Todays BG Adventure - Cream of Wheat

I forgot about cream of wheat and decided to give it a try after reading your post. I microwaved a serving and used 3 tsp of splenda and a tad of skim milk. My fast was 101 and one hour later it was 185. After two hours after eating, it went down to 115. This was a big spike but came right back down. Don't know if this is good or bad, but I enjoyed it :)

it is a simple (rather than complex) carb so the up and down again spike may be expected, Sandee. I had been told that sharp spikes like that were not good for us. It is better to rise and lower gradually.

I agree about these spikes. I notice I do get fairly high spikes one hour after meals but after two hours, it's good. Yesterday, I didn't do cream of wheat, but 2 poached eggs on toast with a mandarin orange, and after an hour, it was 140. I think cereals in general are raising my bg. I have problems with breakfast…what to eat ???

You combined protiens and carbs for breakfast and a spike to 140 an hour later is a decent number. I think a spike above 180 is where you should be really concerned. Keep a food journal and record these numbers. That will give you a better idea which foods to definitely avoid and which foods work best for your metabolism.

ty byrun I think I will start a journal again. I did when I was first diagnosed, but will start again. Mornings bring on my biggest spike, I believe. I take metformin 500 twice a day and will also check with my Dr. He may increase that.

If you are maintaining good BG #'s you may not need an increase in Metformin. Combining that with eating healthier and some daily exercise may be all that you need, for now.

I see my Dr. on Thurs and will show him my #'s and no doubt get blood work done. My AC1 was 6.3 three months ago and hope it is even better this time. ty

You are under 7.0 for A1C That is good. I wish you well for the results of your next A1C test.

I think the spike isn't good for us either. That's why I tried ading some protein the 2nd try. Need to retry 2nd try because of idiocy on my part.

It's not idiocy, just human nature to forget. I think it's great that you're doing this for your own curiosity and sharing your results with us. It makes me feel a part of the process. Thank you for that.

Thank you or the moral support. Maybe I should have someone with me for the next attempt. Knowing me a well as I do, I'd forget to keep setting the timer to remind me to test. Or else I might need to start a discussion that says "Everyone be quiet for the next three hours Test in Progress.

Only if you include that annoying buzzzzzzzzzzz…this is a test…only a test of the glucose monitoring system…it is just a test…if it were a real emergency…I would be on the floor requiring a glucose tab…this is only a test.

LOL!!

I love Cream of Wheat will have it on the weekends with a boiled egg on the side. It is now available in whole grain!

That would take some getting used to but I would give it a try. The Nabisco whole grain version has the same amount of carbs as its original and a little more fiber.

Great experiment! I wonder if you would have had the same spike if it wasn't instant. Personally I like the instant because all I have to do is heat up some water with the coffee maker and pour it in the bowl. Viola…no bubble over, no sticky pot. All I add to it is the water and a little pat of butter. Can't have it too often though because I do get a significant rise. Will let you know if I ever have an opportunity (and the essential elements) to perform my own test.

Hmm, a few extra ingredients could alter the metabolism of the cream of wheat.
Doing a quuick check of guar gum which is listed on the label. It seems guar gum does have an impact with blocking absorption of metformin. That is from Livestrong.com. WebMD states it might help decrease the amount of cholesterol and glucose absorbed. Now how much is in the product and how much glucse does that quantity block. Sounds like an algebra/chemistry hybred problem.

Well that is interesting. I just bought some guar gum to use in my almond flour recipes because xantham gum was insanely expensive. That may be a boo boo. I will have to check it out a little more. Thank you for sharing that. Do you have the link to the article so I can check it out?

It was part of a google search. Sorry, I didn't save any links. Seems guar gum is used in all sorts of things to give products mouth appeal as in tooth paste and gravies among other items. It has been used in weight loss products and anti-diarrhea proucts.It can be in time release medicines to help with its time release ability.It is in the cream cheese I am eating now.
I got confused reading some medical trial reports about the effect of guar gum on glucose absorbtion. It seems to have had different results when used with liquids than with solids. Also maybe it had different effects on dibetic and non-diabetic subjects. Medical studiy reports use too many multiple syllable words for my brain to comprehend at a quick read.
Carrageenan is another ingredient used for thickening. I try to avoid it because my system doesn't like it. Just looked it up and it is also used to de ice planes.
Somemilk substitution products (soy, almond or rice) products use xantham gum, barley or ric e for thickening. The almond milk I used has locust bean gum and gellan gum. Just read that gellan gum is from algea . Locust bean gum is from carob bean seeds. May have to rethink making my own almond milk. Carob doesn't always agree with me. As you have stated, Gabby, it is very simple to do.
All of these thickening agents are natural They each have some type of processing to make them usable as thickening agents. They all can cause unpleasant side affects in some people.

I guess it is corn starch or these, and I for now am going to try out some of these. There is also arrow root that is plant based. I am going to give that a whirl. It is so hard to get away from wheat! I suppose I should just learn to eat unelastic breads and runny gravy. LOL

Some people use garbanzo flour for thickening. Oh and tappioca, too.
Arrowroot is nice in that it doesn't make sauces look cloudy.
Does corn starch cause problems if corn spikes you? Or is the amount of corn too small in comparision to what it is used in?

