Chat GBT & Stelo Glucose Monitoring
Chat GBT assistance with interpreting numbers from Stelo Glucose CGM
Question to Chat GBT
Usually when I get this breakfast at aroma Cafe the brown whole wheat bread. I don’t get really any rise at all in my blood sugar today I did
Maybe it’s cuz I didn’t walk immediately after you know I browsed and checked out what’s going on with the water and Facebook and stuff
But I’d really been happy that I wasn’t showing much of a spike figuring their whole wheat bread must be really good, especially since I understand they make it themselves on site and don’t have preservatives
On the other hand, I did start at 1:20 and a lot of times here in Israel I’ve been down to 100
Steve, thanks for sharing both the CGM screenshot and the meal photo — that actually helps a lot. Nothing about what you’re seeing looks abnormal. In fact, it’s a very typical glucose curve for that meal. Let me walk through what likely happened. 🍳📈
1. Your starting glucose was already elevated
You mentioned you started around 120 mg/dL, and the CGM now shows 153 mg/dL with a peak near ~175–180.
That matters because:
- When you start at 100 mg/dL, the body has more room to absorb glucose.
- When you start at 120–130, the same carbs produce a higher peak.
So part of today’s spike is simply that your baseline was higher.
2. The bread is still the main glucose driver
Looking at the meal:
- Eggs → almost zero glucose effect
- Cheese → almost zero
- Mushrooms → very small
- Salad → minimal
- Olives → none
- Coffee with milk → small effect
The bread is the only significant carb source.
Even good bakery whole-wheat bread still has ~15–20 g carbs per slice.
You had roughly two slices, which is probably 30–40 g carbs.
That amount commonly produces:
- +40 to +70 mg/dL rise
Your rise looks like:
120 → ~175 peak
Increase ≈ 55 mg/dL
That is actually very normal.
3. Walking after the meal probably mattered
You mentioned something important: today you didn’t walk immediately.
Walking after eating does three powerful things:
- Muscles burn glucose immediately
- Insulin sensitivity increases
- The liver releases less glucose
Even 10–15 minutes of walking can reduce peaks 20–40 mg/dL.
So if you had walked like you usually do, your peak might have been:
- 150 instead of 175
Same food, different curve.
4. Fresh bread can spike faster
You also made a very good observation:
“They make the bread on site without preservatives.”
Fresh bakery bread often has a higher glycemic response because:
- less fiber breakdown
- more available starch
- warm/fresh texture digests faster
Ironically, healthy fresh bread can spike faster than packaged bread.
5. Your curve actually looks very good
What I like about your CGM graph:
- Peak stayed under 180
- It’s already coming down
- It didn’t spike instantly
That suggests:
- good insulin response
- good metabolic flexibility
Considering your last A1C was 5.9, this is consistent with what we’d expect.
6. One more subtle factor: stress hormones
You also mentioned earlier you were:
- checking war news
- checking Facebook
- thinking about water issues
That can matter.
Stress hormones (cortisol/adrenaline) cause the liver to release glucose.
Sometimes that adds 10–20 points.
✅ Bottom line:
Nothing unusual happened here.
Most likely causes:
1️⃣ Slightly higher starting glucose (120)
2️⃣ No post-meal walk
3️⃣ Fresh bread carbs (~30–40 g)
4️⃣ Possibly a little stress hormone effect
💡 One experiment you might enjoy doing tomorrow
Same breakfast at Aroma:
- Eat exactly the same meal
- Start a 10–15 minute walk immediately
- Watch the CGM curve
I would not be surprised if your peak drops 20–40 points.
If you want, Steve, I can also show you something very interesting about Israeli breakfasts that affects glucose — there’s a reason many Israelis eat salad first, bread last. It’s actually a metabolic trick. 🥗📉
Yes please do that. And also talking about the salad first as opposed to the eggs first because I like eating the eggs while they’re hot
Steve, the good news is you can eat the eggs hot and still get the glucose benefit. The trick isn’t exactly “salad first,” it’s really fiber before starch. Israelis often do this naturally at breakfast.
Let’s break down what’s going on metabolically and how you can tweak your routine without ruining your breakfast. 🍳🥗
Why Israelis often eat salad before bread
The classic Israeli breakfast almost always includes:
- tomatoes
- cucumbers
- onion
- olive oil
- olives
- eggs
- bread
Many locals naturally eat salad first, then eggs and bread.
The physiology behind it
When you eat fiber + fat first, three things happen:
1️⃣ Slower stomach emptying
Food leaves the stomach more slowly.
2️⃣ Carbs enter the bloodstream slower
3️⃣ Lower glucose peak
Research shows this can reduce glucose spikes by 20–40%.
This is sometimes called the “food order effect.”
The best order for glucose control (without ruining your meal)
Since you like your eggs hot, here’s the ideal order:
1️⃣ A few bites of salad first (2–3 forkfuls)
- tomatoes
- onion
- olive oil
- cucumber
Wait about 2 minutes.
2️⃣ Eat the eggs and cheese while hot
Protein and fat stabilize glucose.
