How consuming Queal has an effect on your blood sugar level.

Why we think it's important.

The overall number of people with diabetes has increased from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014. This chronic disease is divided into two types: diabetes 1 and 2. Diabetes 1 is known as ‘the insulin-dependent’ type that therefore needs a daily administration and regulation of insulin. The cause of diabetes 1 is still unclear and thereby also not preventable. Type 2, formerly known as an ageing disease, is becoming more and more a welfare disease - largely the result of obesity and physical inactivity. Even more outstanding, not only adults are dealing with diabetes type 2 - diabetes among children is frequently increasing. Maintaining a healthy weight and eating pattern helps to prevent diabetes type 2 and we, as a food company, feel partly responsible to contribute to these goals.

Why it's important for you.

As mentioned above, food is the most important factor that influences blood sugar level. When you take in certain carbohydrates (starch and sugars), your body turns these carbs into glucose and thereafter this is called blood glucose or blood sugar. Via your blood, the glucose enters your cells and thereby delivers energy to your body. Taking in too many carbs in forms of sugar results in reactive hypoglycemia; the well-known sugar crash. This symptom can occur in people both with and without diabetes due to a spike in (or long term) insulin production. Finding the right balance in nutrition will help to find a balanced blood sugar level too.

What we have accomplished so far.

To show you in what way Queal is taking care of uncertainties when it comes to carbohydrates, sugar and the Glycemic Index arising therefrom, all these topics will be explained in short.

Carbs - 46% of all calories in Queal come from carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are found in (from most to least) Whole Grain Oat Flour, Isomaltulose, Maltodextrin, Soy Flour, and Whey Protein. In our current 5.0 recipe, 25% of these carbohydrates come from Maltodextrin - a complex carbohydrate that delivers a fast energy release, derived from cornstarch - and another 25% is Isomaltulose. Isomaltulose is a complex carbohydrate that delivers a slow energy release. It is created from beets and consists of either glucose and fructose.

Isomaltulose is classified as a sugar (because of its short-chain structure) but it has a much lower impact on your blood sugar level than Maltodextrin and therefore it also doesn’t stimulate the release of insulin after intake. Our switch to Queal 5.0 resulted in a drop of the Glycemic Index from an estimate value of 65-70 to 50. You might wonder if this is a good or a bad thing if you’ve never heard about GI. Hold on, and read the information below to learn more.

Glycemic Index - The Glycemic Index (GI) indicates how fast carbs are being digested and adapted in your blood and the GI of a product gives also an estimate in what pace the blood sugar level will rise after eating carbohydrates. In general, foods are classified in the following categories:

Please note; for every product the GI can be determined but it’s dependent on a lot of factors like; how the products are prepared - for example fried versus cooked - how long the product is being prepared, on what temperature, how far the product is in terms of the ripening process and the pace of your personal stomach and bowel function.

Although hard evidence is lacking here, the Dutch authority on food states that meals with a lower GI can result in minimal weight loss, a reduction of the chance on heart and vascular diseases - in case you are a woman -, and the chance on getting diabetes type 2.

Sugars - Sugar is a subgroup of carbohydrates, divided into monosaccharides and disaccharides. Your body breaks sugars down into glucose, fructose, - and in case of lactose - galactose. Sugars deliver fast energy and, as mentioned above, the isomaltulose in Queal is also declared as a sugar. Have a look at the overview concerning our products below. Please note that no distinction can be made between added sugars and those who are naturally present.

The table below shows an estimated glycemic index. The GI values are calculated on the basis of the biggest four to five ingredients in our products.

There is good evidence to say frequent consumption of products with high sugar content increases the risk of tooth decay. Isomaltulose is found not to add to this effect. Some data shows that high sugar intake results in gaining weight. Still, there’s not enough evidence to set an upper limit for sugars because these health issues are also often related to patterns of food consumption in general. There might be advice given by your national food authorities.

Queal and diabetes or (non-diabetic) hypoglycemia.

Blood sugar is the main source of energy. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps to transfer blood sugar from food get into your cells to deliver energy to your body. In some case, your body isn’t capable to produce enough (or any) insulin or doesn’t use the insulin in the right way. In that case, sugar (glucose) stays in your blood and won’t reach the right cells. This phenomenon can result in a variety of complications and is called diabetes. On the other hand, having too much insulin in your blood is also a possibility. Hypoglycemia is a condition whereby your blood sugar level is too low. So-called hypos are common when you have diabetes but some people who don’t have diabetes can have it too.

There are two types of hypoglycemia; reactive hypoglycemia and fasting hypoglycemia. Reactive hypoglycemia, also known as “the sugar crash”, occurs within a few hours of eating a meal. Symptoms range from mild to serious, from feeling sweaty and shaky or hungry to a blurry vision or even fainting. Fasting hypoglycemia can be a result of medicines, binge drinking, serious illness or an insulinoma.

For both disorders, it helps a lot to be aware of your carbs/sugar intake applies that it helps a lot when you are aware of your carb/sugar intake. In the case of diabetes, consuming complete meals of Queal (or complete foods in general) could help you set up the right amount of insulin you need after having a meal. When you would live completely off these products, your blood sugar level will become more predictable and stable. In case you recognise the reactive hypoglycemic symptoms, it might help to reduce these by limiting foods with a high glycemic index (Queal Steady would suit best) and eating frequently small(er) meals. Meals high in fibre, protein and whole grain carbs in general are good too.