As I continue this month-long study of my blood sugar levels using a continuous glucose monitor from NutriSense, I share for you below an example of the communication that exists between the participant and assigned dietitian, who in my case is Stephanie.
Already I am gaining insights into the relationship of some of my favorite foods and blood sugar levels. For instance, one of my go-to meals/snacks is Oikos yogurt (protein 15 grams), plus flax seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts and blueberries. As you can see by the analytical breakdown, my peak glucose was 105mg/dL.. This hearty serving (about 1 1/2 cups of yogurt), barely elevated my glucose levels. This is great news as I will keep this as a delicious mainstay in my diet.
Already I am gaining insights into the relationship of some of my favorite foods and blood sugar levels. For instance, one of my go-to meals/snacks is Oikos yogurt (protein 15 grams), plus flax seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts and blueberries. As you can see by the analytical breakdown, my peak glucose was 105mg/dL.. This hearty serving (about 1 1/2 cups of yogurt), barely elevated my glucose levels. This is great news as I will keep this as a delicious mainstay in my diet.
Likewise, my dinner of baked cod, avocado, coleslaw and onions was delicious but also barely a blip on the screen. At the time I thought I was over-eating which can elevate glucose, even if it is a healthy meal, but evidently the serving size was appropriate even though I had seconds! The rest of the family enjoyed this as fish tacos but I opted against the tortilla to limit my carbs. It was amazing...it had avocado so of course it was great!
Compare this to Monday, and my notorious day of chocolate chip cookies, there is a significant difference in my body's response as my glucose spiked to 142mg/dL. Clearly there is a difference between foods that contain a healthy balance of fats and proteins versus those that are primarily sugar and carbs. And as I have often heard, even healthy, nutritious foods may spike your blood sugar. Today at breakfast I had half of a pear and my glucose went from 89 to 136mg/dL. Chances are the readings would have been better had I paired the pear with some protein or fat. Maybe I will try that tomorrow as an experiment.
Email from my dietitian: Hi and welcome, Tiffany! My name is Stephanie and I will be your complimentary NutriSense dietitian for the next month! It’s nice to meet you! I will act as your “health tour guide,” reaching out regularly to help you interpret your glucose readings, plan experiments, and/or optimize your health habits based on your body’s data. I’m seeing your CGM data coming through, so I can tell you are off to a good start!
I wanted to let you know that the sensor is calibrating during the first 12-24 hours, so data may be a bit off at first. We also offer a manual calibration in the app if needed after the first 24 hours. Make sure to scan your CGM at least once every 8 hours and keep logging all of your meals/beverages, exercise, sleep, stress, or anything else you want to monitor! This will help us understand how your normal behaviors impact your glucose, and we can use this to improve your metrics going forward.
Just a couple of quick questions as we’re getting started:
I wanted to let you know that the sensor is calibrating during the first 12-24 hours, so data may be a bit off at first. We also offer a manual calibration in the app if needed after the first 24 hours. Make sure to scan your CGM at least once every 8 hours and keep logging all of your meals/beverages, exercise, sleep, stress, or anything else you want to monitor! This will help us understand how your normal behaviors impact your glucose, and we can use this to improve your metrics going forward.
Just a couple of quick questions as we’re getting started:
- I was reviewing the information you filled out for us and it sounds like your primary goals are to ensure that your current diet is not leading to glucose spikes and excess insulin production to prevent weight gain, as well as reduce cravings and emotional snacking, improve cholesterol levels, and reduce inflammation. Anything else you’d like to add?
- I noticed you preferred I reached out weekly - is that correct?
My response: Thank you Stephanie. Yes, today has been my unfortunate experiment with sugar. I made chocolate chip cookies for our teen landscapers and a couple of those cookies spiked my glucose right up...as expected I suppose. Tomorrow I will take the high road and experiment with vegetables! The above goals are correct and being 51 years old, I want to reduce the stereotypical weight gain/spare tire phenom that seems to accompany women and perimenopause. However glucose and insulin contribute to this will be helpful for me to understand. I want to preserve/gain muscle and lose fat, particularly abdominal fat. Any suggestions to help me achieve this are appreciated.
Could we start the outreach every 3 days at first then proceed to weekly? I think that would be helpful. I will focus also on recording all food and beverages as I have not done that consistently today. One thing I know, I work from home (Pilates teacher) and snack way too much versus eating regular meals. From what I read these frequent snacks, even if healthy, contribute to blood sugar spikes. What snacks do you recommend that are less likely to cause this fluctuation? And probably best to stop snacking entirely? Thanks!
Is it better for glucose to rise gradually, better to spike and fall quickly, or not rise at all and just stay level? Thanks again!
Could we start the outreach every 3 days at first then proceed to weekly? I think that would be helpful. I will focus also on recording all food and beverages as I have not done that consistently today. One thing I know, I work from home (Pilates teacher) and snack way too much versus eating regular meals. From what I read these frequent snacks, even if healthy, contribute to blood sugar spikes. What snacks do you recommend that are less likely to cause this fluctuation? And probably best to stop snacking entirely? Thanks!