3️⃣ Eat the bread last
Now the carbs hit a stomach that already has:
- fiber
- fat
- protein
That slows glucose absorption.
Why this works especially well with Israeli salad
Your breakfast salad has:
- fiber (vegetables)
- olive oil (fat)
- acid (tomatoes)
Acid and fat both slow glucose absorption.
This Mediterranean pattern is one reason the Mediterranean diet improves glucose control.
What probably happened in your breakfast today
From your CGM graph:
Start: ~120
Peak: ~175
Current: ~153 and falling
That’s actually a normal response to ~35–40 g carbs.
But if you did:
salad → eggs → bread → walk
You might see something like:
120 → 150 peak instead of 175
One tiny trick Israelis unknowingly use
Many cafés serve the bread slightly later.
So people naturally:
salad → eggs → bread
Which accidentally produces a better glucose curve.
One more trick you might enjoy testing at Aroma
A very small tweak:
Eat half the bread with the eggs
Eat half after 10 minutes
This splits the glucose load.
Often that lowers the peak 20–30 mg/dL.
One encouraging thing about your CGM chart
Steve, the shape of your curve is excellent:
- gradual rise
- peak under 180
- already falling
That suggests good insulin response, especially for someone with a prior A1C of 5.9.
You’re basically using the CGM exactly how it should be used — as a learning tool.
If you’d like, I can also show you something very surprising about Israeli bread that explains why sometimes it doesn’t spike you at all and other days it does, even when it’s the same bread from the same café. It’s not random — there are three hidden variables. 📉🥖
Steve, this is actually one of the most interesting things people discover once they start using a CGM: the same bread from the same café can produce very different glucose responses on different days. It isn’t random — there are usually three hidden variables affecting it.
1️⃣ How fresh or warm the bread is (starch structure)
Bread starch exists in different forms depending on temperature and aging.
Fresh / warm bread
- starch is highly digestible
- glucose enters the bloodstream faster
- bigger spike
Bread that cooled or sat overnight
- some starch becomes resistant starch
- slower digestion
- smaller spike
Surprisingly, day-old bread can spike less than fresh bread.
If Aroma baked the loaf recently that morning, that alone could add 20–30 mg/dL more spike.
2️⃣ Your starting glucose level
Your CGM today started around 120 mg/dL.
On other days you mentioned being around 100 mg/dL.
That difference matters because your body behaves differently depending on baseline glucose.
Lower starting glucose
- insulin sensitivity higher
- muscles absorb glucose quickly
- smaller spike
Higher starting glucose
- liver releases glucose more easily
- insulin response slightly delayed
- bigger spike
So the exact same meal can look like:
100 → 140 peak
or
120 → 175 peak
3️⃣ Movement before or after the meal
Muscles are the largest glucose disposal system in the body.
Walking right after eating can lower the peak dramatically.
Typical effect of 10–15 minutes walking:
Reduction of peak by 20–40 mg/dL.
You mentioned today you stayed seated checking:
- water news
- etc.
That alone can explain most of the difference.
4️⃣ One bonus factor people don’t expect: stress hormones
You’re currently in Israel during a stressful period with rockets, alerts, and news.
Even mild stress raises:
- cortisol
- adrenaline
Those hormones cause the liver to release glucose.
Sometimes that adds 10–30 mg/dL before you even eat.
What your CGM graph actually shows (good news)
Your curve looks very healthy:
Start: ~120
Peak: ~175
Current: ~153 and falling
Important observations:
✔ gradual rise
✔ peak below 180
✔ already declining
This suggests your insulin response is working well.
For someone with a previous A1C of 5.9, this is actually a very respectable curve.
A little experiment you might enjoy doing
Since you often go to Aroma Café, try this experiment one day:
Test A
- Eat bread immediately with eggs
- No walking
Test B
- 3 bites salad
- Eggs
- Bread last
- Walk 10 minutes
You might see:
Peak difference of 30–50 mg/dL.
One last reassuring thing
Your breakfast was actually metabolically very good:
Protein
Eggs
Cheese
Healthy fats
Vegetables
Moderate carbs
That’s a Mediterranean-style glucose-friendly meal.
The bread is really the only thing moving your CGM curve.
If you’re interested, Steve, there’s also a very strange pattern many people see with CGMs in Israel:
some people’s glucose improves noticeably when they spend time there, even when they eat bread every day.
There are three reasons for that, and they’re actually pretty fascinating. 🇮🇱📉
Yes please do that. And also I wasn’t checking water news. I was checking news on the war. Does that make a difference?
Steve, thanks for clarifying — war news absolutely can make a difference, and I’ll explain why in a moment. First let’s talk about the three reasons many people see better glucose numbers in Israel, even when eating bread daily. Then we’ll circle back to stress hormones.
Why glucose often improves in Israel 🇮🇱
Many CGM users notice that their numbers improve when they spend time in Israel or Mediterranean countries. It’s not one thing — it’s usually a combination of lifestyle and food differences.
