Konjac and Shiritaki Noodles

I have heard and read this question many times: "what food can I eat to lower my blood glucose levels?"

My standard answer has always been to advise that there is no such food and the dietary way to lower blood glucose levels is to select carbohydrate portions that do not raise blood glucose levels excessively. 

I may have to add a caveat to that response in future. For the past three years I have been making occasional experiments with an unusual food called Konjac. This food has several other names in different parts of the world.

Scientific: Amorphophallus konjac. Also known as:

• Konjac
• shiritaki
• Glucomann
• devil's tongue
• voodoo lily
• snake palm
• elephant yam

You can read more about the plant and its variants here on wiki: Konjac and Shiritaki noodles.There are several forms: powder, noodles, gel and cake. The version available locally to me is noodles, which are packaged in a brine solution.

 

The noodles look like pasta but are quite different in texture. After draining, separating and rinsing to remove the slightly fishy odour they have a slippery feel and are more chewy than the equivalent spaghetti or fettucine. They do not soak up sauce juices in the same way as pasta, consequently I have learned to reduce my sauces more when preparing konjac dishes.

Despite those differences, my experiments show that for me they are a taste worth acquiring.  These are extracts from posts on the ADA forum since I started experimenting with konjac. 

1.

I rinsed 120gm (4oz) Konjac several times and then let it drain in a sieve for 30 minutes. In my wok I stir-fried 2/3 cup of shredded cabbage and half a medium sliced onion in a splash of peanut oil. When the onion was starting to caramelise I added 50gm shredded ham, warmed it through and then transferred the ham and veges mix to my serving bowl.

I fried the Konjac in a tablespoon of peanut oil until the noodles started to separate and dry out and occasionally "popped". They never went hard or dry, but became a little more springy and less moist. I returned the veges and ham to the mix. I continued to stir as I cooked for a couple of minutes until the veges were softened and thoroughly mixed with the noodles. I transferred it to the bowl, adding 15gm (1/2 oz) of shredded cheddar and a splash of cream, stirring it well. 

It was surprisingly good. The noodles shape was similar to thin spaghetti but the texture was chewier and springy. The noodles seemed to have no flavour of their own but took on the flavours of the other foods in the recipe.

Here comes the good news.

• Pre-meal: 5.8 mmol/L (105 mg/dl)
• 45 minutes post-meal: 5.3 mmol/L (96 mg/dl)
• 75 minutes post-meal: 5.3 mmol/L (96 mg/dl)

The post-meal numbers may have been aided by 150ml (5oz) of Shiraz between the end of the meal and the 45 minute test.

2.

The next experiment with Konjac was not quite as successful. But it was educational.

I made up my usual bolognaise sauce, using some mince steak (ground beef to the trans-Pacificans). I browned the meat, then added a cup of my Napoli Sauce and cooked it for a while to incorporate it. When used as a sauce with pasta it is delicious with a dusting of grated parmesan.

I prepared 200 gm of the Konjac noodles in the same way, rinsing, draining, separating and lightly frying in olive oil. However, when I added the sauce and tried to “cook it in” as I usually do with wheat pasta the mixture stayed too liquid. Unlike pasta, Konjac noodles do not absorb the sauce liquid.

The result was edible but chewy and not terribly appetising. Next time I will cook the Konjac longer and reduce the sauce a lot more, to thicken it and remove a lot of the liquid. After the meal I drank my usual glass of Shiraz.

On the other hand, the good news was:

• Pre-meal: 5.7 (103)
• 1hr post-meal: 5.5 (99)

3. 

Two days earlier I bought a Thai green Chicken curry for dinner. It was a large serve and I only ate half of it, followed by my usual glass of wine post-dinner. I was 5.4(97) pre-meal and 6.9(124) after. I expected that because there is always some starch in the local Thai curries.

We decided to have the leftover Asian meals for dinner two nights later. This time I prepared about 125gm of Konjac noodles first by rinsing, draining and pan-frying until they were dried out but still supple. I added them to the re-heated Thai chicken curry, which was exactly the same size as the previous serve. The resulting dish was quite tasty, although I still prefer other noodles for taste and texture at the moment. 

I was a little high before the meal at 7(126); I can't recall why but presumably had a forgotten snack. Or maybe it was gremlins. Here is the surprise:

• 1hr: 5.8 (105)
• 2hr: 6.3 (114)

4.

Continuing the trial...

I had leftover meatball casserole for lunch. It is a fairly low-carb recipe, but I had it on a slice of toast which added about 15gms of carb. On past experiments at that time of day I would have expected that combination to raise me from my usual pre-meal of 5.5-6 (100-108) to somewhere between 7(126) and 8(144).

I added 120 gm of Konjac noodles, preparing them in the same way as before.

• Pre-meal: 5.8 (105)
• 1hr Post-meal: 6.8 (123)

I still can't form any definite conclusions, beyond the fact that Konjac definitely does not increase my blood glucose levels and may limit or even decrease the effects of other foods. But still only "may".

Since those early experiments I have continued to use konjac once or twice a month together with low-carb ingredients. In almost every case my post-meal blood glucose was equal to or lower than my pre-meal. 