Is it better for glucose to rise gradually, better to spike and fall quickly, or not rise at all and just stay level? Thanks again!
Dietitian Stephanie: That is TOTALLY okay, Tiffany! That is exactly what we are here to discover Everyone (including myself) has spikes occasionally, but you would never know it was happening if you weren't measuring it! Having that information can then help us to reduce spikes down the road, so having a spike is actually a wealth of information.
So just a couple housekeeping notes as we get started: What I like to recommend we start with is exploring how your normal routines (cookies and all!) and habits are affecting your glucose levels. Once we have a good understanding of your normal behaviors and glucose trends, we can start implementing experiments or tweaking things to optimize your data. A good thing to start with now is to make observations of which foods in different combinations and at different times of day lead to a bigger glucose “shift” or a spike >140.
I will be watching your trends and analytics and reaching out Thursday to help you get started with your first data review. After that, I’ll follow your preference of reaching out every 3 days, unless you say otherwise! Of course, please don't hesitate to reach out with any observations or questions you have along the way as well! I’ll respond within 24 hours on weekdays. I'm here to help with anything related to the app, your glucose data, or your health habits in general.
And thank you so much for clarifying those goals, and GREAT question! So, again, I would suggest just seeing what happens with typical snacking pattern and food choices, but let me also share with you some ideas of low-carb snacks that won't significantly impact your glucose trend lines!
And then in regards to your question about glucose rise and fall, we generally like to aim for spikes below 140. Typically we see the peak value occurring within 30 minutes to 1 hour after the meal start, however their are nuance to this which we can dive into as we go. We also like to see a return to pre-meal value within 2-3 hours. I'll explain ALL the metrics as we continue to collect more data!
So just a couple housekeeping notes as we get started: What I like to recommend we start with is exploring how your normal routines (cookies and all!) and habits are affecting your glucose levels. Once we have a good understanding of your normal behaviors and glucose trends, we can start implementing experiments or tweaking things to optimize your data. A good thing to start with now is to make observations of which foods in different combinations and at different times of day lead to a bigger glucose “shift” or a spike >140.
I will be watching your trends and analytics and reaching out Thursday to help you get started with your first data review. After that, I’ll follow your preference of reaching out every 3 days, unless you say otherwise! Of course, please don't hesitate to reach out with any observations or questions you have along the way as well! I’ll respond within 24 hours on weekdays. I'm here to help with anything related to the app, your glucose data, or your health habits in general.
And thank you so much for clarifying those goals, and GREAT question! So, again, I would suggest just seeing what happens with typical snacking pattern and food choices, but let me also share with you some ideas of low-carb snacks that won't significantly impact your glucose trend lines!
- Plain greek yogurt + nuts and any other toppings (cinnamon, ginger, unsweetened coconut flakes, chia/flax seed, etc)
- Half of an avocado, season with some salt/pepper/lemon juice/everything bagel seasoning or anything to your liking! Add in a pouch of tuna, leftover chicken, or hard-boiled eggs for a protein boost. I love this with curry powder mixed in!
- Handful of nuts + berries
- Chia pudding - You can make this quickly the night before by mixing approximately 3 tbsp chia seeds with about 1/2 cup unsweetened liquid (such as almond milk) - top with some cinnamon or coconut flakes, whatever sounds good. You can also heat this up if you want a warm snack!
- Cottage cheese + flax seed, cinnamon, almond butter or whatever toppings you like
- Edamame (love this with cracked pepper and sea salt)
- Snap peas tossed in sesame oil with sesame seeds and salt
- Hummus or homemade bean dip + cucumbers (I like Persian cucumbers or English cucumbers) or snap peas
- Leftover grilled protein with your favorite dipping sauce
- Raw or steamed veggies with Greek yogurt dipping sauce (plain Greek yogurt, squeezed lemon, dijon mustard, fresh or dried herbs, garlic, and/or avocado)
- Celery + nut butter
- Uncured deli meat "roll-ups" - meat with sliced cucumber, sliced bell pepper, dijon mustard, and sliced avocado with a squeeze of lemon juice
- Hard-boiled eggs + seasoning
- Caprese bites - basil + cherry tomatoes + balsamic + (optional) mozzarella cheese balls
- Protein "ice cream" - handful of ice with 4 oz milk of choice, 1 scoop flavored protein powder, 1 T cacao powder, 1 tsp espresso powder (optional)and 1/8 tsp salt - blend and top with nuts if desired
And then in regards to your question about glucose rise and fall, we generally like to aim for spikes below 140. Typically we see the peak value occurring within 30 minutes to 1 hour after the meal start, however their are nuance to this which we can dive into as we go. We also like to see a return to pre-meal value within 2-3 hours. I'll explain ALL the metrics as we continue to collect more data!
My response: Excellent! Thank you for this wonderful information and healthy snack suggestions. I'm looking forward to this journey and appreciate your guidance. Until Thursday!
So keep in mind, this is just the first 3 days of study and exploration. Tomorrow Stephanie will reach out after observing my general behavior patterns and offer some feedback. I hope my experiences might be useful for you all as well! Thank you for reading.
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