# Breakfast Cereal test ?



## mcdonagh47 (Feb 7, 2011)

After the recent discussion of breakfast cereals does anyone fancy a joint breakfast test ?
 We all eat a COMMON cereal breakfast and report the results.
For example we could all eat two weetabix and 150 ml of milk and report on it.
Two weetabix are 126 calories, the GI is 69 ( medium), the GL is 18 ( highish medium ) and they contain 26 grams of carbohydrate.
Of course the milk of whatever variety you are using would have to be factored in as well.
If you don't fancy weetabix ( they are easy cos you don't have to measure amounts) you might work out the equivalent in another cereal.
Anyone up for it ?


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## macast (Feb 7, 2011)

I'd like to help but I hate cereals    well... except porridge  I'll join in when it is porridge day.... ok?

great idea though


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## caffeine_demon (Feb 7, 2011)

ok then - I had:
42g porridge (mix of regular oats and wheat bran, about 180 mls milk, and coffee.

first thing in the morning test - 8.1 (bit high following yesterdays blowout)
1 hour after - 9.7
2 hours after - 7.5

the increase of just under 2 is fairly consistent.


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## SweetGuy (Feb 7, 2011)

honey nut shredded wheat  14.8


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## macast (Feb 7, 2011)

ok mcd..... I had porridge this morning.
27g porridge (the one that is So Simple lol) with 90ml of semi skimmed milk and 90ml water measured in the sachet 
with one cup of Redbush tea (it's herbal for those who haven't heard of it)

morning reading = 7.9
one hour after = 8.2
two hours after = 6.4


but a few days ago I had the same porridge made with 180ml semi skimmed milk and with a plum in it

morning reading = 6.4
one hour after = 15.3
two hours after = 6.6


I've also had the porridge with blueberries in and 180ml semi skimmed milk

morning reading = 7.8
one hour after = 13.4
two hours after = 8.3

so porridge is ok plain with 1/2 and 1/2 milk and water..... but not with fruit

my next porridge will be with 180ml semi skimmed milk and no fruit


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## mcdonagh47 (Feb 7, 2011)

macast said:


> ok mcd..... I had porridge this morning.
> 27g porridge (the one that is So Simple lol) with 90ml of semi skimmed milk and 90ml water measured in the sachet
> with one cup of Redbush tea (it's herbal for those who haven't heard of it)



There's not a lot of point testing porridge macast, its been known and recommended as a low GI ( slow burn carbs) since the 1950s.
Its been routine advice for fifty years for diabetics to switch out of cereals into oats such as porridge.
Perhaps you might test it at the half hour, 45 mins, 1 hour and 1 hour 15 to catch your peak/spike ? I did that about eight years ago and found I peaked at about 50 mins after a meal. So when I think on ( not as often as I should), I make sure I am active just before and at that time. Dunno if it makes a difference but I am hoping it blunts the peak.


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## AnnW (Feb 7, 2011)

Is Oats so simple as good as making the original type which is definitely not so simple? !


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## macast (Feb 7, 2011)

AnnW said:


> Is Oats so simple as good as making the original type which is definitely not so simple? !



Ann..... it is so simple that my grandson now aged 13 has been making it for at least 2 years 

mcd.....  I did the porridge as Caffeine Demon had already put up the figures for a version of porridge.... I was just putting mine on here for comparison as I have already done the experiment   with and without different fruits for variation


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## mcdonagh47 (Feb 7, 2011)

AnnW said:


> Is Oats so simple as good as making the original type which is definitely not so simple? !



easy porridge ...
-just under half a cup of oats and three quarters of a cup of milk or water.
-mix in a bowl
-two minutes in a microwave, stir, then 30 seconds more.


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## Caroline Wilson (Feb 7, 2011)

Good luck, I look forward to seeing the results. Breakfast for me is usually a sandwich at my desk when I get to work. If I eat before I fo out it affects my tummy.


