October 17, 2006
Meal Planning, Food and Diet, Type 2
Question from Atlanta, Georgia, USA:
I check my blood sugar before I eat a meal and one hour afterwards. If I eat something that I’ve never had, I check my blood sugar after one hour, after two hours, then again after three hours, to watch its effect. When I eat something high in carbohydrates, my blood sugar jumps pretty high, 150 mg/dl [8.3 mmol/L] or higher. Then, it drops fairly quickly, 15 to 20 mg/dl [.8 to [1.1 mmol/L] per hour. When I ate a burrito, my blood sugar jumped from 74 mg/dl [4.1 mmol/L] to 156 mg/dl [8.7 mmol/L]. An hour later, it was 140 mg/dl [7.8 mmol/L]. After two hours, my blood sugar was 126 mg/dl [7.0 mmol/L]. The burrito consisted of pinto beans (not refried, but whole beans), brown rice, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, and salsa. I think that the high jump was because of the unprocessed fiber. Am I right? Is this good or should I avoid this in the future? Also, I felt full for over four hours. Is this unusual?
Answer:
This is a good question. The slow drop in blood sugar after eating the burrito might have come from the fat in the burrito (sour cream, cheese, avocado) more than the fiber content. Fat tends to be more slowly absorbed by the body and can cause a slower rise or drop in blood sugars. You are doing a good job of checking blood sugars after meals to determine the effect of various combinations of carbohydrates, protein and fats. Everybody responds differently to various combinations of foods, so checking after meals is a good way to find out. Good luck with your meal planning.
JMS