Last night I ate the same recipe as experiment #1, using 150gm of chopped bacon instead of ham. I also added a few strands of my wife's wheat fettucine to provide a better texture; probably about 15gms of extra carb. I probably made the portions too large, we were very "full" when we finished the meal. My pre-meal level was a little high at 7.6 (134) as I had indulged in a cookie half an hour earlier. My one-hour post-meal was 6.7 (120).

I emphasise that these experiments were personal and may only apply to me. My only recommendation is to do your own experiments if you are interested in trying this food. I have no commercial interest in any firm selling konjac in any of its various forms.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter 

Stress and Blood Glucose Levels.

Stress, like blood glucose spikes, has an insidious effect on the body. I am not qualified to go into the biological aspects of stress, but over the past three weeks I have certainly been forcibly made aware of the physical and mental consequences.

I have also been reminded that I have not cured my diabetes over the past decade; at best I have maintained good control. Control which can swiftly degrade under stress.

I post my story partly as an explanation to the people on various forums who may have wondered at my absence over the past month, and also as an example to others undergoing stress to reassure you that you are not alone, we all experience our own personal tragedies and stresses. I am not looking for sympathy, I have already received a great deal of support. My intention is to show that this can happen to anyone. If your numbers are rising when under stress, the cause is not always poor diet or inadequate medications. Resolving or dealing with the causes of the stress are just as important.

To set the scene, my usual fasting blood glucose over the past few years has been in the range 5.5(100) to 6.5(117). I suffer from Dawn Phenomenon so I am reasonably happy with that. My A1c has been in the low 6% range. In contrast, for the past two weeks I have not seen a fasting blood glucose under 7.5(135) and if my A1c was tested right now I doubt it would be under 7%.

Physical stress.

Three weeks ago I was cooking sausages on the barbecue raising money for our local Neighbourhood Centre, something I have done twice a month for several years. After cooking several hundred sausages I had to empty the hot drained fat container and carelessly spilt some on my hand, mainly my right index finger. The doctor said it was second and possibly third degree burns. That placed my system under some stress as it slowly healed; I took the final bandages off yesterday, but I am still applying ointments. At least I can type with two fingers again. I noticed that my fasting numbers immediately rose about a mmol (18mg/dl) – and stayed up.

Financial stress.

Just before I burned my hand I arranged tradesmen to renovate my bathroom. Plumber, carpenter, tiler etc. I am an experienced home handyman so the budget was based on doing most of the preparation work – removing old tiles, shower screens, cabinets etc – myself. Suddenly all that had to be done at tradesmen's rates. The budget has blown out.

Personal stress.

About three years ago my younger brother was diagnosed with cancer. Over the next couple of years he underwent chemo but made the wise decision to spend as much time as he could travelling with his family and enjoying life between chemo sessions. He did not change his bright, happy character at all.

Three days after I burned my hand my brother's wife rang to say we needed to go to the hospital, two hours away. When we arrived it became clear he would not be leaving hospital alive. We stayed for a couple of days, then returned home. On return we received an email that one of my wife's best friends had died in hospital, also from cancer.

Four days later my brother's pain left him. Two days later we attended my wife's friend's funeral. Two days ago we went to my brother's funeral. Some time during that period we discovered that the bathroom renovation required more extensive work than we first realised. It didn't really seem that important now.

This morning my fasting blood glucose was over 8(144). However, my bandages are off, I will continue to grieve but the worst is over, and today is a new day. In reviewing the past few weeks I realise that I also let my usual dietary regimen slip. Not surprising, but that is something I can change.

It's time for me to begin again, testing, testing..

I know that there will be people reading this who are going through situations far worse than mine. I hope that my story helps a little by letting you know you are not alone.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter 

For UK Type 2s: A Petition to Make Test Strips Available to People With Type 2

This is a brief but important post. I know I have some readers in the UK.

For those not aware of it, test strips are severely restricted for type 2s in many NHS districts. The terrible paper by Farmer et al back in 2007 is often used to support this. I comment on a later paper citing that one here: Is Testing Worthwhile? 

This excerpt from a recent speech by the head of the NHS suggests there may be a brief opportunity to get this changed. 

After the expected introductory words this appears:

"I went to see my GP, they did all the stuff, they said, yes, you've got diabetes. It's quite a difficult thing, I think, particularly for someone, a healthcare professional, someone who has worked in the NHS, to kind of reflect on that and say, right, I have an illness now, a condition which could involve me losing my limbs, my kidneys packing in, having a heart attack and probably dying of a stroke."

  If you read it you'll see why I left out the next sentence. Then he says:

"one of the things they gave me was a monitoring machine, so I take my blood glucose levels four times a day and I have a little chart that I put them on. Now I'm not a stereotype here, but give me a chart and a target and a trajectory and I'm absolutely -- I'm absolutely with you. They could have designed -- they could have absolutely designed that interaction for me and I have been absolutely at it since then."

A friend of mine who runs a UK forum has started a petition to Sir David. I invite UK readers to read it; if you agree, please sign it.  

Click here: David Nicholson, Chief Executive of NHS England: Make blood glucose test strips available to people with T2 diabetes 

There is a short window of opportunity. He retires from the post in a few months.

Cheers, Alan
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter. 
There is nothing I could eat I like more than my eyes.