I am just avoiding all corn products, and trust me that is very hard to do. Corn doesn't agree with my levels at all in any quantity. Plus it is almost all GMO anymore so I really try to avoid it. I wish some days I was wealthy so I could grow and do all my own preparations. I just have to spend time earning that darn stuff they call money. LOL

I have never heard of garbanzo flour. I might have to try to make some for myself. I have dry beans and a grinder. Hmmmm, more things to try. I could also grind my tapioca that I have in the pantry. You give me so many good ideas. Thanks

It was a member here, I think Dev, who said it is available at Indian food stores.I don't remember the name they call it in India. Bob's Red Mill has it. I bought some in December but haven't tried it yet.
If you have a food dehydrator maybe you could dry the cooked beans. I have done this with kidney beans.
The oriental stores around here carry Tappioca noodles. The carb count is high. But perhaps it would not affect my BG the way rice and wheat noodles seem to. I haven't tried any yet. Or just the flour for that matter.

Hi GraylinBee, Yes I had mentioned garbanzo bean flour for thickening and also Mung bean flour. However, we use both in savoury dishes. Never tried it with anything else. both flours are light yellow so it is not going to looks white like corn starch. Also, I think mung bean flour is more bland than the garbanzo so better for thickening wrt not alterning the taste too much.

Garbanzo bean flour is available in Indian stores - the beans are called chana, the flour is called chana flour or Besan. Mung flour is also so labelled. you get the one that has green or brownish tinge, that is with cover and the one plain yellow will be the one that is without the bean cover. With cover is better for health but without cover is smoother like the difference between whole wheat flour and pastry flour.

Thanks for replying. I will save this info to a file and hopefully remember where the file ends up on my laptop, this time. Then when I go to buy some I'll be able to find what I am looking for at the store.

You could try eggs noodles. They have half the carbs, but far more calories.

Thank you. I hadn't checked them out. Maybe if I made my own I could up the protein a bit more by using quinoa flour for some or all of the semolina. Maybe I will have to get unbanned from the kitchen.

LOL! Maaybee!

Would explain the spikes some of us get.

I am ok with cream of wheat, which I love. It works well with my insulin.

I love Cream of Wheat but will not eat the instant as it has a horrible taste. I also eat Farina every morning and have no problem with BG. I do not eat fruit or milk with the Farina or Cream of Wheat and add a packet of Equal. I find it keeps me from feeling hungry until it is time for a morning snack.

Bought some farina today from the bulk food aisle. Even remembered to write down the serving size and carb/protein info per serving. My husband was amazed at my organizational skills. I even remembered to write down the whey powder info, much to my own amazement.

Hi Gray, with Farina because it is my first meal of the day and my carb intake per meal is 60 I don't care if it is a high carb breakfast because this is all I eat. If I am busy and get hungry in 3-4 hours, I will grab a piece of wheat toast with a cup of coffee and I am good till lunch time.

Oh, me too! I love it , but don't eat it all the time and never the instant, yuk. I don't think I have ever eaten farina, unless it was when I was young and my mom cooked it? What can you compare it to, malt o meal?

It is also called Semolina and it is almost the same as Cream of Wheat. It has 24 carbs in one cup which when cooked is way too much for one person to eat. I use a quarter cup and am fine. Since it is the only thing I eat for breakfast and I cook it with water instead of milk, it doesn't change my BG.

The instant Cream of Wheat has a salty taste and no flavor. I don't eat any kinds of instant foods like that including Oat Meal.

Normally instant isn't my choice, but hubby was being helpful.He thought the individual packets would be easier than measuring. I almost set the kitchen on fire a few weeks ago, so now he thinks I need easy to prepare items. Plus I have been banned from using the stove top for awhile. If I knew it was that easy to get out of cooking duty I might have tried it years ago. He promised he'd get me the regular version next time. I haven't tried Farina, tha I recall. Malt O Meal did not taste as good as Cream of Wheat.

I have also had the best luck with cream of wheat. I usually eat mine with a little bit of fruit in it and it doesn't spike my blood sugar. Great experiment!

A new adventure after the whey powder test. I don't think I have ever had it with fruit. Cream of Wheat just seemed too perfect with just milk and a bit of sugar.

That's about what I get for numbers, and I usually slap a bit of fake butter on there for fat! I use the 2 1/2 minute cooking one, though, and I think it doesn't have salt and I don't add any to cook it, just the water and cereal. Of course, it always bubbles over while I am cooking it and so I may not be getting the entire serving, since apparently the stove is hungry and gets some too! And some always sticks in the pot, so it must be hungry, too! I wonder how much of the actual serving size I am really getting!!

I worked Saturday and Sunday mornings for several months at an Assisted Living place. Cooking Oatmeal and Cream of Wheat for breakfast was a real challenge. I got less boil over and stick to the pan stuff using water than milk. Several of the dear residents insisted it was better cooked in milk. I just doubled the amount to compensate for what never made it to their bowls.

That is too funny:>

LOL! That is true. There is always the pesky stuff left for the dish water.

Hate dealing with stuck on stuff. That's why I nuke it. One dish, only a mess if I manage to boil it over in the microwave. Hello Kitty has a little less power so I don't have to remember to use a lower setting so managed to not boil it over. Did have to add a few extra seconds. Managed not to overcook it into a not so creamy Brick of Wheat. Somedays just boiling water can prove difficult, luckily yesterday was not one of those days.

Great recording! That is what we need to do to find those foods that work for us. Yes, a 60 point increase is kind of big, but not bad for little other protein in there. I will be interested to see how it works when you balance it with other foods. A little fat and a little protein.

That is what I'm wondering as well.

HI, put cream of wheat in the micro-wave and make sure in big bowl. It boils over there to.

No, not the cooking as I know how to do it without boiling over. I'm wondering about your numbers as you add more to the cream of wheat breakfast. (whey.nuts)

Could not do that experiment today due to not enough test strips. Down to my last 7 strips.

I usually try to remember to put the bowl on a plate. Seems I never manage to have a deep enough bowl when it boils over.