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## Catwoman76 (Feb 7, 2011)

mcdonagh47 said:


> After the recent discussion of breakfast cereals does anyone fancy a joint breakfast test ?
> We all eat a COMMON cereal breakfast and report the results.
> For example we could all eat two weetabix and 150 ml of milk and report on it.
> Two weetabix are 126 calories, the GI is 69 ( medium), the GL is 18 ( highish medium ) and they contain 26 grams of carbohydrate.
> ...



Yes mcdonagh I would be up for it, we would all probably vary alot on our pre brekki BS. Mine was double figures this morning  Sheena


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## Steff (Feb 7, 2011)

macast said:


> I'd like to help but I hate cereals    well... except porridge  I'll join in when it is porridge day.... ok?
> 
> great idea though



Same here I dont hate all cereal but all cereal hates me it causes a spike every time so ill join in on porriadge with you macast one day


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## Alan S (Feb 7, 2011)

mcdonagh47 said:


> After the recent discussion of breakfast cereals does anyone fancy a joint breakfast test ?
> We all eat a COMMON cereal breakfast and report the results.
> For example we could all eat two weetabix and 150 ml of milk and report on it.
> Two weetabix are 126 calories, the GI is 69 ( medium), the GL is 18 ( highish medium ) and they contain 26 grams of carbohydrate.
> ...


Thanks for posing a very interesting test. I'll watch the responses with fascination, especially those where people get a high result so they do it again with a different form of cereal, such as porridge. I'm of Irish ancestry too - to be sure, to be sure 

It took me a while, about eight years ago, to accept that breakfast cereal, with or without milk, consistently raised my post-breakfast numbers well over 10. That was much too scary for me to keep doing it.

My brain now sees cereal at breakfast time as a form of poison, so I won't participate in your experiment. But I will be interested in the results.


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## donnarob (Feb 8, 2011)

Hi Guys, 

Being Scottish, I thought porridge wouldn't be too bad, as it releases energy slowly, fills you up and is good for you.  How wrong! 

Had 2oz of Porridge with made with water/milk this morning and had half a pear. 

First thing this morning reading was 7.0

1 hour after breakfast 12.5 !!
2 hours after breakfast 7.8 

I will test again in another hour and let you know the outcome. 

Donna
__________________
Type 2 - diagnosed Nov, 2010. Hba1c 10.5%, Reviewed Jan, 2011 Hba1c 6.5% Metformin 2 x 500mg


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## donnarob (Feb 8, 2011)

Hi Again, 
3 hours after breakfast and still at 7.8 

Will test again in another hour. 

Donna


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## macast (Feb 8, 2011)

donnarob said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> Being Scottish, I thought porridge wouldn't be too bad, as it releases energy slowly, fills you up and is good for you.  How wrong!
> 
> ...



yes Donna.... I thought it would be ok too..... my DSN said to test 2 hours after food.......... but the spike comes ONE hour after eating!!!  thanks to AlanS suggestion ... I have been testing 1 hour after food and discovering that many things I thought were ok after 2 hours are not ok after 1 hour!!!


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## donnarob (Feb 8, 2011)

Just tested for the final time after 4 hrs, down to 7.2.  Haven't really done much exercise yet so I'm just about to go on exercise bike for a while and it will be interesting to see what that does to my levels. 

Porridge is officially off the menu unless anyone can explain that because of it's slow release it takes longer for b/g levels to come down? 

Donna x


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## macast (Feb 8, 2011)

donnarob said:


> Porridge is officially off the menu unless anyone can explain that because of it's slow release it takes longer for b/g levels to come down?
> 
> Donna x



remember that you had a pear too  

I got better results without the fruit...... (see my post above)


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## donnarob (Feb 8, 2011)

Hi Macast, 

I'll try again tomorrow with organic oats and no fruit....stay tuned! 

Donna x


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## mcdonagh47 (Feb 8, 2011)

donnarob said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> Being Scottish, I thought porridge wouldn't be too bad, as it releases energy slowly, fills you up and is good for you.  How wrong!
> 
> ...



If you had pear as well it is  interfering with the  test on the porridge.


