Re: Buckwheat

[Guest guest]

Just buckwheat groats, aka 'kasha.' You can also buy flour or pre-made pancake

mixes. I

bought the buckwheat at Whole Foods for $1.99 a pound in bulk. A serving is 1/4

of a cup

(which doubles when cooked, like rice) and is VERY filling. It has 31g of carbs

and 140

calories per serving, as well as 4g of fiber.

Buckwheat is an AWESOME grain product, or so I've learned. It has

lipid-controling

properties and has glucose LOWERING properties.

" Canadian researchers, publishing their findings in the December 2003 issue of

the Journal

of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have found new evidence that buckwheat may be

helpful in the management of diabetes. In a placebo-controlled study, a single

dose of

buckwheat seed extract lowered blood glucose levels by 12-19% at 90 and 120

minutes

after administration when fed to rats with chemically-induced diabetes. No

glucose

reduction was seen in rats given placebo. The component in buckwheat responsible

for its

blood glucose-lowering effects appears to be chiro-inositol, a compound that has

been

shown in other animal and human studies to play a significant role in glucose

metabolism

and cell signaling. While researchers do not yet know precisely how it works,

preliminary

evidence suggests chiro-inositol makes cells more sensitive to insulin and may

even act as

an insulin mimic. Results of the Canadian study were so promising that one of

the lead

investigators, Roman Przbylski, is currently collaborating with Canadian-based

Kade

Research to develop new buckwheat varieties with much higher amounts of

chiro-inositol.

Although the rats used in this study had the equivalent of Type 1 diabetes in

humans, the

researchers are confident that buckwheat will exert similar glucose-lowering

effects when

given to rats with Type 2 diabetes, which is the next study on their agenda.

Type 2 or

non-insulin dependent diabetes, which is by far the most common form in humans

(90%

of diabetes in humans is Type 2), is characterized by an inability of cells to

respond

properly to insulin.(January 28, 2004) "

Info taken from " The World's Healthiest Foods " website, http://www.whfoods.com/

genpage.php?tname=foodspice & dbid=11

SulaBlue

> Is that buckwheat pancakes? Or is it cereal, never tried it. It is good for

BGs I take

> it. My email has bounced twice so may have missed some thing.

> Lou

>

>

> >

> > I'm finding I'm having some very good readings now that I've started eating

buckwheat the

> > past few mornings -- not just after breakfast, but all day! I barely got

above 120

today,

> > even *ONE* hour after eating. Unfortunately, my digestive track doesn't seem

to like

it, so I

> > may have to slow down until my system gets used to it.

> >

> > SulaBlue

> >

> > > Tam

> >

[Guest guest]

Probably like anything else, YMMV. I've never tried buckwheat groats

(kasha) but whenever I try a new food I do a test -- check BG before

eating it then eat it alone and then t est at 1 and 2 hours....then I

know if it's going to make my BG go up or not. Generally speaking, any

kind of grain or grain products will make my BGs rise.

Also, I'd be unlikely to eat any one item that had 31 carbs because I

try to keep my total carbs for the day under 100. If I have 31 carbs

for one item at one meal that's not going to leave me with an awful lot

for the rest of my meals.

Vicki

Re: Buckwheat

>

> Just buckwheat groats, aka 'kasha.' You can also buy flour or pre-made

pancake mixes. I

> bought the buckwheat at Whole Foods for $1.99 a pound in bulk. A

serving is 1/4 of a cup

> (which doubles when cooked, like rice) and is VERY filling. It has 31g

of carbs and 140

> calories per serving, as well as 4g of fiber.

>

> Buckwheat is an AWESOME grain product, or so I've learned. It has

lipid-controling

> properties and has glucose LOWERING properties.

>

> " Canadian researchers, publishing their findings in the December 2003

issue of the Journal

> of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have found new evidence that

buckwheat may be

> helpful in the management of diabetes. In a placebo-controlled study,

a single dose of

> buckwheat seed extract lowered blood glucose levels by 12-19% at 90

and 120 minutes

> after administration when fed to rats with chemically-induced

diabetes. No glucose

> reduction was seen in rats given placebo. The component in buckwheat

responsible for its

> blood glucose-lowering effects appears to be chiro-inositol, a

compound that has been

> shown in other animal and human studies to play a significant role in

glucose metabolism

> and cell signaling. While researchers do not yet know precisely how it

works, preliminary

> evidence suggests chiro-inositol makes cells more sensitive to insulin

and may even act as

> an insulin mimic. Results of the Canadian study were so promising that

one of the lead

> investigators, Roman Przbylski, is currently collaborating with

Canadian-based Kade

> Research to develop new buckwheat varieties with much higher amounts

of chiro-inositol.

> Although the rats used in this study had the equivalent of Type 1

diabetes in humans, the

> researchers are confident that buckwheat will exert similar

glucose-lowering effects when

> given to rats with Type 2 diabetes, which is the next study on their

agenda. Type 2 or

> non-insulin dependent diabetes, which is by far the most common form

in humans (90%

> of diabetes in humans is Type 2), is characterized by an inability of

cells to respond

> properly to insulin.(January 28, 2004) "

>

> Info taken from " The World's Healthiest Foods " website,

http://www.whfoods.com/

> genpage.php?tname=foodspice & dbid=11

>

> SulaBlue

>

>

>

> > Is that buckwheat pancakes? Or is it cereal, never tried it. It is

good for BGs I take

> > it. My email has bounced twice so may have missed some thing.

> > Lou

> >

> >

> > >

> > > I'm finding I'm having some very good readings now that I've

started eating

> buckwheat the

> > > past few mornings -- not just after breakfast, but all day! I

barely got above 120

> today,

> > > even *ONE* hour after eating. Unfortunately, my digestive track

doesn't seem to like

> it, so I

> > > may have to slow down until my system gets used to it.

> > >

> > > SulaBlue

> > >

> > > > Tam

>

[Guest guest]

Dianne

The figure I gave earlier was from the information on a packet of buckwheat

flour. Nutritional information is required by law on packaging here in

Australia. Anyway, in the last couple of days I have checked another packet

in my pantry, and also packages of buckwheat flour in three other healthfood

shops. They all ranged between 67.23 gm and 74.56 gm carbohydrate per 100

gm. It would be much more per cup.

Then I went back to the UDSA list and note that they refer only to

" Buckwheat flour - Whole Groat. " So that is probably the reason for the

discrepancy - since groats are merely crushed " grain " and the buckwheat

flour in the packages I have been using is milled much more finely. (I know

buckwheat is not a grain - but the reference here is to particle size.)

Glycemic Index does depend on the size of the particles - so I expect that

the GI of fine buckwheat flour would be more than that of the buckwheat

grains used as a porridge etc.

So as always we really do need to read the labels, measure portions, and

test ourselves -.before and after eating buckwheat products.

BTW I have never used packaged buckwheat pancake mixtures because the ones

here all contain wheat flour and other unfriendly ingredients.

Bea

> Dianne wrote,

> > According to the USDA there are 84.71 grams of carb per cup of

> buckwheat flour

> > and 12 grams of fiber. If you subtract the fiber from the carb you

> get 72.71

> > grams of carb per cup.

> >

> > Perhaps the glycemic index changes this in some way? I haven't

> worked with that

> > part of the equation.