How To Negate High Carbs

[Schlep]

I have seen some posts on here about what to do when you eat something that is high in carbs. The posts (I think) said that if you eat something with high carbs you should also eat some protein or something.

Can someone explain this to me and what it means, if you understand what I am talking about.

Thanks

[Jan B]

If you eat fat and protein along with the carbs, the carbs don't break down as quickly. Along similar lines, if you tend to go low at night (w/lantus), eat a snack that includes fat & protein before bedtime (cheese & crackers or peanut butter & crackers for example) and you are less likely to go low.

[volleyball]

If you have an empty stomach and about to eat. You have your carbs, proteins and fats in front of you. A lot of people would tend to grab the carb first. for us it is better to go for the protein and fat to give the stomach something to work on, then add the carbs. This will slow the digestion process and lower your spike. If I have a carb, I always try to add a fat or protein to it

[Schlep]

So if I understand this - If you have a steak and baked potato on your plate you should eat the steak first and then lastly eat the potatoe?

[princesslinda]

If I were having a steak and potato, i'd start with a salad with lots of vinaigarette or oil and vinegar dressing (vinegar is supposed to help keep post meal spikes down...and its worked for me).

I've read that a loaded baked potato will not affect blood sugar as quickly as a "plain" one will...as the proteins in sour cream, bacon and/or cheese would slow the digestion/spike.

I don't think you'd have to eat the potato first, just in the same meal as the steak, as opposed to just having a baked potato for lunch.

[Jill-O]

I think with the loaded baked potato, the fat also (mostly?) is what helps to slow the glucose spike.

And, for a lot of people, a sweet potato (without cinnamon and sugar) will effect you less than a baked potato.

One thing I really like about taking insulin is I can have more carbs -- not saying I pig out and I watch my fat and calories, but I can have the food I like and still be okay.

[Gary_W]

Have a look at GI and GL information and books as these are useful too.

GI (glycemic index) is really all about saying how quickly carbs get in to your system so should give you an indication of how badly you'll spike. A GI or 100 is pure glucose which gets in pretty instantly. So with GI, the higher the number, the quicker it absorbs.

GI only tells half the story. GL (glycemic load) fills in the gaps. This looks at the amount of carbs in a food and then applies the GI factor to it. Foods that have a high GL value have lots of carbs and get in quick. Some foods can have a high GI but a low GL, eg some soft fruits. The carbs in them get in quickly, but there aren't many carbs per 100g so whilst the rise is quick it won't be too big.

Then, as others have said, the food you eat with the carbs can interact. I'm T1 and I find high fat meals give me worse control as the carbs I eat get in too slowly for the insulin I inject. Ideal for a T2, fine for a pumper. For me, it means several injections to cover a meal.

As well as combining fats and proteins with carbs to slow them down, look at putting some low GI carbs in with the higher GI stuff as this will slow the rest of the carbs down too. All the pulses are great for this. Rice and beans will get in slower than just rice. It's all carbs, but the beans will slow the rice down (provided they're not in some kind of sweet sauce!).

Gary

[volleyball]

So if I understand this - If you have a steak and baked potato on your plate you should eat the steak first and then lastly eat the potatoe?

In that order. And try tossing out some of the middle, the skin digests slower. Adding fats to the potato helps also.
The salad helps also, with vinegar even better.

Now if your stomach has food in it and its not mostly carbs, it will be less of an issue.

A sweet potato is not in the same family as a white potato so its like apple and oranges

Also for the potato, if you eat colored potatoes, such as red, not red skin, purple,gold and such, you are eating a waxy potato as opposed to a starchy potato such as an Idaho. Idaho's are the worst as far as potatoes go among the popular types.
If you cook a potato and don't eat it for a day or 2, it is suppose to have a lower glycemic load due to the starch solubility so that's one of the reason among others that potato salad is not the hit you would expect.