Testing with Gluten Free Foods!

If you’ve read my blogs over the past year – I’m having difficulties with attaining what I consider for myself good blood glucose (BG) readings with my hormones being all over the place.  It’s slightly, no, I should be honest here, is making me very annoyed at my control not being like it was (going from an A1C of 6% to 7.2% makes me cringe at the damage being done internally to my organs).

One thing that I have recently been experimenting with (besides tweaking my insulin dosage on George Michael my Animas 2020 pump) – is trying to eat even more healthy than I do now on a limited budget (hey good food doesn’t come cheap).  I have currently started to test out gluten free products in my meals more often – from flour to pasta.  You name it, I’m testing out the reaction to these foods against my BG meter results as well as my taste buds.   Now, they may not be low carb (gluten free pasta is just the same as regular whole wheat pasta) – but I’m discovering that the lack of gluten seems to not make as big a spike in my 2 / 4 hour BG  tests with the results later (say going to beddy byes) are not not showing a result of 10-15 mmol/l (180-270 mg/dl) reading.  I then have to   give a correction dosage at that time to wake up with the hopes of being in my happy zone of BG  reading.  Even with a few middle of the night BG tests – where things seem to be alright (e.g. no hypo) after the correction dosage prior to my experiment with gluten free products – I go back up (hello Mr. Dawn Phenomenon).   I'm finding the reverse is opposite when I've eaten a meal prepared gluten free!

I’d written a blog last year about Celiac/Coeliac disease after meeting up with a group of teens with Type 1 diabetics (T1D).  It seems to be very common when they are diagnosed, and also adults have the same problem (e.g. Ginger Vieira).  I’ve not been diagnosed with it, but slowly have been introducing more gluten free products into my diet (and my DH as well – he’s a good guinea pig of my meals).   Though, sorry, won’t be able to give up good beer, which sadly isn’t gluten free but you never know – I may change that opinion as I sample beers that are available due to demand from public seeking this alternative type of beer for either health or taste reasons.  There's even a blog written on the worst/best gluten free beers available!

So, have any of you tried this test yourself?  To see if your BG results are better – with less spiking – more stability?  If you have – I would love to hear how your results went – perhaps we can share some recipes – and if you’ve not checked out Katie Zeller from France at Thyme for Cooking …. she’s got some great recipes that are gluten free (her husband is now on insulin after pancreatic cancer destroyed his pancreas).  The latest one I tried out (I have tried many) is this one – Barley, Zucchini and Goat Cheese casserole! It was lip smacking, drooling good (and if you're vegetarian - it's a meal in itself - but please do share).