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## mcdonagh47 (Feb 8, 2011)

macast said:


> yes Donna.... I thought it would be ok too..... my DSN said to test 2 hours after food.......... but the spike comes ONE hour after eating!!!  thanks to AlanS suggestion ... I have been testing 1 hour after food and discovering that many things I thought were ok after 2 hours are not ok after 1 hour!!!



It is taken for granted that food will raise your bgs up to an hour or so ( that's why you eat-  to get glucose for energy!). 
The standard recommendation is to test at two hours to check whether your bg is back in range after that food/portion of carbs. As  a type 2 your FIRST PHASE response ( rapid acting insulin ) is shot to pieces, nobody is expecting you not to spike but hopefully you can keep spikes low with a Low GI/GL approach.


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## everydayupsanddowns (Feb 8, 2011)

mcdonagh47 said:


> It is taken for granted that food will raise your bgs up to an hour or so ( that's why you eat!).
> The standard recommendation is to test at two hours to check whether your bg is back in range after that food/portion of carbs.



I agree that it is recognised that there will be a bg rise after meals, but for my money I'd much rather know which foods were sending my bG sky high at 1 hour (porridge for me last week, without fruit, took me to 13.x and 15.x on different days). 

If I can choose a different breakfast and keep my post-meal rise below 10 I'd be much happier with that  (though it seems I'd need my liver to be in a cooperative frame of mind too)


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## HelenM (Feb 8, 2011)

Well I did the test by chance last week as I was skiing and needed to test before starting my lesson  which was about an hour after eating.

Breakfast 40g oats made up to 250g of porridge with semi skimmed milk + a small handful of mixed berries. I dose insulin for 38g carb.

day 1 before  4.5mmol/l  1 hour 3.3mmol

 ( carrying skis etc and mad panic to get to lesson on time sent me low,  On top of this I forgot that my small meter read in mg/dl so misread 59mg/dl as 5.9mmol/l.  Fortunately I felt hypo  so took some glucose just in case!)

Following days were more representative.... skis and boots now safely in locker on mountain so no need to carry
day 2 before: 79 (4.3mmol)  1 hour 115 (6.4mmol/l)
day 3 before 92  (5.1mmol) 1 hour 129  7.1mmol/l)
day 4 before 90 (5.0mmol/l) 1 hour 101 (5.6 mmol/l)
day 5 before 83 (4.4mmol/l   1 hour  92 (5.1mmol/l)
day 6 before  85 (4.5mmol/l) 1 hour 102 (5.6 mmol/l)

On each day I took a dextrose, skied with a reduced basal and ended up 2 hours later in the 4s on each day. 
I suppose that's not an  everyday test but I eat the same  most mornings and when I test at 2 hours the only times I find it too high is if I've done no exercise for a couple of days .


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## caffeine_demon (Feb 8, 2011)

as a little experiment today I had banana custard for brekkie - I'll let you know what the readings are (I had breakfast late today - lazy me!!)


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## caffeine_demon (Feb 8, 2011)

interesting...

morning test level 8.1
1 hour after the banana custard - 10.7
2 hours aftrer - 8.4

yet when I had banana custard as a pudding a few days ago, it was fine!!


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## wallycorker (Feb 8, 2011)

Alan S said:


> .........It took me a while to accept that breakfast cereal, with or without milk, consistently raised my post-breakfast numbers well over 10. That was much too scary for me to keep doing it.
> 
> My brain now sees cereal at breakfast time as a form of poison, so I won't participate in your experiment. But I will be interested in the results............


Just the same for me Alan! 

Breakfast cereals of any kind - including porridge - are something I'm not interested in ever eating again.

Bacon and egg - sometimes with tomatoes or mushrooms - for me these days.

I'll be interested to participate in an experiment when people want to test that type of meal out.


