Diabetic Usable Energy Powders, Gels and Bars For Training

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Travelerraven
Travelerraven Posts: 42 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am Type 2 Diabetic and am looking for commercially available Energy Powders, Gels and Bars For Training. I cycle and workout 6 days a week currently I make my own powders and bars but it is not always practical. Sugar free and caffeine free do not equate to diabetic friendly or usable.
Thanks.

Replies

  • RunnerGirl238
    RunnerGirl238 Posts: 448 Member
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    I need more info: are you on an insulin regimen? Do you crash after long exertion? Are you counting carbs? Is there an A1c issue? Comorbidities? (Like is potassium an issue...)

    Anything is diabetic friendly; it just depends on your specific needs.

    Also, what kind of work out are you doing? If it isn’t exceeding 30 minutes-60 minutes and you have appropriate nutrition before, do you need a supplement or can you get by with bringing gummy bears or a honey packet?
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    If sugar free is not diabetic friendly, please share the specific qualities that would make the items diabetic friendly for you.
  • Travelerraven
    Travelerraven Posts: 42 Member
    edited January 2021
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    Lorrpb If sugar free is not diabetic friendly, please share the specific qualities that would make the items diabetic friendly for you. [/quote]

    Generally speaking foods made with sugar free sweeteners contain refined flours and little fiber and are not great for diabetes, and as with sugar free drinks, sugar free foods are full of potentially harmful additives.
    My personnel experience is that the chemical additive increase my blood glucose which then remains higher for longer even when training hard and engaging GLUT4 Glucose Transporter proteins. If the glucose is in my blood it is not in my cells providing me the energy I need. This unused glucose is then converted to fat in your midsection.

    Diabetic friendly ~ Friendly would have to be something that is easily absorbed by the body does not spike your blood glucose nor keep it high for a long period and is GLUT4 friendly.
  • Travelerraven
    Travelerraven Posts: 42 Member
    edited January 2021
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    RunnerGirl238 wrote: »
    I need more info: are you on an insulin regimen? Do you crash after long exertion? Are you counting carbs? Is there an A1c issue? Comorbidities? (Like is potassium an issue...)

    Anything is diabetic friendly; it just depends on your specific needs.

    Also, what kind of work out are you doing? If it isn’t exceeding 30 minutes-60 minutes and you have appropriate nutrition before, do you need a supplement or can you get by with bringing gummy bears or a honey packet?

    Insulin regimen: Type 2 not on insulin.

    A1c issue: Type 2 Blood Glucose 5.4 to 7.4 mmol/L after eating.

    Comorbidities: No

    Do you crash after long exertion: No as I have nutrition with me and eat and drink as needed.

    Are you counting carbs: Yes as diet and exercise are very important in controlling my blood glucose.

    Cycling Mountain Bike and Road Bike: 1.5 to 2 hours plus daily, weekend rides five hours plus, heart rate 60 to 80 percent.

    Weight Train Routine: Strength and Flexibility 80 minutes. Body part specific days. Drop sets lifting to exhaustion with the focus on reps, and keeping a fast pace between sets. Stretching and circuit training.

    Appropriate nutrition: Pre-ride or workout meal carries me for 1.5 hours if needed I carry peanut butter and honey packets, and on long rides homemade energy bars and electrolyte drinks. I buy pure electrolyte and mix up my own drinks.
    I have also used cold baby boiled potatoes and salt as an energy source [cold potatoes have a lower GI] on medium to long rides.

    I make my own energy bars [see recipe below] and gummy bears. I use agar agar which is gelatin made from seaweed with honey, electrolytes, and fruit to make the gummy bears.

    Anything is diabetic friendly; it just depends on your specific needs. Not everything is diabetic friendly no matter the amounts or how you eat it. Yes some of us can tolerate more than others. There are things like caffeine, some foods, artificial sweeteners and food additive chemicals once diagnosed with diabetes you should avoid.

    Diabetic Friendly for me would have to be something that is easily absorbed by the body does not spike your blood glucose nor keep it high for a long period and is GLUT4 friendly.

    Hopefully you know of a couple of products, I have been at this awhile now have yet to find a something that is purpose made for the diabetic athlete or amateur sports person most are the same product with the sugar and caffeine removed with nothing added in for extra energy.

    Enjoy your running.

    Homemade Energy Bars
    Ingredients
    Cooking spray
    2 cups Honey [local]
    2 tablespoons maple syrup
    2 tablespoons brown sugar
    1 tablespoon canola oil
    1 1/2 to 2 cups natural creamy peanut butter
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon [or to taste]
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    3 cups rolled oats
    4 cups when diced and blended a mixture of: cranberries, dates, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, peanuts, flax seeds, almonds pistachios, walnuts, cashews, and dried coconut etc.
    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    1 Tablespoon Course Salt for sprinkling [Optional].

