#2 – I wore a Continuous Glucose Monitor while eating a Low Fat, High Good Carb Diet

We couldn’t find any vegetable jokes, so if you do peas lettuce know.

For two weeks, Robert and I wore a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and experimented with a low-fat, high good-carb way of eating…

We followed the Mastering Diabetes Program… vegetables, whole grains, legumes, leafy greens, fruit, some nuts.  No meat, no dairy, no processed foods.(Except for a cookie or 2, but will get to that story later.)

We were curious about the theory that dietary fat plays a role in insulin resistance.  (Which I wrote about yesterday.)

Blue Zones, where people live longest, tend to eat lower-fat, plant-rich diets.

The Mastering Diabetes program emphasizes Fiber, especially from leafy greens and non starchy vegetables… they recommend having this with every meal… as much as you want.  I need to remember to have more leafy greens and non-starchy vegetables around.

Robert and I have both worn a continuous glucose monitor before, so we generally know what our levels look like and how we respond to certain foods. We started our 2 week glucose monitoring after we had already been eating this way for almost 2 weeks.

After a few days of this eating plan,  my wrist, which had been slightly sore with pressure for about a year, was pain-free!  That was quite an interesting observation.

This experiment also made me read food labels again with fresh eyes… Did you know many salted nuts have added oils and TBHQ (a synthetic antioxidant linked to gut irritation and more)? Even canned red kidney beans often contain added sugar.  I’m always annoyed when healthy foods contain hidden, unhealthy ingredients… Don’t even get me started on what’s inside colourful sweets that get given to kids!

Unprocessed foods require preparation… I have realized again that I need to plan ahead and do some food prep. It’s way more difficult to make healthy food choices when you’re already hungry.

How I broke a fast made a noticeable difference. I had to be really mindful about what I ate first—starting with fruit or a starchy meal spiked my glucose a lot more than something with beans or leafy greens… So, it seems that the food you have for breakfast (or when you break your fast), is truly important. Most of my patients have slices of dry brown bread for breakfast… Starting the day with this, especially if you are not going to be moving much would not be the best option… Protein and Fiber is a lot better for breakfast.

Despite not exercising as much as usual, my fasting glucose levels (the ones when I first wake up) were consistently lower than before. That really surprised me. I also noticed that low-intensity movement—like walking or light stretching—had a significant positive impact on my glucose levels. My glucose was much more stable on a day which I went for a short walk.  We hear it over and over again… that you should move more or that exercise is good for you, but when one sees it on the glucose monitor, it just makes it more concrete. 

Although eating fruit alone did still spike my glucose, it came down quickly. And when I moved more the day my glucose didn’t rise much. It seems like I could eat a lot of fruit too. It will probably still be best to eat fruit after a meal, though, for optimal glucose control.

This way of eating might be a real option for people with diabetes who can’t afford grass-fed meat or expensive alternatives. Everyone has heard this before, but movement really makes a difference!  And it doesn’t have to be formal or intense.

I still want to talk to Robert and hear more of his thoughts on this experiment.

I’m grateful for what I’ve learned from the two weeks of wearing a Continuous Glucose Monitor. I think it’s good to get to know how your body responds to certain foods. 

Here’s the post from the first time I wore a Continuous Glucose Monitor.

Another post about how a CGM can benefit you.