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## macast (Feb 8, 2011)

Wallycorker see http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=14860 for alternative breakfasts 

Mcd and Everyday...... I really want to know what is sending my BG levels up.... whether it be 1 hour after... 2 hours... or 4 hours.  I hate testing.... but I HAVE to know

if I know ... then I can make informed choices about what I eat


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## FM001 (Feb 8, 2011)

HelenM said:


> Well I did the test by chance last week as I was skiing and needed to test before starting my lesson  which was about an hour after eating.
> 
> Breakfast 40g oats made up to 250g of porridge with semi skimmed milk + a small handful of mixed berries. I dose insulin for 38g carb.
> 
> ...




Those are terrific 1 hour readings Helen. I ate the same breakfast this morning and pre-brekkie I was 5.4 which went up 7.3 one hour after and dropped to 5.9 two hours after, pre-lunch reading was 5.7 which was five hours after breakfast.  Tried instant porridge before but find my blood glucose hits 10+ one hour after eating, original oats spike far less so this is my choice every time.


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## wallycorker (Feb 8, 2011)

macast said:


> .......... I really want to know what is sending my BG levels up.... whether it be 1 hour after... 2 hours... or 4 hours.  I hate testing.... but I HAVE to know
> 
> if I know ... then I can make informed choices about what I eat ...........


Hi macast,

Basically, it's fairly simple! The answer is sugar and carbohydrate. Why carbohydrate? Because carbohydrate turns into sugar almost immediately it enters your body.

Cut down on those and your blood glucose levels will drop - as will your triglyceride level too.

Readings of 13 and 15 one hour after eating are too high for your long-term well-being.

Best wishes - John


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## cazscot (Feb 8, 2011)

I did a breakfast test a few months back...

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=10851


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## macast (Feb 8, 2011)

cazscot said:


> I did a breakfast test a few months back...
> 
> http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=10851



thanks for that Caz..... very interesting


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## Alan S (Feb 9, 2011)

macast said:


> I hate testing....



Why?

Is it the pain, the blood or the inconvenience?

If it's the pain, see if this helps: *Painless Pricks*

I notice you're a senior here, so please forgive me if I'm teaching anyone to suck eggs. But maybe a lurker will benefit.


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## AlisonM (Feb 9, 2011)

07:30 - 8.6 at waking
Breakfast 20 grms oatmeal, 60mls milk and a cup of tea.
08:30 - 9.1
09:30 - 8.5

This is the first morning in months I've woken in single figures so I'm ahead already.


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## SweetGuy (Feb 9, 2011)

I thought I would try some muesli today.   7.7 before.


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## macast (Feb 9, 2011)

Alan S said:


> Why?
> 
> Is it the pain, the blood or the inconvenience?
> 
> ...



hi Alan.... thanks.... it is the pain as I have pain already in my fingers and toes.  I find that the middle finger is less painful and the blood flows better from that one... but that only allows 4 tests.

as to being a senior ... it is only coz I chat a lot.... I only joined a month ago lol


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## mcdonagh47 (Feb 9, 2011)

Alan S said:


> I notice you're a senior here, so please forgive me if I'm teaching anyone to suck eggs. But maybe a lurker will benefit.



You get the rank of "Senior" on here if you make 100 posts... I think its 100.
Macast is just over a month into diabetes...I think.


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## macast (Feb 9, 2011)

mcdonagh47 said:


> You get the rank of "Senior" on here if you make 100 posts... I think its 100.
> Macast is just over a month into diabetes...I think.



yep Mcd..... diagnosed on 5th of January    so any advice is always welcome from you old-timers


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## SweetGuy (Feb 9, 2011)

SweetGuy said:


> I thought I would try some muesli today.   7.7 before.



12.7 1.5 hours later.


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## donnarob (Feb 9, 2011)

Hi Everyone, 

After the porridge spikes the last couple of days, decided to go for bacon, egg and mushrooms.

Is it just me, but I feel like I'm a glutton eating stuff like this for breakfast? 

Anyway.... fasting was 7.1
                1 hour later still no food 8
                2 hours after breakfast 6.9 
                before lunch 3 hrs later 5.3

Donna


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## SweetGuy (Feb 9, 2011)

donnarob said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> After the porridge spikes the last couple of days, decided to go for bacon, egg and mushrooms.
> 
> ...