    Directions
    Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
    Chop up and blend all dry ingredients including the oats.
    In a large bowl, combine oats, dried ingredients and salt.
    In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine honey, peanut butter, maple syrup, canola oil, brown sugar, cinnamon.
    Stir and cook until mixture just begins to bubble, about 3 to 5 minutes.
    Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
    Pour peanut butter mixture over oatmeal mixture and stir gently with a spatula until well combined.
    Transfer to baking dish, cover with parchment paper and press firmly into dish.
    Sprinkle with coarse salt.
    Allow to cool completely (will cool faster in the refrigerator).
    Cut into squares or bars.
    Place in sandwich bags for use.

    Options
    Maca Powder
    Dark Chocolate
    Carob Powder
    Hemp Seeds
  • RunnerGirl238
    RunnerGirl238 Posts: 448 Member
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    First, that looks delicious-

    I would suggest Nuun or Tailwind. Nuun has no sweeteners- purely hydration and electrolytes. And, honestly, whole food supplementation may be the best way so you can have the final say of macro counts.

    Sweet potato with cinnamon and honey would be good. Slow burning carb with a fast burning carb and cinnamon to help manage insulin production?
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    edited January 2021
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    @Travelerraven Do you have medical professionals or a dietitian that you meet with. That homemade energy bar recipe for running is little more than a glorified candy bar. There's nothing about that recipe that would produce better results than the newer sugar free energy/protein bars for T2.

    You're using a lorra lorra sugar bombs to jack your energy levels back up but I don't see the efficacy for T2. No wonder you're experiencing diminishing returns. You need to sit down face-to-face with a good medical professional or dietitian so they can explain that albeit 'natural' sugar sources...sugar is sugar is sugar. You are living on much sugar for T2. There are alternative sweeteners that those with T2 have been using for years and decades without jacking UP their blood sugar levels. You need to try out some of the newer ones.

    I want to tell you something about local honeys. Many beekeepers cannot keep their hives alive without giving the bees supplemental sugars to make honey. It's not really a secret but without natural food sources for the bees they have to give them sugar. There's not really any more nutritional value in local honey produced like that than in brown sugar which is just white sugar colored with molasses. Sugar is sugar is sugar.

    A local beekeeper here gathers all of the leftover Christmas candy canes to feed his bees. It's the dead of winter and that's what he has to do to keep his hives alive so they will produce all throughout the year. Do your own research. Call your local beekeepers. If they're honest they'll tell you. Those bees aren't sustaining themselves on flowers/pollen in the dead of winter. Nutritional value will vary.

    Sadly, some of those little hard-working bees never see a flower in their lifetime. They have to
    produce and they are living on supplemental sugars all of the days of their lives.
  • Travelerraven
    Travelerraven Posts: 42 Member
    Options
    RunnerGirl238 wrote: »
    First, that looks delicious-

    I would suggest Nuun or Tailwind. Nuun has no sweeteners- purely hydration and electrolytes. And, honestly, whole food supplementation may be the best way so you can have the final say of macro counts.

    Sweet potato with cinnamon and honey would be good. Slow burning carb with a fast burning carb and cinnamon to help manage insulin production?

    We want to build on the research into GLUT4 Glucose Transporter proteins and diabetics. These proteins deliver glucose to your cells without insulin as they are a protein they able to pass through the cell wall with glucose without the need for insulin.
    To activate this all you need to do raise your heart rate a walk will do it. With this you can start to control and manage your diabetes, this is only one of the many reasons exercise is so important for diabetics

    Hopefully we will come up with a few products that test out and bring them to market.

    We train at 1,980 to 2,000 meters [6,497 to 6,562 feet] above sea level with summer temperatures in averaging 31 to 36 Celsius [87.8 to 96.8 Fahrenheit] winter is much nicer.
    Summer: October to March (6 months).
    Autumn: April to May (2 months)
    Winter June, to August (3 months).
    Spring September (1 month)

    I have a couple of other recipes that I was given from pro teams cycling teams including Team Sky's Rice Cakes.

    We have great cycling and running here with some unique challenges:
    Desert Dash [cycling] longest single stage race 373 km 24 hours. https://desertdashnamibia.com/
    Fish River Cannon Ultra [running] 100 km 24 hours. http://www.windhoeklightevents.com/fish-river-ultra.

    If you want to chat further on this send me a message as you come up as an unknown user.

    You've only got three choices in life:

    Give up
    Give in
    or
    Give it all you've got!!
  • MissAtomicBomb238
    MissAtomicBomb238 Posts: 65 Member
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    Am I the right an yet?
  • Travelerraven
    Travelerraven Posts: 42 Member
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    Diatonic12 wrote: »
    @Travelerraven Do you have medical professionals or a dietitian that you meet with. That homemade energy bar recipe for running is little more than a glorified candy bar. There's nothing about that recipe that would produce better results than the newer sugar free energy/protein bars for T2.

