Glycemic Load Pork Chops

Hello all,

I started a primal diet this weekend due to my glucose numbers getting whacky as of late. Although the blood work analyzed by my endocrinologist doesn't clearly state if I'm Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic yet, I've been taking insulin for the past year to help prolong the function of my pancreas.

To make a long story short, most of the primal meals have not required me to take insulin. However, for dinner last night, I ate broiled pork chops with butter, and a healthy salad with some avocados and grape tomatoes and my glucose rose to 200 afterwards. I ate a similar leftover meal for lunch today with sesame seeds added to my salad and my glucose was over 200 an hour later.

I realize that I shouldn't just go off insulin right away, but I thought it was strange that both times I ate pork chops that my glucose rose so much. I've had bacon without any problems, so I was wondering if anyone knows what the glycemic load of pork chops are?

I understand that pork chops essentially have 0 carbs so the glycemic index is negligible.

Also, are there any good sites for glycemic index and loads? The sydney site seems weak and incomplete in my opinion.

Thanks, and sorry for the long post.
Jason

Avacados have a bit more carbs than you'd think a high fat veggie like they are, should have, FWIW. Also, some diabetics are sensitive to tomatoes because at least as far as vegetables are concerned, they have a significant portion of calories from fructose (sugar). I can't speculate on the cause, just thought I'd toss a couple of possibilities out there.

Protein can cause an insulin spike as well. It may not be as significant as that of carbohydrates but some people are still sensitive. In order to limit the spike from protein, some people find it helpful to consume higher fat cuts of meat that have lower protein content. And pork chops are pretty lean as far as meats are concerned. For most people this isn't an issue, though some people have reported better success on lower protein levels when trying to control blood sugar.

[QUOTE=jturri;1021753]Hello all,

I started a primal diet this weekend due to my glucose numbers getting whacky as of late. Although the blood work analyzed by my endocrinologist doesn't clearly state if I'm Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic yet, I've been taking insulin for the past year to help prolong the function of my pancreas.

To make a long story short, most of the primal meals have not required me to take insulin. However, for dinner last night, I ate broiled pork chops with butter, and a healthy salad with some avocados and grape tomatoes and my glucose rose to 200 afterwards. I ate a similar leftover meal for lunch today with sesame seeds added to my salad and my glucose was over 200 an hour later.

I realize that I shouldn't just go off insulin right away, but I thought it was strange that both times I ate pork chops that my glucose rose so much. I've had bacon without any problems, so I was wondering if anyone knows what the glycemic load of pork chops are?

I understand that pork chops essentially have 0 carbs so the glycemic index is negligible.

Also, are there any good sites for glycemic index and loads? The sydney site seems weak and incomplete in my opinion.

Thanks, and sorry for the long post.
Jason[/QUOTE]

Check out this link. I just discovered I have a similar problem. Have been focusing on severe carb restriction and just realized that my liver is making/releasing significant amounts of glucose, presumably via gluconeogenesis. My postprandial BG spikes are much lower with protein than carbs, but the protein spikes are still high. I can get a 25-40 jump from 50-60 grams of protein. I don't normally eat that much protein at one meal but I have been experimenting today.


[url]http://www.medbio.info/horn/PDF%20files/homeostasis_2a.pdf[/url]

I also get a BG spike when I eat a large salad even if it has minimal carbs and protein. Richard Bernstein talks about this. Distending the stomach and small intestine can cause a spike for diabetics and insulin resistant folks.

Any dressing on that salad?

Me too as far as spikes from protein. Tho not as much as CHO protein will have its effect. Even "negligible" stuff like salad can trigger a spike as was said above by what Dr. Bernstein calls "the Chinese Restaurant Effect." The food bulk stretches the upper part of the small intestine (I'm paraphrasing DR. Bernstein) which will cause the release of glucagon(insulin too, in the normal metabolism), "WHICH WILL CAUSE GLUCOGENESIS AND GLYCOGENOLYSIS AND THEREBY RAISE YOUR BLOOD SUGAR." He draws 2 lessons from this:

1. "DON'T STUFF YOURSELF"
2. "THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A FREEBIE."
If not familiar with them I am referencing "DR. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution" and recommending as a companion his "THe Diabetes Diet" as well.

If you don't mind me suggesting aquiring those books as DR B doesn't put much stock in the glycemic index as a reliable guide for the diabetic, either.

This current potato madness may reveal more than what was intended, IMO.

[FONT=Book Antiqua][SIZE=3]eating raises insulin. that's normal.

have you eaten the pork chops in isolation and then checked your numbers? i'm guessing it was the tomatoes.[/SIZE][/FONT]

Strange, but in the very distant past, it was believed that pork was to be avoided by diabetics because it was believed to have a high carbohydrate content.

Thank you all for taking the time to comment on my question. In my salad, I had about 5-6 grape tomatoes, which aren't that big. Based on my knowledge about my body, I think it is unlikely that the tomatoes would make it go above 200.

It's very possible that it was the pork, even though it has a low GI. I haven't tried isolating the pork to see if it's the culprit, but then again this my first weekend going primal. I will report back once I isolate it in case others have a similar problem.

Right now, I think I'm having carbohydrate withdrawals. I've had a steady headache and get hungry within two hours after meals even though I'm ingesting a lot of butter, coconut oil, and protein with each meal. Hopefully I can get through this hard time since I need to figure this out to ultimately reduce my dependency on insulin.

Thanks again everyone.

Any food except for pure fat will cause an insulin spike. The larger the meal, the higher the BG. Pork chops are high protein-low in fat.

[FONT=Book Antiqua][SIZE=3]if you're low-carbing, you're likely in ketosis, which can whack out your electrolytes through its natural diuretic effect. have some bone broth, an avocado or even some non-junk electrolyte water. drink more water than you think you need. get some rest. :)[/SIZE][/FONT]