It’s a frequent question: Can I eat quinoa . . . or beans, or brown rice, or sweet potatoes?
These are, of course, non-wheat sources of carbohydrates. They lack several undesirable components found in wheat, including no:
Gliadin–Degraded to exorphins that exert mind effects and stimulate appetite to the tune of 400 additional calories per day.
Gliadin–Intact, gliadin triggers autoimmune diseases and neurologic impairment.
Amylopectin A–-The highly-digestible “complex” carbohydrate of grains that is no better–-worse, in fact–-than table sugar.
So why not eat non-wheat carbohydrates all you want? If they don’t cause appetite stimulation, behavioral outbursts in children with ADHD, addictive consumption of foods, ulcerative colitis or rheumatoid arthritis, why not eat them willy-nilly?
Because they still increase blood sugar. Conventional wisdom is that these foods have lower glycemic indexes than, say, table sugar, meaning they raise blood glucose less. That’s true . . . but very misleading. Oats, for instance, with a glycemic index of 55 compared to table sugar’s 59, still send blood sugar through the roof. Likewise, quinoa with a glycemic index of 53, will send blood sugar to, say, 150 mg/dl compared to 158 mg/dl for table sugar–-yeah, sure, it’s better, but it still stinks. And that’s in non-diabetics. It’s worse in diabetics.
Of course, John Q. Internist will tell you that, provided your blood sugars after eating don’t exceed 200 mg/dl, you’ll be okay. What he’s really saying is “There’s no need for diabetes medication yet, so you’re okay. You will still be exposed to the many adverse health consequences of high blood sugar similar to, though less quickly than, a full diabetic, but that’s not my problem.”
There are two ways to better manage your carbohydrate sensitivity to ensure that metabolic distortions, such as high blood sugar, glycation, and small LDL particles, are not triggered:
1) Count net carbohydrate grams. Because total carbohydrates listed for any food includes fiber (that is biochemically a carbohydrate), but humans cannot digest fiber into sugars, we subtract fiber:
Net carbohydrate grams = total carbohydrates – fiber
A ripe medium-sized banana, for instance, contains 27 grams total carbs, 3 grams fiber. 27 – 3 = 24 grams net carbs. That’s enough to raise blood sugar substantially, trigger insulin/insulin resistance, turn off weight loss, trigger formation of small LDL particles that persist for one week (unlike the 24 hours of large LDL particles triggered by fat consumption). (And don’t confuse the high net carb content of ripe yellow bananas with the low- or no-carb content of green, unripe bananas that we use for prebiotic fiber effects.)
Most people can tolerate 15 grams net carbs per meal before triggering adverse health phenomena. Only the most sensitive, e.g., diabetics, people with the genetic pattern apo E2, those with familial hypertriglyceridemia, are intolerant to even this amount and do better with less than 30 grams per day. Then there are the genetically gifted from a carbohydrate perspective, people who can tolerate 50-60 grams, even more—but uncommon.
Problem: Individual sensitivity varies widely. One person’s perfectly safe portion size is another person’s deadly dose. For instance, I’ve witnessed many extreme differences, such as 1-hour blood sugar after 6 ounces unsweetened yogurt of 250 mg/dl in one person, 105 mg/dl in another. So a second, more individualized way to manage carbohydrate intake is to. . .
2) Check fingerstick blood sugars. Check a pre-meal blood sugar, then 30-60 minute blood sugar after-meal, and aim for no change. A fasting blood sugar of, say, 100 mg/dl should be followed by a 30-60 after-meal of no higher than 100 mg/dl. Rises above the starting level trigger glycation, insulin/insulin resistance, formation of small LDL particles. If a food or meal triggers a rise to, say, 140 mg/dl, look at the net carbs and cut back next time, or eliminate the causative food.
People will sometimes say things like “I eat 200 grams carbohydrate per day and I’m normal weight and have perfect fasting blood sugar and lipids, so carbs aren’t a problem for me.” As in many things, the crude measures made are falsely reassuring. Glycation, for instance, from postprandial blood sugars of “only” 140 mg/dl–-typical after, say, unsweetened oatmeal–-still works its unhealthy magic and will accelerate development of cataracts, arthritis, heart disease, dementia, and other conditions over the years. (Detect this, by the way, by assessing hemoglobin A1c, HbA1c—pre-diabetic values in people who claim they are healthy are exceptionally common.)