Yours actually goes down when you eat Donna.  Nice LOL.


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## Alan S (Feb 11, 2011)

macast said:


> hi Alan.... thanks.... it is the pain as I have pain already in my fingers and toes.  I find that the middle finger is less painful and the blood flows better from that one... but that only allows 4 tests.
> 
> as to being a senior ... it is only coz I chat a lot.... I only joined a month ago lol


Please try the tips on that link.


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## Alan S (Feb 11, 2011)

donnarob said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> After the porridge spikes the last couple of days, decided to go for bacon, egg and mushrooms.
> 
> ...


You've been conditioned by the "fat is evil" and "breakfast = healthy cereal and juice" brigade for too many years.

If you add up the total calories from a rasher of drained bacon and a couple of fried eggs and compare them to a bowl of cereal, a cup of milk and a slice of buttered toast you'll get quite a surprise. Then compare the difference in peak post-meal BGs and decide which is healthier for YOU for breakfast.


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## donnarob (Feb 11, 2011)

Hi Alan, 

Thanks for the tips.  This morning I had bacon and eggs and my readings today look like this so far:-

Fasting 7.3
1 hour after breakfast 5.7 
2 hours after breakfast 5.6

Donna


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## Sheilagh1958 (Feb 11, 2011)

donnarob said:


> Hi Alan,
> 
> Thanks for the tips.  This morning I had bacon and eggs and my readings today look like this so far:-
> 
> ...




Excellent results Donna


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## Mark T (Feb 11, 2011)

My nurse throught that bacon and eggs might be ok for blood sugar, but would probably be bad for cholesterol.  Although I'm assuming that has much to do with how you cook it then anything else.


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## macast (Feb 11, 2011)

great results Donna   as Alan says we have definately been conditioned to think that cereal with milk and toast with marmalade preceeded by orange juice is a good healthy breakfast.  but for us it is a 'disaster'.... well it is for me anyway.  I've steered clear of the porridge since I tested myself after an hour and saw that my BG was raised 100%

interestingly there is a particular diet I went on a while ago which insisted that the day started with bacon and eggs    my friend is still following it and has lost over 2 stones since the summer (and I've seen her 'cheat' by having cake and pizza  ) she looks amazing!!


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## everydayupsanddowns (Feb 11, 2011)

Mark T said:


> My nurse throught that bacon and eggs might be ok for blood sugar, but would probably be bad for cholesterol.  Although I'm assuming that has much to do with how you cook it then anything else.



You might be right Mark if you continue to eat a high carb diet for the rest of the time. Moderated carb diets seem to result in lower total cholesterol, reduction in triglicerides and improvement in the good/bad balance though... so if you keep carbs under control elsewhere it seems like it can be a win-win  Plus, as you say you can help quite a lot with cooking methods etc.


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## donnarob (Feb 11, 2011)

Macast,  I think your absolutely right.  I'm going to buy Alan's book because "what can I eat" was my catch phrase and to a certain extent, still is!  It's just a completely different outlook on what we do eat and over here, anything goes for breakfast, they're really into cooked meats and cheeses.

My pre lunch reading is still 5.5 which would indicate that the bacon and eggs have kept me steady over a long period of time. Interesting stuff!   I'm now going to have roast breast of chicken with a big crunchy salad.  I'll report back later...

Donna x


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## Klocky (Feb 11, 2011)

I always have bacon and eggs for breakfast at the weekends and my readings are always much lower than when I eat cereal.  If I had the time, I'd probably go for the "fry up" approach everyday but unfortunately dont have the time cos of having to get out for work. I do therefore struggle to find something to eat in the morning, I one of those who cant do bread of any type - always sends me skyrocketing - so I've given it up totally, used to love it too and still miss it.  