    You're using a lorra lorra sugar bombs to jack your energy levels back up but I don't see the efficacy for T2. No wonder you're experiencing diminishing returns. You need to sit down face-to-face with a good medical professional or dietitian so they can explain that albeit 'natural' sugar sources...sugar is sugar is sugar. You are living on much sugar for T2. There are alternative sweeteners that those with T2 have been using for years and decades without jacking UP their blood sugar levels. You need to try out some of the newer ones.

    I want to tell you something about local honeys. Many beekeepers cannot keep their hives alive without giving the bees supplemental sugars to make honey. It's not really a secret but without natural food sources for the bees they have to give them sugar. There's not really any more nutritional value in local honey produced like that than in brown sugar which is just white sugar colored with molasses. Sugar is sugar is sugar.

    A local beekeeper here gathers all of the leftover Christmas candy canes to feed his bees. It's the dead of winter and that's what he has to do to keep his hives alive so they will produce all throughout the year. Do your own research. Call your local beekeepers. If they're honest they'll tell you. Those bees aren't sustaining themselves on flowers/pollen in the dead of winter. Nutritional value will vary.

    Sadly, some of those little hard-working bees never see a flower in their lifetime. They have to
    produce and they are living on supplemental sugars all of the days of their lives.

    Thanks for your thoughts and input.
    I work with quite a few professionals in the fields of: medicine, sports and mechanical.

    That particular recipe fortunately freezes well as it lasts me a long time but I do share.
    Honey in 5 to 25 gram doses has been found to improve A1c / HbA1c in Type 2 Diabetics more than that can be a problem.

    The killing off our bees is a world wide problem and if not stopped we will see devastating consciences to all our food crops and animal life.
    The local apiarists who I get my honey from have sustainable areas for their bees to use and produce their honey. You are correct honey is more or less seasonal food here in the winter time production is down as the bees need more energy and there are less flowering plants to choose from and in the two weeks that [Namibia worlds oldest desert] it does become colder the honey is left for the bees. We also have traditional gathers that gather wild honey.

    Again thanks for your thoughts and input.

    I see you like the western life do you ride? I grew up on a ranch and still keep my hand in it I calf and team rope [heading and heeling] and ride bare back for 8 seconds.

    If you climb in the saddle, be ready for the ride.
  • goal06082021
    goal06082021 Posts: 2,130 Member
    Options
    Mate, what are you on about? Are you asking for product recs or advertising something?
  • Travelerraven
    Travelerraven Posts: 42 Member
    edited January 2021
    Options
    I would suggest Nuun or Tailwind. Nuun has no sweeteners- purely hydration and electrolytes. And, honestly, whole food supplementation may be the best way so you can have the final say of macro counts.

    Sweet potato with cinnamon and honey would be good. Slow burning carb with a fast burning carb and cinnamon to help manage insulin production? [/quote]

    Thanks I will look at Nuun and Tailwind bars without caffeine. These product are not available here but I can order online try them and offer them in the bike shop.
    Since I posted this request we have been contacted and asked if we would be willing to use this Covid time to do some research and product testing. We have agreed in principle.

    We want to build on the research into GLUT4 Glucose Transporter proteins and diabetics. These proteins deliver glucose to your cells without insulin as they are a protein they able to pass through the cell wall with glucose without the need for insulin.
    To activate this all you need to do raise your heart rate a walk will do it. With this you can start to control and manage your diabetes, this only one of the reasons exercise is so important for diabetics

    Hopefully we will come up with a few products that test out and bring them to market.

    We train at 1,980 to 2,000 meters [6,497 to 6,562 feet] above sea level with summer temperatures in averaging 31 to 36 Celsius [87.8 to 96.8 Fahrenheit] winter is much nicer.
    Summer: October to March (6 months).
    Autumn: April to May (2 months)
    Winter June, to August (3 months).
    Spring September (1 month)

    I have a couple of other recipes that I was given from pro teams cycling teams including Team Sky Rice Cakes.

    We have great cycling and running here with some unique challenges:
    Desert Dash [cycling] longest single stage race 373 km 24 hours. https://desertdashnamibia.com/
    Fish River Cannon Ultra [running] 100 km 24 hours. http://www.windhoeklightevents.com/fish-river-ultra.

    You've only got three choices in life:

    Give up
    Give in
    or
    Give it all you've got!!
  • Travelerraven
    Travelerraven Posts: 42 Member
    Options
    goal06082021 wrote: »
    Mate, what are you on about? Are you asking for product recs or advertising something?

    Not selling nor advertising I am looking for energy and hydration products that people have used or know of that are suitable for use by diabetic athletics and amateur sportsman.

    A lot of products on the market have had just the sugar and caffeine removed and for various reasons [mostly chemical] they are still unsuitable for diabetics. The products ideally would be easily absorbed by the body does not spike your blood glucose nor keep it high for a long period and is GLUT4 family friendly.

    Let me know if you have any products in mind.

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