Wheat is found in many foods, from breads, breakfast cereals and crackers to couscous, pasta and baked goods. As the most prevalent grain in the American diet, wheat contributes significantly to your daily carbohydrate intake. The carbohydrate found in wheat is mainly in the form of starch, which is made of a long chain of sugar called glucose. Sugar, which is often made of a molecule of glucose linked to a molecule of fructose, is also often added to many foods that contain wheat. Both the starch and added sugar found in wheat can influence your blood sugars, or blood glucose levels.
Wheat and Carbohydrates
Diabetics need to eat the same amount of carbohydrates at each meal, which often corresponds to 45 to 60 g of carbs but sometimes less, to keep their blood sugar levels within the healthy range. Wheat-based foods are rich in carbohydrates. For example, 1 cup of bran flakes breakfast cereal provides 32 g of carbs, a low-fat granola bar has about 29 g of carbs, a croissant has about 30 g of carbs, 1-1/2 cups of couscous contains 55 g of carbs, and 1-1/2 cups of cooked spaghetti has 65 g of carbohydrates. If your meal contains wheat, it is easy to consume a lot of carbohydrates at once.
Carbohydrates and Blood Glucose Levels
A high carbohydrate intake can make your blood glucose levels rise significantly. If you do not have diabetes, your pancreas will be able to compensate by secreting just the right amount of insulin to prevent your blood sugar levels from rising too high. However, if you are insulin resistant, which is often the case for prediabetics, type 2 diabetics and people carrying excess weight around the middle, your insulin is not effective enough anymore. As a result, eating pasta, couscous or breakfast cereals could make your blood glucose levels go beyond the desirable range, which is less than 180 mg/dL two hours after eating.
Controlling Your Blood Glucose Levels
Stabilizing your blood glucose levels is important not only for your overall health, but also for your mood and energy levels. If you have diabetes, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome or reactive hypoglycemia, or you feel as if your blood glucose levels may be an issue, making a few dietary changes could help you better manage your condition, improve your health and have more energy throughout the day. For some people, wheat, and carbohydrate-rich foods in general, occupy a predominant place in their diet and may cause their blood glucose levels to fluctuate too much.
Improve Your Blood Glucose Levels
To determine how wheat is affecting your blood glucose levels, try reducing your consumption of these grains for a couple of weeks or more. Be careful not to replace wheat with other carb-rich foods like gluten-free or wheat-free grain products, potatoes or sugar. If you take medications to control your blood sugar levels, consult your doctor before lowering your carbohydrate intake for help adjusting your dosage accordingly. If you decide to reduce your wheat consumption or eliminate wheat from your diet for a certain period of time, base your meals on plenty of nonstarchy vegetables instead. Accompanying each of your meals with an adequate serving of protein from fish, poultry, meat or tofu and a healthy dose of fat from olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds will help you optimize your blood glucose levels.
