JGE 93 – FBS Increases 8 Points – Szechuan Shrimp Ramen Noodle Bowl and Late Night Coffee?

Good Day,

My early morning fasting blood sugar count increased today by 8 points to 116 mg/dL. That's 2 days in a row.

Last night supper was sort of mistake. I was looking forward to making a Shrimp Szechuan Noodle dish.

I had a package of Ching’s Secret Schezwan Instant Noodles. I bought the package at the local Patel Brothers Indian Grocery store, one of my favorite stores.

I thought this was a package of noodles. It was noodles, but another form of Ramen noodles. You know the squares of pasty noodles with the clever little packages of ground spices and various chemicals. I certainly didn’t understand the Arabic instructions on the back of the package.



And so I thought, as I had already opened the package, why not make a Shrimp Szechuan Noodle Bowl. Ingredients – Ching’s Secret Schezwan Noodles, Shrimp, Baby Bok Choy, Cilantro, Onion, Chicken Broth, and the contents of the little silver surprise packages.

And yes, the Noodle Bowl was delicious...

Ching’s Secret Schezwan Noodles. Carb count ≈ 90 grams.

Shrimp. Carb count ≈ 1 gram.

Bok Choy. Carb count ≈ 1.5 grams.

Cilantro. Carb count ≈ 0.1 grams.

Onion. Carb count ≈ 10 grams.

Chicken Broth. Carb count ≈ 1 gram.

Yes I had a couple of scoops of B&J Phish Food. Carb count ≈ 78 grams.

I had a late night snack of Cheese and Crackers. Carb count ≈ 25 grams.

And a late night Coffee with Half and Half and Sugar. Carb count ≈ 7 grams.

Total carb count, somewhere in the vicinity of 212.6 grams.

Results –

FSB – 116 ↑ up 108 (Normal range 100 – 125 mg/dL)
A1c – 5.37 ≡ 5.37 (Normal range 5.7 – 6.4 %)
eAG – 107.4 ↑ up 107.3 (Normal range 117 – 137 mg/dL)

Question – Does the late night coffee, of the last two nights, cause an increase in my early morning blood sugar count?

From Diabetes Self-Management – The Mystery of Coffee and Diabetes, David Spero, March 2011.

"So right there you have a disagreement about caffeine. Meanwhile, other studies have shown that coffee, or the caffeine in coffee, raises after-meal (postprandial) blood glucose levels up to 20% in people with diabetes. These studies have not been large but have received a lot of attention. In the most-reported study, from Duke University, ten subjects, all with diabetes, were tested — given either caffeine capsules or a placebo (inactive treatment), then switched to the other type of capsules. All showed higher blood glucose levels on the days they took caffeine."

Okay, okay it was only 2 nights of late night coffee. Guess what? I think I’ll nix the late coffee and see what the effects are.

No, I’m not going to cut out the couple of scoops of ice-cream. I understand those.

Tune in tomorrow to Jim’s Gotta Eat to see the comparison of the results...and the set up a new Supper Showdown.

Food for thought – Try not to eat too late in the evening. Manage the amount of food that I eat. Do not over eat because my eyes see good food.

I am trying to control my diabetes with exercise and food. I have eliminated all diabetes medication. I am keeping my weight stable, and Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy.

Jim