My fasting glucose is 125 this morning, much lower, on 3
servings of barley yesterday. Today I am
thinking about why the barley is doing such marvelous things with my blood
sugar. It is clipping my post-prandial
highs, down from over 200 to less than 180, and sometimes less than 165. And my morning fasting glucose is sinking.
The most obvious reason is the glycemic index of barley,
which is around 20 or so on a scale of 100, where wheat and other grains are up
around 100, the same as table sugar. By
having three servings of barley, I am effectively cutting out all the options
that have the ability to spike blood sugar – potatoes, wheat bread, corn, and
so on. So barley is a better choice than
those foods.
But the less obvious reason is the fact that the barley
actively changes the gut biome, favoring the Prevotella
copri bacteria. These bacteria actually
put out hormones and enzymes that lower blood sugar, and they also crowd out
the other bad bacteria. The hormones
promote a feeling of fullness all day long.
I don’t think I can live on a
daily basis with three servings of barley every day, but I can certainly live
with two servings. The barley hot
breakfast cereal is a treat every day, and barley bread is to die for with
coffee as a snack. I will work in barley
and cheese casserole when I am out of barley bread, giving me another day to
make the bread.
If I keep my other carbs
low-glycemic, like the Mission Carb Balance tortilla with all the fiber and low
carbs, and have a dinner that is filled with veggies, that should be a nice way
to approach getting the benefits of barley.
And when I add the barley grass capsules starting next Wednesday, that
will be the third serving.
So, here is the menu for today:
BREAKFAST: 1/3 cup hot Tsampa cereal, 1/3 cup
blueberries, stevia, 2 tbs half and half
LUNCH: Taco salad made with baked Mission Carb Balance Tortilla (sprayed with pan spray, poked with fork to stop bubbles, baked at 450F for 5 - 8 minutes in taco salad shell baking form), 2 oz taco seasoned hamburger meat,
lettuce, onions, tomatoes, salsa, cheese,
3 cups popcorn, small apple
DINNER: 1 whole Slim-Fast
Protein Shake, Old Monterrey Chicken Empanada, salad, raw veggies,1/3 cup Lucky
Leaf Lite Cherry Pie Filling, whipped cream, ¼ cup Great Grains topping.
SNACK: 1/8th loaf barley bread, coffee
Minus 30 minutes walking – 163 calories
Net Calories 1217
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