Carb intolerance questions
displaced1
Posts: 73 Member
I've noticed that on mornings where I eat a primary high carb breakfast that I'm pretty tired within a few hours and I also get physically unwell often before I eat again (feel bad, sweaty).
I'm wondering if this happens to others and what has helped? I usually eat low carb/high protein for breakfast to avoid it. But I'm curious if maybe different carbs (complex instead of simple carbs) would help, or adding more protein with the carbs will help, or less amount of simple carbs. I'm not currently interested in cutting out all carbs for the whole day but I'm okay with moderating or finding heathier sources.
Anyone experienced with similar complaints and what works for you? I suspect I may have to experiment and journal what is best for my body, but ideas on what may work better is useful
ETA - per the "cracker carb" test I'm very carb tolerant, but who knows?
I'm wondering if this happens to others and what has helped? I usually eat low carb/high protein for breakfast to avoid it. But I'm curious if maybe different carbs (complex instead of simple carbs) would help, or adding more protein with the carbs will help, or less amount of simple carbs. I'm not currently interested in cutting out all carbs for the whole day but I'm okay with moderating or finding heathier sources.
Anyone experienced with similar complaints and what works for you? I suspect I may have to experiment and journal what is best for my body, but ideas on what may work better is useful
ETA - per the "cracker carb" test I'm very carb tolerant, but who knows?
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Replies
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That's blood glucose dropping.
Use slow carbs like oats or veggies, lean protein and a little more fat to slow the digestive process.
Hope that helps.
PS: Breakfast cerial is the biggest culprit of this IMO.2 -
displaced1 wrote: »I've noticed that on mornings where I eat a primary high carb breakfast that I'm pretty tired within a few hours and I also get physically unwell often before I eat again (feel bad, sweaty).
I'm wondering if this happens to others and what has helped? I usually eat low carb/high protein for breakfast to avoid it. But I'm curious if maybe different carbs (complex instead of simple carbs) would help, or adding more protein with the carbs will help, or less amount of simple carbs. I'm not currently interested in cutting out all carbs for the whole day but I'm okay with moderating or finding heathier sources.
Anyone experienced with similar complaints and what works for you? I suspect I may have to experiment and journal what is best for my body, but ideas on what may work better is useful
ETA - per the "cracker carb" test I'm very carb tolerant, but who knows?
"Carbs" is pretty broad...what kind of carbs are you having for breakfast? I eat whole oats with some peanut butter and banana mixed in about 3 days per week and don't have that issue...a doughnut on the other hand and I'll "sugar crash" pretty quick.6 -
I have found that carb % makes no difference for me, the main thing is having enough protein with my breakfast. (I have generally eaten slow carbs just naturally though.)
Specifically, I used to eat steel cut oats with berries. Fine, pretty low cal, but it wouldn't keep me full, at least not when I was overweight and not in a regular schedule (I've found that having this occasionally now is okay, as is even skipping breakfast -- what I eat matters less).
I switched to omelet with vegetables and smoked salmon (sometimes plain greek yogurt or cottage cheese) -- pretty low carb, about 30+ g of protein, about 350 calories.
Missed oatmeal sometimes, so went back to it, but added in protein powder and vegetables on the side. Low fat, higher carb, about 25-30 g protein, 350 calories, equally filling.
During the summer wanted fruit and cold, so started making smoothies (as an example of one, this morning I had spaghetti squash, yellow pepper, spinach, some frozen strawberries, Fage 0% greek yogurt, protein powder, and cashew milk). High carb, but 30-35+ g of protein. Extremely filling, even though I used to think drinking something made it not filling for me.1 -
I experienced that. I also have reactive hypoglycemia (BG drops hard after eating) which is often a sign of insulin resistance. Anyways, within an hour or so of eating a carbs my BG would drop below where it started and I would be tired, hungry and shaky.. It happened a few times per day.
I now eat LCHF. My body is much less reliant on glucose as a fuel, and since I eat fewer carbs I no longer get BG swings.2 -
I have noticed it happens a lot with cereal for breakfast. But even "high protein" cereals tend to have the same effect.
I do eat steel cut oats occasionally for breakfast but I'm not sure if I have the same problem or not (I haven't journaled or noticed).0 -
How much protein is in a "high protein" cereal, though? I've noticed lots of "high protein" items that are really not. (But I hate cold cereal, so am not up on whatever might be marketed as high protein cereal.)2
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Try to do complex carbs unprocessed carbs only (oatmeal, sweet potato, banana, berries, etc) and avoid simple carbs, refined carbs, and refined sugar (bread, muffins, pastries, bagel, jelly/jam, juice, cereal, sweeteners, syrup, sugar, etc). Also make sure your breakfast has protein (Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, egg whites, peanut butter, turkey, whey protein powder, etc).
Cereals are not a great choice for breakfast to be honest- even the high protein high fiber ones. They're highly processed and usually have sweeteners or straight up sugar in them. Also milk has a lot of natural sugars and calories and not a lot of protein. I'd rather have yogurt or cottage cheese if I'm going to have dairy.
See if this helps.
