Meals or Grazing?

[dash21]

What's easier on the pancreas?

Eating a small bite of fruit (vegetable or nut) every 20 or 30 minutes, or the traditional 3 meals a day, with snacks?

[Novidez]

That's a good question. I read a lot already in this forum, but everyday I conclude that I still didn't read anything at all here.
For instance, I already read RRM saying that having small meals during the days spike even less than a huge meal. But I wonder sometimes if 500mL of OJ spikes the same insulin as a meal with carbs+protein+fat (large meal + fiber) or if it really spikes less.
I have myself too this question everyday, because sometimes I fast for so long that makes me confused to bulk OJ (+1000ml) in such short period of time (without fiber, aka, faster absorbed, hence greater insulin spike). Mainly because what I read is that is better to break fast with something not so sweet or better low GI on the firsts meals.

Nevertheless, I will just post here what RRM said to me :

When you need the energy, consuming high GI food is NOT a problem.
You need the energy.
You can always drink as much juice as you feel like. When satisfied, you simpy do not feel like drinking more.
When afraid of spiking your insulin, you will underconsume energy.

Insulin has a function.
Insulin is NOT a bad hormone. It is essential.
Spiking insulin is NOT a bad thing. When a lot of energy is coming in, you need the insulin to store that energy (as glycogen) in your liver (and muscles).
For that, you need insulin.
If you are afraid to spike insulin, you are afraid to store energy.
This will lead to a lack of energy, causing your symptoms.

So not much as a burden for the insulin system (in small quantities)?

Please eliminate that thought.
Please eliminate the idea that you need to avoid spiking your insulin.
You NEED to spike your insulin to be able to store spare eenrgy.
Without storing spare energy, you will not have spare energy when needed.
Without spiking insulin, your daily activities are unsustainable.
Without any spikes in insulin, you need to lay down in bed all day, as in end-stage anorexia.

When is spiking your insulin actually bad?
Only once all glycogen stores have been completely filled up already.
That is about 1200 plus 400 kcal of sugars that needs to have been stored first.
Only then will extra spikes be harmful, because then it will become impossible to store any additional glycogen.
As a result, the extra incoming glucose or amino acids will remain in the blood, and need to be converted to fatty acids first prior to storage (as triglycerides).
But that may only happen after having consumed big meals that filled up your glycogen depots already.
With the symptoms you had, it is clear your glycogen depots are empty.
This means you need to listen to your energy needs very carefully constantly.
If you do not listen to your energy needs constantly, you will face the same symptoms, which will make this diet unsustainable.

Do not be afraid to spike your insulin.
You need it.

[dash21]

"Do not be afraid to spike your insulin.
You need it."


INTERESTING, I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT, BEFORE.

BUT WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE OVER 50?

...OR THOSE WHOSE A1C IS CLIMBING INTO THE 6 (PREDIABETIC) RANGE?

(Although actually, I heard that six is actually diabetic. Once the pancreas fails to hold the level to the 5 range, it has already failed to maintain adequate normal function- even when a1c levels are successfully dropped to normal. Continued dietary management is still required to prevent the levels from rising again. ...I've heard.)


How does a single bite (or two) of fruit, vegis or nuts- every half hour- sound?

...along with...perhaps 1 healthy meal a day sound?- like...dinner, for instance?

WOULD THAT TYPE OF GRAZING OVERWORK THE PANCREAS? (of an older person- say...50 or older?)

[RRM]

BUT WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE OVER 50?

...OR THOSE WHOSE A1C IS CLIMBING INTO THE 6 (PREDIABETIC) RANGE?

There is no need TO SHOUT; we hear you...
When prediabetic, you need to reset your insulin sensitivity.
Intermittent fasting does that trick.

[dash21]

"SHOUT"?

You must be referring to my use of capitals.
Sorry, I use them a lot, to emphasize the main part of a message, but I hadn't considered that they might appear...figuratively loud.

"Reset" one's insulin sensitivity?
...by intermittent fasting?

I hadn't heard of that. How often? And how long?

[Aytundra]

"SHOUT"?

Hehe, I am sometimes tempted to do that, it is so much easier to not lift my fingers off the keyboard and use the mouse to click the bold or italic symbol than to just make everything caplocks.
Yeah, it stinks that there is the internet rule of CAPLOCKS = SHOUTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM NOT SHOUTING BY THE WAY.

AND WAI DIET IS THE BEST. ok, i am shouting here.

[RRM]

Yes, and the emphasis gets lost if you use capitals for more than a few words.

When your insulin response is off, it means that the secretion of insulin is not adequately in tune with the influx of nutrients into your blood.
This is "insulin insensitivity".
To restore insulin sensitivity properly, the insulin system needs a number of resets.
For this, no nutrients should be consumed for a couple of hours during a period in which you do need them (the nutrients).
When you do need the nutrients, but you are not getting them, the body will be alarmed ( a survival response).
That way the body clearly knows that the influx of nutrients into the blood is "0".
As a result, the body also knows exactly how much insulin should be produced in response to "0" nutrients coming in.
Any deviating secretion of insulin will therefore 'get noticed', and the body will try to correct that wrong insulin response.
If you do that often enough, the margin or error will gradually decrease, until full insulin sensitivity is restored.
To make sure you are "in need of nutrients", you first need to empty your liver glycogen, which is your spare energy (spare glucose).
Once liver glycogen is depleted, you are in need for nutrients.
Once you are in need for nutrients, you need to continue not to eat anything for a couple of hours. The latter phase is called "fasting".
Fasting exposes inadequate insulin responses, and allows for fixing that.

[RRM]

What causes insulin insensitivity?

More or less the opposite of the above; If you keep on consuming food once your glycogen depots are already completely filled up (about 400 kcal in the liver, and 1200 kcal in the muscles). In the post above, muscle glycogen is not in the equation because muscle glycogen cannot be converted back to glucose, unlike liver glycogen.
Insulin is primarily secreted in response to glucogenic bodies (glucose, most amino acids) entering the blood from the digestive tract. It is secreted to arrange for the uptake of excess energy into depots, as spare energy. So, when extra energy is entering the blood, insulin is secreted to store it. But once the depots are full, they can take no more extra energy. And if still more energy is entering the blood, again insulin will be released, but it fails to arrange for the storage of that energy. The extra energy therefore mostly remains in the blood (until enough fatty acids are available to store the excess glucogenic bodies as glycerol in adipose tissue; in triglycerides). Because the extra energy largely remains in the blood, it again triggers the release of insulin, which again fails to store the energy. This failure will repeat itself until all excess has been stored as bodyfat (which is a relatively slow process). In the meantime, each failure (inappropriate insulin secretion) will be registered by the body, and if repeated often enough, the body will try to correct it, by adjusting the insulin response. Thus the insulin response will change; either too much or too little will be secreted in response to the nutrients coming in.

[dash21]

"SHOUT"?

"Hehe, I am sometimes tempted to do that, it is so much easier to not lift my fingers off the keyboard and use the mouse to click the bold or italic symbol than to just make everything caplocks.
Yeah, it stinks that there is the internet rule of CAPLOCKS = SHOUTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM NOT SHOUTING BY THE WAY.

AND WAI DIET IS THE BEST. ok, i am shouting here."- quote

THANKS for the fun reply!!!!
WAI is a good reason to emphasize!
I'll read RRM's post as soon as I can get back to the keyboard; thanks again, everyone!