Humans were not meant to consume an endless supply of readily-digestible carbohydrates. Counting carbohydrates is a great way to “tighten up” a carbohydrate restriction.
And, by the way, why the big push for quinoa? Before 2014, I’ll bet 99% of people never even heard of quinoa. Part of the explanation is damage control—in response to all the wheat-bashing going on, the grain lobby and trade groups have launched marketing pushes for quinoa as an alternative. Yup: it’s them again, just with a food under a different name. The Whole Grains Council has even declared quinoa the March Grain of the Month.
We made the Taco Pie and it was really good. The taste was superb and our stomachs were satisfied. Thanks for the recipe
So, I am still unclear…avoid Quinoa completely, or eat it sticking with the 15 net carbs rule?
I believe Dr. Davis’ message is to monitor your individual response to specific carbohydrates, and adjust your carb intake accordingly.
People’s tolerance for carbohydrates reduces over their life spans. The net-carbs-per-day which suited you at 18 will be unhealthy at 60 ……perhaps to the point of chronic disease. It’s amazing how many body organs key, either directly or indirectly, on metabolic function.
Lori McCarthy wrote: «…avoid Quinoa completely, or eat it sticking with the 15 net carbs rule?»
As Uncle Roscoe implies, the 15 gram net carb rule applies (until and unless your glucometer tells you differently).
Quinoa was actually an ingredient in one recipe in the original Wheat Belly book. It has since been deprecated as an ingredient. It is glycemic enough (high enough in net carbs) that for most people, a serving can’t contain enough of it to be worth bothering with. One ounce consumes ⅓ of the entire meal’s budget.
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I recently started making Kombucha and was wanting to know where it stands in my low sugar diet, and is it ok to keep drinking it? I have chrons disease and it seems to help.
Sally wrote: «…Kombucha and was wanting to know where it stands in my low sugar diet…»
See: https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/08/its-all-about-poop-isnt-it/comment-page-1/#comment-61312
May I ask why you describe your diet as “low sugar”? What Wheat Belly recommends is indeed that, but much more that just that, and I suspect it takes a lot more than just low sugar to defeat…
«I have crhons disease and it seems to help.»
Search the blog on crohns and you’ll find further information.
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I’ve just purchased some low-carb bread, only 1 net carb per slice. However in the ingredients it lists; vital wheat gluten, wheat fiber, wheat protein isolate, modified wheat starch. It is made with almond flour and flax seed meal.
What is your opinion of these ingredients and this type of low-carb bread?
Thank you,
Roye
Roye wrote: «…it lists; vital wheat gluten, wheat fiber, wheat protein isolate, modified wheat starch.»
Can you return it?
It’s clearly not a gluten-free bread (and the majority of the commercial GF breads tend to not be very low net carb).
This one sounds like a low-carb wheat bread. It may have eliminated most of the amylopectin A, but it left in all the adverse wheat proteins and lectins that we are also avoiding.
«It is made with almond flour and flax seed meal.»
It appears to have been made by people chasing foodie buzzwords, who either have no real idea what they are doing, or hope that describes their customers.
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Thank you, I’ve been doing WB off and on for a couple of years, I know the concept and figured as much about the ingredients in the LC bread……sighhhhhh. I just really do miss bread.
I appreciate your reply.
There are some bread substitutes (you make yourself) that aren’t too bad, but the best idea is to try to get over it. I agree with you, though, that bread makes things easier at times. For instance, I eat open faced sandwiches (put meat and other ingredients on a layer of lettuce/cabbage), and they are quite messy and difficult to eat. My wife made some bread substitutes for this purpose that weren’t bad but were small. I believe the main ingredient was eggs. If you search for “paleo bread recipe” or “low carb bread recipe”, you can find some.
We’ve found no-wheat versions of pasta (using a spirulizer and vegetables) and even pizza dough (uses cheese though). The pizza wheat-free dough is particularly good (but again uses cheese).
Thank you BobM, and yes I’ve tried a lot of different “bread” substitutes, mostly Oopsies and Almond buns, also do the veggie “pasta” using zucchini or spaghetti squash but alas they are not the same and I still miss bread and pasta!
Thank you for your suggestions, I appreciate it.
