recipe for ‘kettle Porridge’ from a book by Helmsley and Helmsley.  I make whole load and few spoonfuls, some yogurt and half an apple I still only have 20g of carbs.  This changed the spikes to little blips in the mornings.

I am sure that lots of others will come up with other ideas.


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## Drummer (May 8, 2021)

Short answer is there isn't one.
I have settled on two meals a day at about 12 hour intervals, and I have two proper meals, low in carb but highly nutritious.


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## ianf0ster (May 8, 2021)

I agree with  Drummer that cereals all tend to be high carb. So either eat a higher protein alternative such as eggs, fish, meat, cheese etc.  or skip breakfast completely.


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## EllsBells (May 8, 2021)

Lots of us also have Greek yoghurt - full fat and a small handful of berries. Various types of berries are fine.


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## Inka (May 9, 2021)

MissieMoo said:


> Since starting to monitor my sugar levels I find my breakfast the most important meal - I am usually quite hungry.
> 
> Can anyone recommend/suggest an appropriate cereal to ensure sugar levels don’t spike too much!
> 
> ...



How many carbs per meal are you aiming for? All Bran is lower carb - 19g carbs for a 40g bowl. The Lizi granolas are also lower carbs, and there are some Eat Natural cereals that are lower carbs for a good-sized portion.


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## g miller (May 14, 2021)

Can anyone tell me where polenta comes on the carb scale of things? I am doing my head in trying to find things I can eat to lose weight as well as controlling my BG


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## travellor (May 14, 2021)

g miller said:


> Can anyone tell me where polenta comes on the carb scale of things? I am doing my head in trying to find things I can eat to lose weight as well as controlling my BG


It's a medium to low GI, and a low GL.
I was ok.
Similar effect as porridge had.
The effect is personal though, no two people will be affected in the same way, so all you can really do if you have a meter, is try some and see the effect it has on you.


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## Drummer (May 14, 2021)

g miller said:


> Can anyone tell me where polenta comes on the carb scale of things? I am doing my head in trying to find things I can eat to lose weight as well as controlling my BG


Polenta is cornmeal and around 75 percent carbs.
If you need to know the carb content just use a search engine and type in 'carbs in xxxxx' - though you need to allow for US and UK differences in how things are listed. If it says 'fiber' then it will be US and the fibre will be included in the total carb count.


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## mark king (May 14, 2021)

Weetabix are ideal for breakfast or as a quick snack, try one buttered and smeared with jam or marmite and eaten like a cracker.  
They offer easy portion control being 13gm of carbs per biscuit. It is easy to measure out and know how many carbs you are taking on board unlike loose cereals where it is easy to add a few more when weighing out. 

Best


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## Inka (May 14, 2021)

Marmite on Weetabix   I think I might have to have a little lie down @mark king


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## mark king (May 14, 2021)

Necessity is the mother of invention @Inka


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## Leadinglights (May 14, 2021)

mark king said:


> Weetabix are ideal for breakfast or as a quick snack, try one buttered and smeared with jam or marmite and eaten like a cracker.
> They offer easy portion control being 13gm of carbs per biscuit. It is easy to measure out and know how many carbs you are taking on board unlike loose cereals where it is easy to add a few more when weighing out.
> 
> Best


My goodness, I hadn't even thought of that in years, yes buttered weetabix or shredded wheat with marmite.


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## trophywench (May 14, 2021)

I have had jam on a Weetabix and it was OK, according to my tastebuds in approx 1960.  An opened jar of jam could easily grow a green fur coat without me batting an eyelid as far as I'm concerned these days.


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## Stuvart (May 14, 2021)

Went shopping earlier and found a low sugar granola in aldi (harvest morn own brand) its 57g carb and 3.8g sugar per 100g, which is slightly less than there weetbixs, so I'll give it a try and see how i react.


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## Leadinglights (May 15, 2021)

Stuvart said:


> Went shopping earlier and found a low sugar granola in aldi (harvest morn own brand) its 57g carb and 3.8g sugar per 100g, which is slightly less than there weetbixs, so I'll give it a try and see how i react.


