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Happy Friday y'all 🎉 Finally got around to inse

Happy Friday y'all 🎉 Finally got around to inserting a new CGM. So many things to try out, as my diet has continued to evolve over the last few months.
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It's day 8 of my cycle, so I'd expect my glucose responses to be a little lower for the next week or so, whilst there's plenty of estrogen and higher in the luteal phase (the last two weeks) as estrogen drops, but let's see...
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This is a @freestylediabetes from Abbott. Although the sensor warms up over the first hour, it can take 24 hours for levels to be to be mostly accurate.
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In an ideal world, the device would be calibrated with a finger prick test, as I've found the Freestyle app to be a little off (sometimes on the low side) due to how it calculates averages. So I'll use an app called Glimp as well, which seems a lot more accurate.
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It's worth saying too that glucose responses are highly individualised and can be influenced by genetics, although there are plenty of general trends that apply to everyone.
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I love doing my own experiments and getting a sense of what's normal for me. That way, if I start to get issues in the future, I'll know how far I've deviated from baseline. Plus I'm curious to see how my body responds this time around. 🤓

The last time I used a CGM, was 6 weeks after rein

The last time I used a CGM, was 6 weeks after reintroducing carbohydrates. After years of high fat, animal based keto diets, I was too afraid to even try certain foods. Diet culture is tough to break. 🔨
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So I'm looking forward to another 14 days of experiments, to see how my blood glucose responds to the thing's I'm eating now and again certain lifestyle factors. 🤓
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Here's my list of things to test, so far:
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✅ A variety of raw honeys (to see if the ones sold as low glucose make a difference)
✅ macro order (protein first Vs carbs first)
✅ ACV before something sweet
✅ ginger before a meal
✅ what happens to blood glucose whilst fasting
✅ eating a starch every 3 hours to keep blood sugar stable (I'm pretty skeptical of this one)
✅ experimenting with meal timings before bed, to see what happens to blood glucose overnight
✅ something sweet on its own - so what does fudge do to BG?
✅ do meals with all three macros keep blood glucose lower and what's the ideal ratio of carbs, fat and protein?
✅ the impact of stress on BG
✅ cold showers
✅ walking vs weights to lower BG response
✅ plus various foods
✅ if I double the amount of starch with dinner, how much does it raise BG
✅ the same lunch, then sitting Vs using a standing desk Vs walking
✅ more raw A2 dairy experiments
✅ raw Vs cooked food
✅ various drinks (OJ with collagen, coconut water etc)
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Any other ideas for things to test? 🧬

Do you know anyone who takes NSAIDs and is trying

Do you know anyone who takes NSAIDs and is trying to get pregnant? 👶
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Whilst I was researching autoimmune conditions over the weekend, I came across a study which talked about NSAIDs and infertility. This was a real surprise. I knew that they can be detrimental to our microbiome and cause GI disturbance, but infertility? 😳
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In a double-blind crossover study, 50% of women experienced disrupted ovulation, whilst taking a low dose (15 mg/day of meloxicam), whereas 90% experienced disruption when this was increased to 30 mg/day. (1) .
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NSAIDs prevent prostaglandin synthesis, which causes a condition called luteinized unruptured follicle syndrome (LUF), where the oocyte is not released, leading to infertility. (3)
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. It’s important to emphasise that NSAID induced infertility is reversible and the study suggested for women to discontinue NSAIDs on day 8 of the cycle, in order to conceive. (1)
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In men, NSAIDs such as Ibroprofen have been shown to disturb spermatogenesis and even cause a reduction in sperm motility and epididymal sperm count. (2) Ibroprofen was thought to induce oxidative stress. In the study above, antioxidants such as Glutathione were shown to help mitigate the damage.
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Personally, I haven’t taken NSAIDs in years, but the lack of information on this topic really surprises me. I used to pop them like candy and have many friends who do the same.
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(1) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/acr.20510
(2) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890623820301933
(3) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1521690X19301204

Homemade bone broth, with venison, carrots, sweet

Homemade bone broth, with venison, carrots, sweet potatoes and herbs, makes for a very satisfying lunch. ✨
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A mix of muscle meat and glycine from the bone broth, balancing out the amino acids, methionine especially. ⚖️
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With rosemary and thyme for their antioxidant properties. Rosemary especially, is beneficial for stage 2 liver detoxification. 🧹
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This is where the liver breaks down fats and various toxic substances, but needs a good antioxidant status to function efficiently. 💫