You could also skip the carbs for breakfast altogether and do a veggie omelette or something.3 -
Simple vs. complex carbs refers to the sugar vs. starch distinction (the molecule is simple or complex), so it's not about processed vs. not. Fruit is made up of simple sugar + fiber, whereas all bread and pasta is made up of complex carbs (starch). A grain-based cereal will be a complex carb (filling or no), although many may also add sugar (which is, of course, simple).
Just a pet peeve.
I don't think we can generalize about what works as a breakfast for others (although I am on the anti cereal bandwagon since I don't understand why people like the stuff). Yeah, my weird issue. In reality, oatmeal is a cereal, and I find it works fine for me, especially if I have protein with it, and I don't think I agree that it's "highly processed" and of course I disagree that it "usually" has sweeteners added -- I'm sure it's possible to find the cold stuff without them, and none of the oatmeals I buy have anything but oats.
I do think OP should experiment with different carbs to see if that works (and with carbs plus protein especially). I don't think OP is specifically asking what he or she should have for breakfast, as it seems that OP has a lower carb breakfast that works and is just wondering if more carbs might also work.2 -
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It's not a myth, just different from person to person.
High fat/lower protein AND high refined carbs/lower protein breakfasts make me hungry a couple of hours later, in a way that skipping breakfast or having other types of breakfasts do not.2 -
High carb breakfast will make you sugar crush, especially if on caloric deficit. Therefore, hunger is more persistent. It's better to eat whole foods, complex carbs in any time of day. Just to keep energy and sugar levels balanced.1
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lemurcat12 wrote: »Missed oatmeal sometimes, so went back to it, but added in protein powder and vegetables on the side. Low fat, higher carb, about 25-30 g protein, 350 calories, equally filling.
During the summer wanted fruit and cold, so started making smoothies (as an example of one, this morning I had spaghetti squash, yellow pepper, spinach, some frozen strawberries, Fage 0% greek yogurt, protein powder, and cashew milk). High carb, but 30-35+ g of protein. Extremely filling, even though I used to think drinking something made it not filling for me.
Just a side question: what veggies do you eat with your oatmeal? I'm looking for veggies that I'll like at breakfast. And does the spaghetti squash blend smoothly, or is it still a bit stringy?
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lemurcat12 wrote: »It's not a myth, just different from person to person.
High fat/lower protein AND high refined carbs/lower protein breakfasts make me hungry a couple of hours later, in a way that skipping breakfast or having other types of breakfasts do not.
I agree 100% this mirrors my experience as well. Apparently a sizeable minority of people don't have this response making people doubt the veracity of that statement but the obesity in this country is really due to an over consumption of over processed carbs not an over consumption of fat (no I'm not an Atkins disciple). Not sure I'm right? next time you go to grocery store look at the carts of overweight people. As a general rule the will be filled with heavily processed relatively inexpensive carbs, not expensive fat laden meat.2 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Missed oatmeal sometimes, so went back to it, but added in protein powder and vegetables on the side. Low fat, higher carb, about 25-30 g protein, 350 calories, equally filling.
During the summer wanted fruit and cold, so started making smoothies (as an example of one, this morning I had spaghetti squash, yellow pepper, spinach, some frozen strawberries, Fage 0% greek yogurt, protein powder, and cashew milk). High carb, but 30-35+ g of protein. Extremely filling, even though I used to think drinking something made it not filling for me.
Just a side question: what veggies do you eat with your oatmeal? I'm looking for veggies that I'll like at breakfast. And does the spaghetti squash blend smoothly, or is it still a bit stringy?
The spaghetti squash blends perfectly--just makes it a little thicker and smoother. I also use other winter squashes, though.
With oatmeal I have them on the side, so really anything. Sometimes I sautee summer squash and mushrooms, sometimes I roast some broccoli and cauliflower, I've just done raw carrots and cukes and kohlrabi and radishes (sometimes with baba ganoush) or some raw veg and half an avocado. I really like the idea of savory oatmeal and keep meaning to experiment with that, but haven't done it yet.1 -
A high carb breakfast coupled with fiber, fat, and protein seems to work a lot better for me than just carbs or just protein. The absolute worst I ever felt was having a "continental" breakfast - pastry and coffee.1
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geneticsteacher wrote: »A high carb breakfast coupled with fiber, fat, and protein seems to work a lot better for me than just carbs or just protein. The absolute worst I ever felt was having a "continental" breakfast - pastry and coffee.
I know, and there are so many free 'continental breakfast' s I avoid for that very reason.
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That sure sounds like how insulin resistance feels.
I find that oatmeal is fine, but I certainly couldn't have a bowl of processed cereal for breakfast. Cottage cheese and half a serving of fruit is my normal breakfast. A Spanish tortilla (omelet with veggies) and sausage works well for me too.
This summer I went on a guided rafting trip where I was not in control of my food for several days. The first day, I had a muffin (read:basically cake) for breakfast and the crash was awful. I also got a migraine the next day.1 -
You can also experiment with adding protein powder or peanut butter/PB2 to your oatmeal.2
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lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »Missed oatmeal sometimes, so went back to it, but added in protein powder and vegetables on the side. Low fat, higher carb, about 25-30 g protein, 350 calories, equally filling.