BobM wrote: «…(uses cheese though)…(but again uses cheese)…»
Cheeses, particularly the aged hard cheeses, are not a problem for most people, and are entirely compatible with Wheat Belly recommendations.
A temporary elimination of all dairy is suggested as one of several tactics in cases of weight loss stall.
Concerns with dairy (by which we mean bovine {cow} dairy) include:
• insulinotrophic action of the whey fraction
(usually absent in cheeses, as they whey is removed)
• blood sugar response to the lactose and lactose intolerance
(lactose is reduced or gone in fermented dairy)
• reaction to the beta casein A1 protein common in many herds
(A2 is one alternative; caprine {goat} dairy is another)
As it happens, a family member is reactive to unfermented bovine dairy. This could be just an A1 problem, but we haven’t found any A2 to try. Cheese from bovine dairy is no problem. For unfermented, we rely on goat milk.
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Have yourself a gout attack so you won’t miss eating wheat.ka
Roye,
Please do not eat that bread. Instead, please read Dr. Davis’s first and second books. Spend some more time reading more of this blog.
It won’t take more time than it took you to go to the store to find such an awful product as the bread you bought. Remember, at the present moment it is not your fault that you chose this product. But now you know and we would like you to make better choices.
After you read the books and learn a few facts, you can choose to eat foods that are healthy. Do not feed this bread to the birds, or pets. Throw it in the garbage. If it won’t fit, drive over it with your car first. ;-)
You will be able to answer your own questions if you read his books. Going wheat and grain free is not about replacing one bad food with another. It is about change. We realize changing can be a difficult challenge but all of us have had to change and I think perhaps none of us are regretting the changes we made.
You do not need this bread – this bread may make you sick.
Best to you,
CA
Thank you I appreciate your reply, I knew it was probably the case.
Roye,
Just remember – you really cannot go “off and on” with grains — that would be like dropping a bowling ball on your head… once in a while.
You may think the pain is temporary, but the damage is being done and it accumulates – it isn’t temporary.
I appreciate what you are saying but would encourage you to make the full commitment to yourself.
You are well worth the effort! It takes time and sometimes the changes are subtle. However, you now have a chance to gain something priceless – your good health! Go for it!
Best,
CA
Is there any information anywhere on a vegetarian version of the Wheatbelly diet?
Alice wrote: «Is there any information anywhere on a vegetarian version of the Wheatbelly diet?»
In terms of what micronutrients to watch out for, yes. I have an article at:
“Doing Wheat Belly as Vegetarian”
https://www.cureality.com/forum/topics.aspx?id=18308
In terms of a suite of recipes adjusted for that, not that I know of, other than any that are already vegetarian. You’ll need to spin your own from any that include elements you avoid.
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Thank you, Bob, I was more interested in if it’s possible to follow a Wheatbelly diet as a vegetarian and not eat too many carbs. Dr. Davis indicated in a past post that there was someone who gave a talk on, I think, one of the cruises, who is a Wheatbelly vegetarian so I know there’s somebody out there talking about it somewhere.
I’ve been cobbling my diet together by myself and it’s been hit or miss. My first iteration of the wheat-free diet was so high in oxalates I ended up with a 7mm kidney stone.
Alice wrote: «I was more interested in if it’s possible to follow a Wheatbelly diet as a vegetarian and not eat too many carbs.»
To be a Wheat Belly diet, it would need to be low net carb. Due to the current state of food markets, it does raise the level of inconvenience.
This thread will be open for comments for a couple of weeks, and perhaps someone doing it will drop by.
«My first iteration of the wheat-free diet was so high in oxalates I ended up with a 7mm kidney stone.»
What was the source of the calcium? I trust it was not supplements, as Ca supplementation is not part of Wheat Belly.
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I was not taking calcium supplements in any form. I was not eating a lot of dairy on a regular basis. I was eating a very high quality vegetarian diet with eggs, beans, nut butters, etc. in addition to vegetables. I was taking D. After the stone I requested a 24 hour urine and was found to have severe hyperoxaluria. I have to take calcium now with meals, a powdered form, to bind with the oxalates because I was on the road to kidney failure.
I’m a life-long vegetarian and have been committed to WB for two years. My advice is: read WB total health cover to cover, then get st least one of Dr Davis’s books. There are vegetarian recipes there, and plenty that are adaptable. I’ve found it absolutely no problem and have become more creative in the kitchen as a result. My Nutri Bullet is indispensable at breakfast – veg and berry smoothies (with coconut milk) are a great way to go. Also, lovely buttery scrambled eggs ☺️
Good luck!
