BUsing the Carb Content Menu

Transcription

1 BUsing the Carb Content Menu

2 What food does to our blood sugar levels When we eat, food causes glucose (a type of sugar) to release into our bloodstream to give us energy. If there is too much glucose in the bloodstream at one time, the hormone insulin is released or administered in diabetes. Insulin then stores glucose as fat ready to be used later. If our glucose levels remained continuously high or too Blood sugar too high due to too many carbs, big portions and insulin resistance. Blood sugar too low due to missed meal, portion size too small, exercising on empty stomach, having an energy crash from carb loading. time low it could be life threatening. We constantly need energy to survive and function, the amount of glucose we need depends on the activity. We need more energy to run for a bus, participate in a sports class or run up stairs and less to sit on a seat and hold a pen, watch tv or read. The more energy needed, the more glucose needed. How blood sugar works Manic Hyperactive Too energetic Too High Happy Balanced Stable energy levels Optimum Tearful Lethargic Agitated Argumentative Emotional Too Low

3 When carb counting there are a few pointers to bare in mind: Carbohydrates aren t the only reason why glucose spikes in the blood. Protein rich foods such as fish, meat, beans, pulses, nuts and seeds may have little to zero carbs, but still cause a spike in blood glucose levels. Mixing food groups together such as carbs and protein can also alter the way our blood glucose is affected. The mix of food groups will mean less or more insulin is needed, irrelevant of the carb count. A typical example of a protein and carbohydrate rich meal would be a roast dinner or a chicken curry with wholegrain rice. If we eat good fats such as oily fish, plant oils and avocados with our carbohydrates this may slow down the spike of glucose into the blood. Fat is quite dense and therefore slows the emptying of food from the stomach, therefore you may get a delayed spike in blood glucose levels or not too much of a rise in blood sugar at all. diagram OF BLOOD SUGAR WITH CERTAIN FOODS How your Body Digests Different Types of Food Sugar and refined carbs (i.e. chocolate and white bread) are digested extremely quickly, and are most likely to turn into body fat Minutes 2-3 HRS time AFTER EATING Protein and Complex Carbs Whole grains i.e. whole grain rice and unpeeled veg/fruit Too much blood sugar start storing fat Protein (in fish, beans, milk, eggs and meat) digest even more slowly Fat i.e. fish and avocados digests the slowest and keep you full for the longest Too little blood sugar hungry 3HR+

4 blood sugar levels and meal planning When monitoring blood sugar levels and meal planning other considerations are: The weather hot weather means more insulin is absorbed into our cells and therefore we may find our blood sugar levels drop quicker. Muscle to fat ratio the more muscle tissue on the body, the more energy the body needs to fuel it. If there is a lot of fat on the body, the body needs less glucose to fuel it. Fasting, if you miss a meal and aren t eating at regular intervals, the next meal eaten may push blood sugar levels higher than expected. Exercise having exercised just before eating can increase the demand for energy. This may mean that the body uses up a lot more glucose than it usually would, this may reduce the amount of insulin the body needs. Feeling poorly a little bit under the weather can cause blood sugar levels to drop and not be as high as expected after eating a meal. Meal size differs from person to person. The ideal portion size of a meal is the size of your two fists put together, this is the size of your stomach and therefore how much food it can hold. Meals that are too big can cause a spike in blood sugar and meals too small can cause a dip in blood sugar.

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