I have Lizzi's low sugar granola 45g carb /100g (same on sugar) but I still only have a scattering on my Full fat Greek yoghurt and berries


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## Stuvart (May 15, 2021)

Well had some this morning 80g ish g with skimmed milk and my bg only rose by 1.5mmol. So it seems ok for me and not bad in taste either.


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## Leadinglights (May 15, 2021)

Stuvart said:


> Well had some this morning 80g ish g with skimmed milk and my bg only rose by 1.5mmol. So it seems ok for me and not bad in taste either.


You were lucky as 80g is nearly twice the suggested portion and would be some people's total carb allowance for the day if not on insulin.


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## Stuvart (May 15, 2021)

Leadinglights said:


> You were lucky as 80g is nearly twice the suggested portion and would be some people's total carb allowance for the day if not on insulin.


True but being t2 and only 7 weeks since diagnoses (at 143) my body still likes/tolerates high carb (slowly coming down) and 45g (recommended portion size on the pack) is about 4 spoons full and that is so small. 
Sigh what a pita this d is.


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## rebrascora (May 15, 2021)

Part of the problem with the increase in obesity and diabetes in our modern world is that we have lost sight of what a normal portion is. You are right that 45g looks piddly when you weight it out and put it in a bowl but it is important to acknowledge that you are used to eating too much and work towards that portion size being your goal. I find it helps to have creamy Greek natural yoghurt and a few berries and mixed seeds to bulk that portion size out (rather than watery milk) without adding too much to the carb content or as @Leadinglights does, I just have a sprinkle of low carb granola on the top of my yoghurt with berries and seeds.



Stuvart said:


> True but being t2 and only 7 weeks since diagnoses (at 143) my body still likes/tolerates high carb (slowly coming down) and 45g (recommended portion size on the pack) is about 4 spoons full and that is so small.
> Sigh what a pita this d is.



Don't kid yourself that your body is tolerating these carbs at the moment. With an HbA1c that high it is certainly not tolerating them and could already be doing damage which is not yet apparent... that is the nature of diabetes complications, they sneak up on you. It is however important to bring your levels down slowly to reduce the risk/impact of damage to the fine blood vessels in your eyes particularly and choosing a lower carb granola is a good first step. Making slow steady changes is important. You may find that creamy natural yoghurt or whole (blue top) milk is more filling with it and also lower carb than your semi skimmed milk option so perhaps think about that as your next step.


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## pm133 (May 15, 2021)

Stuvart said:


> True but being t2 and only 7 weeks since diagnoses (at 143) my body still likes/tolerates high carb (slowly coming down) and 45g (recommended portion size on the pack) is about 4 spoons full and that is so small.
> Sigh what a pita this d is.



I had to use the smaller bowls in my cupboard when I first started weighing food out.
Like you, I was used to eating probably around 80g of cereal.
I have Bran Flakes though so 50g of that still does a good job of filling the bowl which I then top up with 50g of grapes befor adding semi-skimmed milk. Your cereal will be heavier than that so 45g will contain fewer pieces.

You say your blood levels only go up 1.5 after eating that which is great but what was your starting level?


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## travellor (May 15, 2021)

Leadinglights said:


> You were lucky as 80g is nearly twice the suggested portion and would be some people's total carb allowance for the day if not on insulin.


80g carb allowance?
Many of us eat above that
As you can see, we all have different responses, so it's all good.
.


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## rebrascora (May 15, 2021)

@pm133 Probably not a good example to a Type 2 diabetic looking to lower carbs to mention that you have grapes which are renowned for being quite a high carb fruit. Bran flakes can also be quite high carb depending upon brand. As a Type 1 you can inject insulin to cover those carb rich foods.


