Any non-diabetics test blood sugar to study diet?

[Patrick Brown]

I'm curious if anyone has ever tested their blood sugar on a regular basis to analyze the the composition of their diet? I'm talking about non-diabetics with a low glycemic diet goal.

I think it would be interesting to test ones blood sugar before and after meals to determine which foods, and food combos, raise their blood sugar beyond healthy levels. You might find a sensitivity to a food, or find another food doesn't affect you in the way you thought, i.e., a couple of eggs, some nuts, and a snickers (or a banana) for breakfast isn't as bad as you thought.

CrossFit is all about being measurable and repeatable. So following the prescription of low glycemic foods without testing your blood sugar is like doing a WOD without keeping time. Granted, regular testing would be expensive, and there are other reasons to avoid many high glycemic foods. Just food for thought.

Patrick

[Scott Allen Hanson]

Originally Posted by Patrick Brown

I'm curious if anyone has ever tested their blood sugar on a regular basis to analyze the the composition of their diet? I'm talking about non-diabetics with a low glycemic diet goal.

I think it would be interesting to test ones blood sugar before and after meals to determine which foods, and food combos, raise their blood sugar beyond healthy levels. You might find a sensitivity to a food, or find another food doesn't affect you in the way you thought, i.e., a couple of eggs, some nuts, and a snickers (or a banana) for breakfast isn't as bad as you thought.

CrossFit is all about being measurable and repeatable. So following the prescription of low glycemic foods without testing your blood sugar is like doing a WOD without keeping time. Granted, regular testing would be expensive, and there are other reasons to avoid many high glycemic foods. Just food for thought.

Patrick

If you know a diabetic person, the most cost-effective way to measure your blood sugar would be to use their gluco-meter and test it yourself. The cost is pretty low.

The glycemic index is basically what you'd be testing (retesting), but with the combined foods in real meals, something that the GI doesn't really tell you.

[Trevor Wallace]

I have a blood tester and some strips. I have been thinking about testing my blood to see where I sit throuout the day but I have never gotten around to it. I will try it out and let you know what I found out.

[Evan Hobbs]

I was testing my blood sugar at random intervals for about a week until I ran out of strips. I was wondering if I was having hypoglycemic periods...

In the end I couldn't find a real clear correlation between how I felt and what the reading was; it was always in the range of 75-110 mg/dl. Unless I was really hungry and then it might be 70. One thing that complicates it is I've heard that the testers are only accurate to like +/- 15 which is not a big deal if your blood sugar is at 250 since you know it's high but if it's 70 it might really be 55 or 80, i.e. low or just fine...

[George Mounce]

Originally Posted by Evan Hobbs

I was testing my blood sugar at random intervals for about a week until I ran out of strips. I was wondering if I was having hypoglycemic periods...

In the end I couldn't find a real clear correlation between how I felt and what the reading was; it was always in the range of 75-110 mg/dl. Unless I was really hungry and then it might be 70. One thing that complicates it is I've heard that the testers are only accurate to like +/- 15 which is not a big deal if your blood sugar is at 250 since you know it's high but if it's 70 it might really be 55 or 80, i.e. low or just fine...

Amazing how the pancreas works!

If you have a tester that is +/- 15 get a better one, that is horrid.

The best testers today are integrated into insulin pumps and give realtime information for the user as well as alerting if levels drop too low.

[JoAnn Vinson]

Originally Posted by Evan Hobbs

One thing that complicates it is I've heard that the testers are only accurate to like +/- 15 which is not a big deal if your blood sugar is at 250 since you know it's high but if it's 70 it might really be 55 or 80, i.e. low or just fine...

I've tested mine with a strip tester, I can't recall the brand and/or make, to compare it with my mom who is a type II diabetic. Mine stayed the same within a point over the course of a day. Her blood sugar varied wildly. Until I did this I had thought about asking for one of her old testers to keep at my house so I could monitor it on a regular basis. But it seemed pointless. I don't remember what I was doing with my diet then, I wasn't keeping a log at that point, probably paleo. I was too afraid to test it when I was really fat and my diet was terrible. Now I wish I had so I'd have something to compare it to.

[Matthew Green]

I test my HbA1c almost daily and i'm not diabetic, it doesn't change........ it shouldn't change.

[Ari Kestler]

Originally Posted by Matthew Green

I test my HbA1c almost daily and i'm not diabetic, it doesn't change........ it shouldn't change.

You realize this makes no sense right? RBCs have an average life-span of 2-3 months.

[Matthew Green]

Originally Posted by Ari Kestler

You realize this makes no sense right? RBCs have an average life-span of 2-3 months.

Indeed, I have to test fresh blood (generally my own) as part of my job. I even (stupidly) tried to keep a completely clean diet for 2 months to see if it would have any effect. HBA1c generally indicates blood glucose over the previous 10-12 weeks but I didn't think that in depth about it before starting. We also have acess to better blood glucose tests but they don't get used very often.