Alice,
The dietdoctor.com site has a lot of vegetarian low carb recipes. Go to the recipes section and scroll down. They used to have a new one every week. Saturdays on Marks Daily Apple is recipe day, and some are vegetarian. You can also convert some by swapping shellfish for meat. Shellfish are not “animals” in the sense that fish are. I hope that helps.
Drifter wrote: «…site has a lot of vegetarian low carb recipes.»
There is indeed much recipe inspiration to be found on grain-free, LCHF, paleo, Primal and, on the specific topic here, vegetarian and vegan websites. Finding something that is fully Wheat Belly compliant, and animal-free is going to be largely a matter of chance. Random sites are often unconcerned about grains (including wheat), net carbs, use self-deceptive simple sugars like “honey”, are unaware of Omega 6 oil issues, etc.
Once someone is up to speed on how Wheat Belly informs diet, it’s usually pretty easy to parse random recipes, and either dismiss them on the spot, of make substitutions to bring them into compliance.
«Shellfish are not “animals” in the sense that fish are.»
Pescatarians might agree. Most other vegetarians will not.
It’s actually very easy to follow Wheat Belly as a pescatarian, with some attention to issues like mercury, dioxin and micro-plastics. No DHA+EPA supplements might be needed at all (and there’s likely some anthropological insight to be found there).
If insects are on your menu, a lobster is just a big whipless marine scorpion.
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I would like to try the Wheat Belly Detox and diet, but after reading the latest book, I was overwhelmed by extra nutrients/vitamins needed.
I do take many meds for chronic nerve damage and also vitamins for additional medical issues.
I live in Essex County, NJ and would like help to follow the plan.
Any advice?
Fae Page wrote: «…I was overwhelmed by extra nutrients/vitamins needed.»
Is there a particular page or list that was troubling?
There are only six “core” supplements, discussed lately in the timing article:
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/12/when-to-take-wheat-belly-nutritional-supplements/
All of these are a consequence of deficiencies in typical modern diets, lifestyles, geography and to some extent, age. A young person, living mostly outdoors, near or within the tropical circles, on a mainly marine diet, with vegetables from soils not depleted in magnesium, including ample root crops not fully sanitized, might not need any supplements. That, alas, doesn’t describe most of us, so we supplement.
«I do take many meds for chronic nerve damage and also vitamins for additional medical issues.»
Can you list them? I’ve been investigating supplements generally, and might have some specific insights.
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For chronic neuropathic pain caused by apicoectomy 30+ years ago:
400 mg lyrica
3 mg klonopin
120 mg cymbalta
For high calcium level & persistent kidney stones :
50mg hydroclorothiazide
1050 mg Urocit K (8 a day )
(Low potassium level)
.50 mg tapazole
Additionally:
2,500 mg vitamin D
100 mg Vitamin B
Centrum Silver
And probiotic
Fae Page wrote: «For chronic neuropathic pain caused by apicoectomy 30+ years ago:»
I’d not heard of that procedure until you mentioned it. It looks like it’s often performed in the wake of a failed root canal. Has that site been re-examined to ensure that there’s been no colonization by adverse organisms, resulting in chronic low-level infection and inflammation?
«…lyrica (pregabalin) … klonopin (clonazepam) … cymbalta (duloxetine) …»
Those are major neurological medications I’ve not looked into before. What considerations and possible dose adjustments might be considered is well beyond what we could address in this blog (and something I’m not qualified to even guess at). Two of those are anti-seizure medications. Are seizures an issue here?
«For high calcium level & persistent kidney stones : 50mg hydroclorothiazide»
The Centrum Silver you listed later may not be helping here, as it provides 220mg calcium. Calcium supplementation is not endorsed on Wheat Belly.
«.50 mg tapazole (Methimazole)»
That’s a hyperthyroid medication. What is your thyroid status? I’m also wondering (and have no guesses on) whether the 150mcg of iodine in the Centrum Silver is appropriate for your situation.
«100 mg Vitamin B»
What form? You’re also getting a number of B vitamins from the Centrum. The folic acid form, common in multivitamins like Centrum, may not be appropriate for a significant portion of the population, who have incompatible methylation status (genetic).