The only cereal I've found that works for me is something called malt wheats from Tesco, which as long as I stick to a measured portion, tends to give me readings around 5.1 to 5.4 - am very bored with eating the same thing everyday for breakfast though, so anybody got any suggestions as to what might be ok


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## Lairyfairy (Feb 11, 2011)

I had porridge this morning and tested it for the first time.  I had a very small portion of fresh mango with it to sweeten it and 1% fat milk (in-between skimmed and semi).  The result was:

Fasting:  7.1
1hr 15m after the porridge: 11.6

I also experience some acid reflux after eating porridge sometimes, as I did today.  Not sure if it is the mango that has pushed the levels up, but it really was a very small amount.  

I has fruit and fibre with milk the other day and the result was:

Fasting: 7.1
1hr 40m after breakfast: 11.3 (taken by the nurse during follow-up appointment)

I have also tested 2 x Weetabix , 2 x wholemeal bread, olive oil spread and 1tsp marmalade (*gasps*)

Before breakfast: 7.3
2hrs after breakfast: 9.4

On Thursday I had some grapefruit segments (tinned), 1x 97% pork sausage grilled, 1 rasher grilled bacon, 1 slice Burgen seeded bread, olive spread, 1 poached egg, 1 mushroom, 1 tomato (all grilled)

Before breakfast: 7.1
1 hour after:  9.4
I then did a very active aerobics class for an hour and at 12.30pm my reading was 6.3

Hope this helps with our study.  I'm reading it very closely!

Looks like cereals are not for me

Lairy


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## Alan S (Feb 11, 2011)

Mark T said:


> My nurse throught that bacon and eggs might be ok for blood sugar, but would probably be bad for cholesterol.  Although I'm assuming that has much to do with how you cook it then anything else.


Please read this: *Eggs, Carbs and Cholesterol*

When I asked the authors for permission to include an excerpt from that in my book the highly scientific approval response I received was ?feel free to quote those paragraphs. You got the idea correctly?.


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## Alan S (Feb 11, 2011)

Klocky said:


> I always have bacon and eggs for breakfast at the weekends and my readings are always much lower than when I eat cereal.  If I had the time, I'd probably go for the "fry up" approach everyday but unfortunately dont have the time cos of having to get out for work. I do therefore struggle to find something to eat in the morning,


I often see that sort of comment and wonder. Here is a typical morning in the kitchen for me.

This morning I put my cast-iron skillet on the gas first, because it take about 30 seconds to warm up. I used that 30 seconds to clean and fill my coffee-maker and put it on the gas flame. It takes exactly six minutes from that moment for the coffee to be ready to pour.

I halved, peeled and sliced an onion, added it to the skillet and sprinkled it with olive oil to get things going. I peeled and sliced three medium mushrooms and added them to the onions, mixing them around a bit, then covered the veges with an old suacepan lid to retain the mushroom moisture as they cooked. While that was cooking I broke two free-range eggs into a mug, added a splash of water, a dash of turmeric, a grating of nutmeg and a grating of black pepper.

I checked the mushrooms and onion, they were ready so I poured the egg mix over and tilted the skillet to be sure the omelette spread to the edges. I let that cook for half a minute while I nicked into the office to switch on the computer. Then I folded the omelette and served it. At that time the coffee was just ready and I poured the coffee over a few teaspoons of pure cream in the bottom of my mug.

From walking into the kitchen to sitting down to eat is always less than ten minutes.

If you don't even have that much time, read this: *Breakfast On The Run*


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## Andy HB (Feb 11, 2011)

And the number of times I hear people say "I'm too busy to cook!" ..... 

p.s. And I realise that could be construed as a criticism of you klocky! That was not my intention! Honest.


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## wallycorker (Feb 11, 2011)

I had a meeting recently with one of the top guys in the local Primary care Trust. He told me that he had asked the following question of a group of doctors that he'd been challenging - "What effect would eating a fry up English breakfast on Saturday have on the blood glucose readings of a Type 2 diabetic who ate porridge the other six days of the week?"

He had been amazed to learn that the majority of those present thought that the fry up would have had a more harmful effect on blood glucose levels compared with porridge beakfasts!

I ask you, what chance do Type 2 diabetics have in the UK?!?!