During the summer wanted fruit and cold, so started making smoothies (as an example of one, this morning I had spaghetti squash, yellow pepper, spinach, some frozen strawberries, Fage 0% greek yogurt, protein powder, and cashew milk). High carb, but 30-35+ g of protein. Extremely filling, even though I used to think drinking something made it not filling for me.
Just a side question: what veggies do you eat with your oatmeal? I'm looking for veggies that I'll like at breakfast. And does the spaghetti squash blend smoothly, or is it still a bit stringy?
The spaghetti squash blends perfectly--just makes it a little thicker and smoother. I also use other winter squashes, though.
With oatmeal I have them on the side, so really anything. Sometimes I sautee summer squash and mushrooms, sometimes I roast some broccoli and cauliflower, I've just done raw carrots and cukes and kohlrabi and radishes (sometimes with baba ganoush) or some raw veg and half an avocado. I really like the idea of savory oatmeal and keep meaning to experiment with that, but haven't done it yet.
Thanks! I was a pretty picky eater as a kid, and I've mostly gotten over my pickiness now. My goal is to give every veggie a chance, but I haven't tried spaghetti squash in 30 years after my mom's first unfortunate experiment. Someone told her it would taste just like spaghetti and her picky 10 year old would love it. Someone was lying.
Op, sorry to derail your thread! I agree with the others that more slow-burning carbs like oatmeal or whole wheat toast with a decent amount of fiber, along with some protein, will probably feel better.1 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »How much protein is in a "high protein" cereal, though? I've noticed lots of "high protein" items that are really not. (But I hate cold cereal, so am not up on whatever might be marketed as high protein cereal.)
Cheerios protein has 7 gms of protein vs 3 in a regular Cheerios (I think?). I knew at the store it wasn't much different but I thought it would be better than a regular cereal. I eat cereal occasionally just because I get sick of eggs sometimes or I don't have even a minute to cook them.
So the cottage cheese idea was really useful. It's a good idea and I like it but I tend to forget about it or I run out.
Also the protein Cheerios has 17 gm of sugar vs 1 in regular (I think?), so either not enough protein or all the simple sugars is the problem. I really should just set up an elaborate experiment for my breakfasts to see how my body reacts.0 -
courtneyfabulous wrote: »Try to do complex carbs unprocessed carbs only (oatmeal, sweet potato, banana, berries, etc) and avoid simple carbs, refined carbs, and refined sugar (bread, muffins, pastries, bagel, jelly/jam, juice, cereal, sweeteners, syrup, sugar, etc). Also make sure your breakfast has protein (Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, egg whites, peanut butter, turkey, whey protein powder, etc).
Cereals are not a great choice for breakfast to be honest- even the high protein high fiber ones. They're highly processed and usually have sweeteners or straight up sugar in them. Also milk has a lot of natural sugars and calories and not a lot of protein. I'd rather have yogurt or cottage cheese if I'm going to have dairy.
See if this helps.
You could also skip the carbs for breakfast altogether and do a veggie omelette or something.
My issue with breakfast is I tend to either have a ton of simple carbs (cereal), or none (eggs). I don't usually have a balance of complex carbs with protein as I don't usually have much time for prep or a ton of appetite. So it would either be oatmeal or eggs but not both. I'll have to try the oatmeal again and notice how it makes me feel.
I'll also try to find more quick foods that don't have a lot of simple carbs in them. Cottage cheese is great, Greek yogurts I don't like (except ones with a bunch of sugar), and smoothies are hit or miss depending on the time I have to prep.
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azulvioleta6 wrote: »You can also experiment with adding protein powder or peanut butter/PB2 to your oatmeal.
This may work, thanks for the quick suggestion.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »It's not a myth, just different from person to person.
High fat/lower protein AND high refined carbs/lower protein breakfasts make me hungry a couple of hours later, in a way that skipping breakfast or having other types of breakfasts do not.
I have also noticed I feel better skipping breakfast than if I eat cereal if I feel that I can get away with it. I tend to get hangry so I don't like to skip meals unless I'm truly not hungry and I also feel good.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »
"Carbs" is pretty broad...what kind of carbs are you having for breakfast? I eat whole oats with some peanut butter and banana mixed in about 3 days per week and don't have that issue...a doughnut on the other hand and I'll "sugar crash" pretty quick.
Usually cereal as carbs for breakfast is high carbs for me. I almost never eat other carb laden breakfasts (pancakes or pastries make me ill too).
Sometimes I have oatmeal but idk if it makes me feel bad as I don't remember.
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I experienced that. I also have reactive hypoglycemia (BG drops hard after eating) which is often a sign of insulin resistance. Anyways, within an hour or so of eating a carbs my BG would drop below where it started and I would be tired, hungry and shaky.. It happened a few times per day.
I now eat LCHF. My body is much less reliant on glucose as a fuel, and since I eat fewer carbs I no longer get BG swings.
Me too. I feel so much better lower carb. It was great to discover the solution.1
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