«And probiotic»
Which one (brand, product, CFUs)? And was that suggested by your doctor?
The bottom line here is that you need to be working with a physician who knows that you are contemplating a transition to a low carbohydrate diet, high specific fat, near-ketogenic diet that might allow, or even require, some adjustment to some of the medications.
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Thank you for your answer and advice.
I appreciate it.
What supplements do you take for nerve damage? I have nerve damage in my calf , resulting in calf muscle atrophy, foot drop and curled toes. Thanks.
Shellise Janus wrote: «What supplements do you take for nerve damage?»
Within what context?
Are you following Wheat Belly dietary recommendations?
If so, based on which book?
And for how long?
Have you had your thyroid assessed?
Are you on any medications?
Are you taking any supplements (WB-suggested or other)?
«I have nerve damage in my calf…»
Was this due to physical injury?
Many people have reported relief from neuropathies by following the Wheat Belly lifestyle, although not always prompt. The program recommends the same steps for neurological problems as it does for auto-immune problems (Chapter 13 in Wheat Belly Total Health).
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“So why not eat non-wheat carbohydrates all you want”
Because you will gain weight.
I have been following a gluten and grain free diet along with my husband. I am an athlete who is training for a figure competition this summer. I am having a very hard time dropping my body fat. Dr Davis can you please offer me some advice so I can continue my eating gluten and gran free but will allow me to get my body where it needs to be Thank you
Lana imbesi wrote: «I have been following a gluten and grain free diet…»
Wheat Belly recommendations are a great deal more than that. In particular, WB is very low net carb (but not full ketogenic), high specific fats, and attends to a number of other important aspects of diet and lifestyle such as gut flora, which has a material role in metabolism.
«I am an athlete who is training for a figure competition this summer. I am having a very hard time dropping my body fat.»
You didn’t mention which athletic events, but this article might be of interest:
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/04/wheat-belly-for-athletes/
Volek & Phinney’s “The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance”
might also be relevant.
Which body fat in particular is the problem?
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We buy Paleo bread at our health food store (we like the one with the brown label better than the one with the blue label). I think it has all good, low-carb ingredients. It is a quick bread, rather than a yeast bread and has a texture more like zucchini bread than yeast bread. It’s possible to use it for sandwiches.
Susan wrote: «We buy Paleo bread…»
What brand and product?
What to look for is both “gluten-free” and “low carb” bread, of which there is precious few, and even then watch out for Omega 6 oils, and a long list of possible adverse other ingredients.
«…at our health food store…»
Alas, the mix of things found in health food stores is typically only a bit healthier than what you can find at TrendyMart or Ralph’s Bargain Vittles. Labels are required reading everywhere.
“Paleo” branded products are sometimes worth a look, but the word has no legal definition, and not even any industry-wide definition. Dr. Davis lately wrote on paleo at:
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/09/you-are-not-a-paleolithic-human/
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Alot if people in the Caribbean eat boiled green bananas, not the ones that turn yellow, or even plantain.
Is the green cooked ones are good for wheat belly.
Courtney wrote: «Is the green cooked ones are good for wheat belly.»
If that’s a question, the answer is, in general, no.
Raw green bananas are highly recommended here as a source of prebiotic fiber. I have one on most days in a smoothie. Raw green bananas, if sufficiently green, have effectively zero net carbs, and do not provoke blood glucose.
Ripe bananas, on the other hand, are high in available sugars. The textbook net carbs apply, for example 27-3=24 grams for a medium Cavendish, or about 150% of the whole meal budget for net carbs. A ripe plantain could use up the entire day’s net carb budget.
Cooking a green banana likely turns most of the resistant starch into available starch. Green banana flour has a similar problem, because it appears that the process mechanically heats it, and also converts the starch from prebiotic fiber to simpler sugars.
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After reading Dr. Davis’s blog I decided to do a blood sugar test on myself.
I have tested myself previously using oat bran and my blood sugar did not rise.
For today’s test I ate some oat bran and did a few other things to push my glucose up.
Upon awakening and before eating I used my meter to check my blood. It was 67 mg/dl (which even surprised me because it’s not usually quite that low).
To begin, I drank 1 oz. of pure pomegranate juice, which hit me with 5 grams of carbs.