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## caffeine_demon (Feb 12, 2011)

maybe he could ask them about an ounce of bran flakes + milk  compared with an ounce of chocolate...  the chocolate spike is small for me (usually keeps to under 8, maybe 8.5), but bran flakes send it to 10!!


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## FM001 (Feb 12, 2011)

wallycorker said:


> I had a meeting recently with one of the top guys in the local Primary care Trust. He told me that he had asked the following question of a group of doctors that he'd been challenging - "What effect would eating a fry up English breakfast on Saturday have on the blood glucose readings of a Type 2 diabetic who ate porridge the other six days of the week?"
> 
> He had been amazed to learn that the majority of those present thought that the fry up would have had a more harmful effect on blood glucose levels compared with porridge beakfasts!
> 
> I ask you, what chance do Type 2 diabetics have in the UK?!?!





A fry up here in Scotland would mean a breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, black pudding, haggis, beans and tomatoes which would certainly cause a spike in blood glucose in type 2's, so perhaps these doctors were right in this instance.  The reason why the medical profession are against a traditional fry up is due to the fat content, meals like these contain a high proportion of saturated fat which is known to raise cholesterol and is a major cause of heart disease, a occasional fry up would be fine as long as this is balanced by a more healthy breakfast on the other days.


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## lyndasw (Feb 12, 2011)

Being the weekend and having more spare time, I thought I would do a test.

Fast level 6.1
Breakfast:  one packet of the plain Oats so simple made with half semi skinned milk and half water and a cup of tea.  Sweetner added to porridge.
One hour later: 9.2 
Two hours later: 5.4

As I started decorating straight after breakfast, I suspect that 9.2 would have been higher if I had been in work sitting at my desk.  I will try and repeat this when in work one day this week.

I looked at the flavoured Oats so simple - they are 20% sugar


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## Tezzz (Feb 12, 2011)

donnarob said:


> Just tested for the final time after 4 hrs, down to 7.2.  Haven't really done much exercise yet so I'm just about to go on exercise bike for a while and it will be interesting to see what that does to my levels.
> 
> Porridge is officially off the menu unless anyone can explain that because of it's slow release it takes longer for b/g levels to come down?
> 
> Donna x



Can I suggest you try having a little less porridge next time? It's slow release. Very slow I think. Your numbers should improve. Mine did. PS I use a small spoon to eat mine with.


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## Tezzz (Feb 12, 2011)

Mark T said:


> My nurse throught that bacon and eggs might be ok for blood sugar, but would probably be bad for cholesterol.  Although I'm assuming that has much to do with how you cook it then anything else.



Bacon and eggs are lower carb than cereal.

If you grill the (lean) bacon and have the eggs un-fried even better.

I have a simple rule that I can put *anything* in my cake hole as long  as my BG is sensible two hours later.

The goal of keeping your BG down below 8 mmol   two hours after meals is a good one to aim for. Have a look at this link - *Healthy  Blood Sugar Targets*


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## mcdonagh47 (Feb 12, 2011)

Alan S said:


> Please read this: *Eggs, Carbs and Cholesterol*
> 
> When I asked the authors for permission to include an excerpt from that in my book the highly scientific approval response I received was “feel free to quote those paragraphs. You got the idea correctly”.



Hi Alan,
I've just read your blog entry on that research AND the full paper itself.

You quote the Abstract and comment on it ...
Paper says ... "Energy intake decreased in both groups from 10,243 ? 4040 to 7968 ? 2401 kJ compared with baseline. All subjects irrespective of their assigned group had reduced body weight and waist circumference" 

Your comment on that ...[The reduced-carb diet worked for ALL of them, regardless of egg intake].

No Alan,the snippet you quote says the study groups reduced their calorie intake by 20 %. So your comment should read "the reduced CALORIE diet worked for all of them." Its a fair bet the weight reduction was a result of lowering calories as much as switching to reduced carbs. ( A Calorie is a Calorie).

But back to the Abstract you quote in your blog. The Abstract is a shocker and it is difficult to see how they could derive that Abstract from the actual results reported in the full Paper.