Today's lunch is a mineral and gelatin rich bone b

Today's lunch is a mineral and gelatin rich bone broth, slow cooked for two days with a few TBSPs of apple cider vinegar. 🦴
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The ACV helps leach out the minerals and the longer cooking time (at least 24 hours - ideally 2-3 days depending on histamine tolerance) increases calcium, magnesium and phosphorus in the broth. ✨
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Served with steamed carrots, beetroot, Himalayan salt, sea vegetables (for thyroid supporting iodine), butter and a squeeze of lemon. 🥕🍋
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This also tastes good with an egg or some added meat for a decent serving of protein. 💪
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The bones are from pasture raised cows, just 70p from a local butcher. I've also been giving the broth to my recently adopted 12 year old dog who's seen great improvement in her joints. 🙌

Here's one of my go-to food combos: Unpasteurised

Here's one of my go-to food combos: Unpasteurised Petit Reblochon cheese with stewed apples, plums, ginger and cinnamon. ✨
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Eating protein first, before carbs produces a lower post meal blood glucose response than going straight for something sweet, so I enjoy the delicate taste of the cheese (which is 20% protein and 27% fat) before consuming fruit. Fibre helps lower the response too.🍏
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Do you find conventional dairy inflammatory and react to cheese? I know I'd have a reaction if I ate regular cheddar, but raw cheeses are quite different. You may want to consider an unpasteurised cheese, made from raw milk, with many of the liver enzymes and bacteria still present. Unpasteurised sheeps cheese can be even easier to digest. In the UK, Sainsbury's and Waitrose stock quite a few of these. 🧀
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My current favourite is Petit Reblochon, traditionally made from the afternoon milk and always unpasteurised.
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As with human milk, cows milk has a circadian component too, with a different composition between day and night. Milk from the morning has significantly higher levels of cortisol, to produce alertness, whereas milk from the evening contains melatonin. 🌖
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I find I naturally consume raw milk or cheese up until early afternoon but don't enjoy it later in the day. 💤

A taste of autumn 🍁 Heart and liver with beets,

A taste of autumn 🍁 Heart and liver with beets, plums, apple sauce, shredded carrots and herbs.🌿
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Yesterday, I made a big batch of apple sauce, simmered local apples with ginger, cinnamon, cardamon pods and cloves. 🍏✨
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It's so delicious with organ meats and plums.
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The lamb heart is rich in Co Q10, an antioxidant that helps our mitochondria produce energy.⚡️

How good are figs right now? ✨ . . Have been lov

How good are figs right now? ✨
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Have been loving these delicious seeded flowers with raw honey and tangy cream cheese to balance out the sweetness. 🌸

Why does honey spike my blood glucose more than wh

Why does honey spike my blood glucose more than white sugar? 🍯
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Having done several CGM experiments with coffee and raw milk, along with either honey, white sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup or plain, honey spiked my blood glucose every time. 🤔
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This surprised me as I had expected white sugar to be far worse.
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However, not everyone reacts this way to honey. I received a lot of messages saying that pure honey barely spiked some people's blood glucose. 📉
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Then there's others like me, who honey causes a spike every time. 📈
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Another question was whether the honey was raw or had sugar added to it. I spent a long time reading up about the honey making process and yes, sometimes bees are fed a sugar solution during the winter months. 🐝
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The honey consumed in this experiment is local, supposedly raw and minimally filtered. It was a set honey. But this did get me wondering...
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The second slide is of another raw honey haul, ordered from a site that proudly proclaims traditional Romanian bee keeping methods, producing clear raw honey.
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Interestingly, their Forest honey claims to be high fructose, low glucose, whilst another is labelled as unsuitable for diabetics due to its naturally occurring high glucose levels. 🔺
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Apparently it all depends on what the bees consume. 🌸
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So my next round of CGM experiments will put this to the test. Is Forest honey really lower GI than Acacia or Linden honey? ⚖️
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Just to add, raw honey contains many digestive enzymes and can be very useful to help breakdown protein. However, this isn't the case for pasteurised supermarket honey. ⚠️
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Does anyone else consume raw honey? Do you find some sweeter than others?
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Thanks to @glucosegoddess for the use of her app. 🙏

Have been enjoying much more fish and seafood rece

Have been enjoying much more fish and seafood recently. 🐟
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I've found that fish digests so much quicker and I always see an increase in deep sleep, compared to a meal of red meat.
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The second slide is my #ouraring stats, and whilst I have little interest in the sleep score itself, I like to see what impact my food and lifestyle choices have.
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The fish was trout, with half a beetroot, lemon juice, raw butter, freshly grated ginger, a few mushrooms and green beans.
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I'm still very cautious around beans and their lectins, but decided a few handfuls during the summer from my parents garden will be a seasonal treat. 🌱
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I've had no noticeable side effects from the well boiled beans. Unlike courgettes, which I get stomach cramps within a few hours. 🤔
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For dessert, I had some sparkling water and maple syrup, providing a quick carb source. 💦🍁

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