Then I drank a green smoothie that uses a powder (a couple of grams of carbs) with unsweetened almond milk and about 12 frozen blueberries. Just for fun I threw in 1/4 of a banana (a yellow banana that was ripe but not overripe). Together, that probably added about 8 more grams of carbs.
I used Bob’s Red Mill oat bran. A serving size is 1/3 cup and that’s what I used. That delivers 27 total grams of carbs menus 7 grams of fiber = 20 net grams. Again, I tossed in a dozen more blueberries.
In total I calculated that I consumed about 35 net grams of carbs.
Then I took the dog for a 40-minute walk and about 10 minutes later I retested my level with my glucose meter.
My value had increased to 83.
I don’t think oat bran affects me too much (blood sugar wise) but I still don’t want to eat it because there are other issues with grains that Dr. Davis mentions that are not beneficial.
Despite this test I don’t consider myself to be “genetically gifted” to handle carbs. My HbA1c level is typically about 5.4 even though I don’t eat grains.
But I eat a fair amount of protein and that can play a role with blood sugar too.
Malcolm Achtman wrote: «I decided to do a blood sugar test on myself.»
Thanks for the report, Malcolm. Keeping in mind that I’m no expert on this, it might be worthwhile to run it again, once with, and once without the exercise, and checking at 30 minute intervals out a couple of hours, to see how the curve trends. Exercise seems to be a bit of a confounder in BG measures.
What look like impressive FBG and PPBG numbers aren’t consistent with that mildly elevated HbA1c of 5.4%. Wheat Belly target for that is 5.0% or less, as you probably know.
A TG (triglyceride) number would also be useful in checking concordance of these three different measures of carbohydrate effects. WB target for that is 60 mg/dL or less.
«I don’t think oat bran affects me too much (blood sugar wise) but I still don’t want to eat it because there are other issues with grains that Dr. Davis mentions that are not beneficial.»
I had some remarks on oats most recently at:
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/10/be-better-than-gluten-free-be-grain-free/comment-page-1/#comment-62438
«But I eat a fair amount of protein and that can play a role with blood sugar too.»
It can, but as you probably also know, net carbs per day is the first thing I ask about. ☺
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I obtained a glucose meter and have started some experiments.
Meal 1 (breakfast), <10 gm net carbs (2 eggs and some vegetable soup), BG one hour later 9 mg/dl higher than fasting.
Meal 2 (dinner), 55 gm net carbs (red lentil pasta and squash), BG one hour later 10 mg/dl higher than fasting.
I know that there are a number of ways to interpret these preliminary results but it's interesting because I expected my BG to soar after the pasta and it was almost identical to the egg based low carb meal.
Alice wrote: «I obtained a glucose meter and have started some experiments.»
At what interval(s) post-meal? Anything less than 30 minutes for the [first] reading usually understates the BG effect.
«Meal 2 (dinner), 55 gm net carbs (red lentil pasta and squash)»
Was the pasta made just from lentils? (which are recommended here in limited amounts as a source of prebiotic fiber) If so, they may be less provocative to BG than standard reference sources suggest (plus or minus the normal variation in individual blood glucose responses to various foods).
Don’t do this, but were you to substitute a wheat-based pasta, and check at +30, +60 and +90 minutes, I suspect you’d see the dramatically different results you were expecting.
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Each BG was taken one hour after eating. For the first meal, I took a BG one hour, then two hours, after eating, and at two hours my BG was back to normal so I figured after the second meal was the same BG after one hour there was no need to repeat the two hour BG. I am not sure if I need to take a 30 minute BG if the one-hour is sufficient for “judging” foods.
The pasta is made by a company called Tolerant and it is indeed 100% red lentils. I love this pasta because red lentils are the lowest oxalate of all the lentils and I have to be careful about oxalates. It’s expensive, unfortunately, but really has a great pasta texture.
I am somewhat optimistic that my diet may be able to include a higher net carb per meal due to the nature of the carbs and my ability to handle them. Obviously if I ate 55 mg carbs in the form of candy bars I would expect to see a high BG, in fact I have considered testing that just to see it with my own eyes. I would also like to test a banana.
Alice wrote: «Each BG was taken one hour after eating.»
Thanks for the clarification. As you probably know, the peak often occurs before that.
«I would also like to test a banana.»