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## travellor (May 15, 2021)

rebrascora said:


> Part of the problem with the increase in obesity and diabetes in our modern world is that we have lost sight of what a normal portion is. You are right that 45g looks piddly when you weight it out and put it in a bowl but it is important to acknowledge that you are used to eating too much and work towards that portion size being your goal. I find it helps to have creamy Greek natural yoghurt and a few berries and mixed seeds to bulk that portion size out (rather than watery milk) without adding too much to the carb content or as @Leadinglights does, I just have a sprinkle of low carb granola on the top of my yoghurt with berries and seeds.
> 
> 
> 
> Don't kid yourself that your body is tolerating these carbs at the moment. With an HbA1c that high it is certainly not tolerating them and could already be doing damage which is not yet apparent... that is the nature of diabetes complications, they sneak up on you. It is however important to bring your levels down slowly to reduce the risk/impact of damage to the fine blood vessels in your eyes particularly and choosing a lower carb granola is a good first step. Making slow steady changes is important. You may find that creamy natural yoghurt or whole (blue top) milk is more filling with it and also lower carb than your semi skimmed milk option so perhaps think about that as your next step.


If increasing portion size is an issue, surely it's better to retrain your body down to the portion size, than simply bulking the portion up to an even bigger size again?
If you train your body to keep eating, it perpetuates the problem surely?


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## pm133 (May 15, 2021)

rebrascora said:


> @pm133 Probably not a good example to a Type 2 diabetic looking to lower carbs to mention that you have grapes which are renowned for being quite a high carb fruit. Bran flakes can also be quite high carb depending upon brand. As a Type 1 you can inject insulin to cover those carb rich foods.


Good point although I was getting at portion size rather than carb count.


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## rebrascora (May 15, 2021)

@pm133 I appreciate that but just wanted to highlight for the benefit of the OP that grapes would not be a good choice to bulk his breakfast out with.


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## pm133 (May 15, 2021)

rebrascora said:


> @pm133 I appreciate that but just wanted to highlight for the benefit of the OP that grapes would not be a good choice to bulk his breakfast out with.


Oh I agree with that.
Sometimes I forget what help I am trying to provide and can muddy things without meaning to.


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## rebrascora (May 15, 2021)

@pm133 A small bowl is a tactic that works for me too and using a teaspoon rather than a dessert spoon.... it helps that my yoghurt is thicker than milk and therefore lends itself to being eaten with a teaspoon better.


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## pm133 (May 15, 2021)

rebrascora said:


> @pm133 A small bowl is a tactic that works for me too and using a teaspoon rather than a dessert spoon.... it helps that my yoghurt is thicker than milk and therefore lends itself to being eaten with a teaspoon better.


I do the teaspoon thing with puddings to kid myself on that it lasts longer and I'm therefore getting more cake.
It's childish nonsense of course but psychologically it works.   And now I've got the whole family doing it.


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## Inka (May 15, 2021)

I don’t think it’s our fault re the bowls. It’s the manufacturers. I always used to have my cereal in what I called a cereal bowl, but now the sets of plates, bowls, etc mainly have the larger, taller style of bowl. I find it much harder to judge portion size in that - so much so that I’ve bought some cheap bowls in the ‘old style’ specifically for cereal and desserts.


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## travellor (May 15, 2021)

40g of porridge, with skimmed milk and a handful of blueberries this morning.
Quite often I just use water instead of milk.


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## Stuvart (May 15, 2021)

rebrascora said:


> Part of the problem with the increase in obesity and diabetes in our modern world is that we have lost sight of what a normal portion is. You are right that 45g looks piddly when you weight it out and put it in a bowl but it is important to acknowledge that you are used to eating too much and work towards that portion size being your goal. I find it helps to have creamy Greek natural yoghurt and a few berries and mixed seeds to bulk that portion size out (rather than watery milk) without adding too much to the carb content or as @Leadinglights does, I just have a sprinkle of low carb granola on the top of my yoghurt with berries and seeds.
> 
> 
> 
> Don't kid yourself that your body is tolerating these carbs at the moment. With an HbA1c that high it is certainly not tolerating them and could already be doing damage which is not yet apparent... that is the nature of diabetes complications, they sneak up on you. It is however important to bring your levels down slowly to reduce the risk/impact of damage to the fine blood vessels in your eyes particularly and choosing a lower carb granola is a good first step. Making slow steady changes is important. You may find that creamy natural yoghurt or whole (blue top) milk is more filling with it and also lower carb than your semi skimmed milk option so perhaps think about that as your next step.