1. The Abstract you make so much of states that LDL was unchanged. Whaaaat ? Table 3 in the full paper shows that LDL went up by 13% in the EGG group and by 12% in the SUB group. The claim made for LDL in the Abstract is quite simply a bare-faced terminological inexactitude. It is astonishing how false reporting like that got through peer review and an Editor.

2. HDL did go up by 20% in the EGG group but not in the SUB group.
THis is NOT a good point in favour of the EGG diet - it simply means that the three eggs a day did impose a strain on the body and it had to run faster to compensate for the increased cholesterol burden imposed by the eggs. And remember these were fasting lipid panels so the raised HDL was the morning after "after-glow" of considerable cholesterol spikes the day before.

3. The Abstract does not mention the effects of the 3 egg diet on Total Cholesterol.  Table 3 shows that Total Cholesterol went up in the EGG group over the 12 week period. TC went up by 2% in the Egg group. Over a year that would probably turn out at about a 10% increase in TC ( given the cumulative increases). Oops that's a negative outcome - better NOT mention it in the Abstract !

4. There are several ludicrous mistakes in Table 3 ( which summarises the main results of the, short,12 week trial ). For example the TC of the SUb group started at 188.3 and ended at 187.3. Mutungi et al state in Table 3 that this is a +1.00 increase in TC. Well now, I don't know which Planet Mutungi et al come from, but here on Planet Earth a DECREASE from 188 to 187 is generally reckoned to be a fall of -1.00.
Flawed,slipshod rubbish - were the Peer reviewers and editor asleep ?

5. Perhaps ther most laughable and flawed part of this paper is the testing of lipids. It is well established that lipids rise ( especially LDL which has to shift dietary cholesterol from the stomach) up to three hours after a meal and subside by five hours post prandial. And it is the post prandial LDL spikes that are now thought to be a big factor in cvd. Obviously to test the effect of three eggs on cholesterol you would need to test at the three hour mark. 
So what do the numpties conducting this research, Mutungi et al, do ?. They do morning tests after a 12 hour fast. Brilliant ! You wait till you know the effects of the eggs have long gone and then test to see what effect they have. Er..........yeah .........right.
They even take two fasting lipid panels a week to even out any spikes ....Heeeeeelp .... its the post-prandial lipid spikes you should be looking for if you want to test the effects of 3 eggs a day !

No its poor, flawed, badly written up research. I think you should read the full paper and then take it out of your blog. I don't think anyone on this support group should base decisions about their health and life on shoddy research like this.


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## Alan S (Feb 12, 2011)

Thanks for the feedback. I don't recall reading it in the way you just did, so I will return to the paper to have a closer look. That may take a few days; I'll respond with an opinion then.


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## mcdonagh47 (Feb 12, 2011)

Alan S said:


> Thanks for the feedback. I don't recall reading it in the way you just did, so I will return to the paper to have a closer look. That may take a few days; I'll respond with an opinion then.



BTW ... I've just noticed another piece of egregious nonsense in the Abstract you quote...
It says ...."The plasma LDL-C concentration, as well as the LDL-C:HDL-C ratio, did not change during the intervention. In contrast, plasma HDL-C concentration increased in the EGG group from 1.23 ? 0.39 to 1.47 ? 0.38 mmol/L, whereas HDL-C did not change in the SUB group." 

Nonsense because if the LDL stayed the same and the HDL rose,then "the LDL-C:Hdl-C ratio" could not have stayed the same in the EGG group. The ratio would HAVE to change if one of the components rose by 20% (HDL) and one stayed the same.
In those circustances the ratio in question would actually improve !


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## donnarob (Feb 14, 2011)

This morning I had a few dollops of thick Greek yoghurt topped with raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. Also had 2 walnuts.  Thought I'd give this a go as I'd run out of eggs!  Duh!!! 

1 hr after breakfast 9.1 Shock, horror! 
2 hrs after breakfast 6.9 (feeling hungry)

Will see what it is again in another hour's time. 

Donna


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