By all means test. The “net carb” rule of thumb we use is just that, a rough predictor of BG response. What we are actually trying to control is not carbs per se, but blood sugar. The gold standard for controlling BG is to measure BG.
If someone can get their FBG (Fasting) to below 90 mg/dL, eat carb X, and keep the PPBGs (PostPrandial) at flat-line, then carb X is probably not a problem for them.
Some carbs, like wheat, contain provocative elements beyond rapidly metabolized glucose polymers, and need to be avoided regardless of BG response, but that doesn’t describe lentils.
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I had said in my original post that each BG was taken one hour after eating…but now you have me a little confused. Would it be better in terms of testing foods to go with a 30 minute BG? I know the “ideal” is 30, 60, 90, but I’m not interested in that many sticks per food item.
Right now it does not seem as if I am having a flat-line response, but I am not where I wish to be in terms of health right now so I’m not worried at this point.
Thanks for your help!
Alice wrote: «…BG was taken one hour after eating…but now you have me a little confused.»
If you plug “response curve blood sugar OR glucose” into a search engine like Google, and then click on their Images tab, you can see a variety of representative response curves.
There are two things that we’re shooting for in a diet that avoids the current trends in non-infectious chronic optional ailments:
1. Keep the peak low, if not eliminate it completely.
2. Keep the area under the curve low.
On #1, if experimenting with carbs, avoiding peaks requires knowing if you’ve got one, and that requires getting multiple data points to look for it. Personally, I just rely on the net-carb rule of thumb, and haven’t run tests like this. We have a glucometer, so you might have motivated me to give it a try sometime.
On #2, HbA1c and TG (triglycerides) tell independent tales about that. There are home testers for A1c, but they tend to be uneconomical (esp. if you can get the test covered by insurance). Shoot for 5.0% or less on A1c, and 60 mg/dL on TG.
«Right now it does not seem as if I am having a flat-line response…»
Wheat Belly target is under 90 mg/dL FBG, and no change PPBG (but under 100 in any case).
«Would it be better in terms of testing foods to go with a 30 minute BG?»
For a single measurement, Dr. Davis recommended “30 to 60 minutes after the start of the meal” in:
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2014/10/blood-sugar-tool-fingertips/
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Do you check your b.s. 30-60 min after you start eating or 30-60 min after taking your last bite of the meal?
Becki wrote: «Do you check your b.s. 30-60 min after you start eating or 30-60 min after taking your last bite of the meal?»
After the start of the meal. See:
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2014/10/blood-sugar-tool-fingertips/
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Forgive me if I missed a discussion on this but what’s the consensus on Emmer wheat? The product I get is from bluebird farms and it is organic, heirloom wheat. I don’t use it very often but sometimes I just really want a piece of bread. I realize the effect on blood sugar is still to be considered. I don’t like the gluten-free products and they tear up my stomach worse than regular wheat does. The best I can figure is that I react to the xanthan gum in most of those products. Curious about your opinions.
Janet wrote: «…what’s the consensus on Emmer wheat?»
Emmer contains more gluten than even modern semi-dwarf hybrid wheat. It will also present all the other issues that heirloom wheats have. Those arise from time to time here, such as:
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2014/02/should-you-eat-kamut/
Using an authentic heirloom grain turns the destructo-dial down from 100 to perhaps 95. Using that strain as whole grain might turn it down another 5, to 90. It really needs to be set to zero, and nailed there.
«…sometimes I just really want a piece of bread.»
I would suggest making your own from the recipes found in either of the Wheat Belly cookbooks. There’s really nothing on the commercial market yet that’s satisfactory.
«I realize the effect on blood sugar is still to be considered.»
Any heirloom wheat (or grain-based products generally) are going to present that problem. One slice of a typical GF bread can easily blow the entire meal’s net carb budget.
«I don’t like the gluten-free products and they tear up my stomach worse than regular wheat does.»
What are the symptoms? Consider a prominent claim of “Gluten Free” to be a warning label, until a deep dive in the NF panel and Ingredients list proves otherwise, which it does only very rarely.
«The best I can figure is that I react to the xanthan gum in most of those products.»
That could be. Emulsifiers, including some commonly considered thickeners, are being viewed with a skeptical eye as possible microbiome antagonists. Add that to the excess carbohydrates, and it easily makes a formula for gut distress.
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