Oh I'm not kidding myself as that portion size is about half of pre diagnosis, the bummer is im only 12st 5lb and near 6foot tall so a heathly bmi plus cycling 12 mile (6 there 6 back)to and from work 5 days a week keeps me fit, which is why I tend to trial new stuff at the weekends where the cycling won't dump extra glucose into my system.
As to figures 4 weeks after diagnosis my hba was 120 and my finger tests are around 7 pre and 8/9 post depending on what I've had. As you say  slow reduction is the way (at least that's what I've been advised).


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## Drummer (May 15, 2021)

rebrascora said:


> @pm133 A small bowl is a tactic that works for me too and using a teaspoon rather than a dessert spoon.... it helps that my yoghurt is thicker than milk and therefore lends itself to being eaten with a teaspoon better.


For the first 6 months this was my bowl for desserts.


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## ChrissieMM (May 15, 2021)

Sometimes I have two VERY thin slices of toasted (from frozen) rye bread, sour dough or Low GI bread from Booths supermarket with scraping of peanut butter without butter or scraping butter with marmite or a very small amount of lower sugar jam/marmalade. (I just dip knife in pot!) Other times I have 125g Greek yoghurt, usually but not always full fat plus a few berries or 10g Lizzy’s treacle and pecan granola or about 10g of M&S luxury lemon and lime yoghurt or The Collective passion fruit yoghurt sort of rippled In. Very little effect on blood sugar levels. I find the yoghurt more satiating than toast but I do love my toast!


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## Drummer (May 15, 2021)

ChrissieMM said:


> Sometimes I have two VERY thin slices of toasted (from frozen) rye bread, sour dough or Low GI bread from Booths supermarket with scraping of peanut butter without butter or scraping butter with marmite or a very small amount of lower sugar jam/marmalade. (I just dip knife in pot!) Other times I have 125g Greek yoghurt, usually but not always full fat plus a few berries or 10g Lizzy’s treacle and pecan granola or about 10g of M&S luxury lemon and lime yoghurt or The Collective passion fruit yoghurt sort of rippled In. Very little effect on blood sugar levels. I find the yoghurt more satiating than toast but I do love my toast!


Why are you limiting things unlikely to be a problem? Butter and marmite, peanut butter, being low carb, don't really need to be limited, but although you love toast - I suspect it isn't mutual.


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## travellor (May 15, 2021)

ChrissieMM said:


> Sometimes I have two VERY thin slices of toasted (from frozen) rye bread, sour dough or Low GI bread from Booths supermarket with scraping of peanut butter without butter or scraping butter with marmite or a very small amount of lower sugar jam/marmalade. (I just dip knife in pot!) Other times I have 125g Greek yoghurt, usually but not always full fat plus a few berries or 10g Lizzy’s treacle and pecan granola or about 10g of M&S luxury lemon and lime yoghurt or The Collective passion fruit yoghurt sort of rippled In. Very little effect on blood sugar levels. I find the yoghurt more satiating than toast but I do love my toast!


I like a slice or rye bread, or sour dough in preference to wholemeal now.
I haven't buttered toast at all for years, if I have anything else on it.
Just found some very nice fat free blueberry yoghurts from Morrison's as well.


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## Inka (May 16, 2021)

Both rye bread and sourdough work better for my blood sugar than normal bread. They taste a lot nicer too!


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## Nigel R (May 16, 2021)

The best cereal for me is Rude Health, Puffed oats Carbs 10.6 grams per serving and near the same is Puffed Spelt Carbs 11.2 grams per serving.
Some Waitrose stock it but they also have a online shop.


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## rebrascora (May 16, 2021)

Nigel R said:


> The best cereal for me is Rude Health, Puffed oats Carbs 10.6 grams per serving and near the same is Puffed Spelt Carbs 11.2 grams per serving.
> Some Waitrose stock it but they also have a online shop.


Looking at the online info, a "serving" is only 17g though which is pretty small. I like that they are whole oats and no other ingredients. I am guessing that being "puffed" makes the portion look bigger.


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## Leadinglights (May 16, 2021)

rebrascora said:


> Looking at the online info, a "serving" is only 17g though which is pretty small. I like that they are whole oats and no other ingredients. I am guessing that being "puffed" makes the portion look bigger.


A bit like puffed wheat (the non sugarcoated form of sugarpuffs)  the box is the same size as other cereals but only half the weight so full of air.


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## Ditto (May 16, 2021)

In 1974 when I first went to Weight Watchers, we were allowed 3/4 of an ounce of cereal. I did lose half a stone in a week but really I wanted to eat 6 Weetabix.   Eggs is best. You don't have to measure them for a start.


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## ChrissieMM (May 16, 2021)

Drummer said:


> Why are you limiting things unlikely to be a problem? Butter and marmite, peanut butter, being low carb, don't really need to be limited, but although you love toast - I suspect it isn't mutual.


I limit them because I prefer a scraping to slavering them on (admittedly, probably after years of trying to have a low fat diet, I’m now used to it). Probably shouldn’t have bothered describing them like that, just saying butter and peanut butter.
However as far as the toast is concerned, the bread described puts my blood sugar up to anywhere between 6.2 and 6.9. I slice it on a bread slicer and it’s about 0.5 centimetres wide!


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## Drummer (May 16, 2021)

ChrissieMM said:


> I limit them because I prefer a scraping to slavering them on (admittedly, probably after years of trying to have a low fat diet, I’m now used to it). Probably shouldn’t have bothered describing them like that, just saying butter and peanut butter.
> However as far as the toast is concerned, the bread described puts my blood sugar up to anywhere between 6.2 and 6.9. I slice it on a bread slicer and it’s about 0.5 centimetres wide!


It would do the same to me - I am making linseed bread at the moment. I still need to tweak the recipe a bit, but it is looking more like normal bread each time I try a different setting on the breadmaker or alter the recipe just a little.


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## Tonynewitt (May 17, 2021)

How about bran flakes, I love a bowl in the morning with a spoonful of Greek yogart and a handful of blueberries, I use to add a banana and a squeeze of honey but I leave them out. So are bran flakes ok


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## rebrascora (May 17, 2021)

Bran flakes are high in carbs (64g/100g) of which sugar is 14g/100g so probably not a great choice if you are cutting down on carbs to manage your BG. A portion size appears to be 30g, so you might want to weigh out 30g and see how it compares to the amount you would normally eat. You may be shocked at how small it is. 

The only thing which will tell you if they are OK *for you* is a BG test meter though by testing before and 2 hours after eating. If it raises your BG too high then you need to either reduce the portion size or try something else for breakfast.


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## Leadinglights (May 17, 2021)

Breakfast cereals do weigh heavy so a portion size looks very small. Why not have more of the yoghurt with the blue berries or strawberries are lower and then just a scattering of the cereal. All Bran is slightly lower carb and there are some low sugar granolas which are lower at 45g per 100g cereal so might be better. Full fat Greek yoghurt is quite filling so should fill you up.


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## mark king (May 20, 2021)

.... but really the only bread that suits bacon is bog standard white that's been toasted golden brown.
All together now Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. 
I enjoy my Burgen loaf with most things but.....???


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## travellor (May 20, 2021)

mark king said:


> .... but really the only bread that suits bacon is bog standard white that's been toasted golden brown.
> All together now Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
> I enjoy my Burgen loaf with most things but.....???


So true.


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