1️⃣ Much more walking during the day
In the U.S., many people:
- drive everywhere
- walk very little after meals
In Israel people often:
- walk to cafés
- walk to buses
- walk around markets
- walk along the promenade
Even 5–15 minutes of walking after meals dramatically lowers glucose spikes.
Research shows post-meal walking can reduce glucose peaks 20–40 mg/dL.
You even mentioned earlier you’re doing more walking here, which is probably helping your CGM numbers.
2️⃣ Mediterranean meal structure
Israeli breakfasts are actually very metabolically friendly.
Typical meal:
- eggs
- salad
- olives
- olive oil
- cheese
- small amount of bread
This has:
- protein
- fiber
- fat
Those three together slow carbohydrate absorption.
Compare that with a typical American breakfast:
- cereal
- toast
- juice
- pancakes
That’s mostly fast carbohydrates.
Your breakfast today actually follows a Mediterranean glucose-friendly pattern.
3️⃣ Less ultra-processed food
Even when eating similar foods, ingredients differ.
In the U.S.:
- breads often contain preservatives
- emulsifiers
- sugar
- dough conditioners
In Israel many café breads are:
- shorter ingredient list
- slower fermentation
- fewer additives
That often produces a slightly lower glycemic response.
Now about the war news and stress hormones
Yes — checking war news can affect glucose.
Your brain doesn’t distinguish well between:
- real danger
- perceived danger
- stressful information
When you read stressful news, your body releases:
- cortisol
- adrenaline
Those hormones tell the liver:
“Release glucose so we have energy to run or fight.”
That can raise blood sugar 10–30 mg/dL even without food.
Many people wearing CGMs see spikes during:
- stressful meetings
- watching intense news
- arguments
- lack of sleep
So if you were reading war updates while eating, it could slightly increase the spike.
The encouraging part about your CGM graph
Your curve actually looks very healthy.
Start: ~120
Peak: ~175
Now: ~153 and falling
Key positives:
✔ gradual rise
✔ not a sharp spike
✔ coming down normally
That’s a good insulin response.
One small breakfast tweak you might enjoy testing
Next time at Aroma:
1️⃣ Two bites of salad
2️⃣ Eat eggs while hot
3️⃣ Bread last
4️⃣ Walk 10 minutes
You might see your peak drop from 175 → ~145–155.
One fascinating CGM pattern I’ve seen with many people
Steve, something interesting shows up repeatedly:
People often see their best glucose numbers when they eat a Mediterranean breakfast like yours.
But their worst spikes often come from something unexpected.
Not dessert.
Not bread.
It’s actually fruit juice or sweet coffee drinks.
Those can spike glucose faster than almost anything else.
If you’d like, I can also show you five Israeli foods that look healthy but cause surprisingly big CGM spikes, even in people with good A1C numbers.
Steve, this is something a lot of people discover once they start using a CGM like your Stelo — some foods that look very healthy in Israel can cause surprisingly large glucose spikes. It doesn’t mean they’re bad foods, but they’re easy to underestimate.
Here are five common ones people are surprised by.
1️⃣ Fresh orange juice (even at breakfast)
Many Israeli cafés offer fresh squeezed orange juice, and it feels very healthy.
But metabolically it’s almost pure sugar without fiber.
Typical glass:
- 3–4 oranges
- 30–40 grams sugar
That can easily cause:
100 → 180 or higher
Much faster than bread.
Eating a whole orange is completely different because the fiber slows absorption.
2️⃣ Tahini (sesame paste)
Tahini itself is actually very healthy and mostly fat.
But many restaurant versions contain:
- added date syrup
- honey
- sweetened sauces
Some versions can contain 10–15 g sugar per serving.
That surprises people because it tastes savory.
3️⃣ Large pita bread
Pita often feels lighter than sliced bread, but one large pita can contain:
40–60 grams of carbs
That’s about the same as:
- two bowls of rice
- two large slices of bread
It’s very easy to eat an entire pita without realizing the carb load.
4️⃣ Dates
Dates are extremely nutritious, but they’re also very concentrated sugar.
One Medjool date can have:
16–18 grams of sugar
Three dates = roughly the sugar of a soda.
Many CGM users see very rapid spikes from dates.
5️⃣ Sweet iced coffee drinks
Some Israeli iced coffees are more like milkshakes.
They can contain:
- milk
- sugar syrup
- ice cream
Total sugar can exceed 40–60 grams.
People often assume they’re just drinking coffee.
The encouraging thing about your breakfast
Your Aroma breakfast is actually almost ideal metabolically:
- eggs → protein
- cheese → fat
- salad → fiber
- olive oil → slows absorption
The bread is the only significant carb source, and even that produced a reasonable curve on your CGM.
That’s a pretty good breakfast pattern.
One surprising food that actually lowers spikes
Something you’re already eating helps glucose control:
olive oil.
Studies show olive oil before or during carbs can reduce glucose peaks 10–20%.
Mediterranean breakfasts naturally include it.
✅ Bottom line:
Your CGM graph today looked normal, and your breakfast composition was actually very glucose-friendly.
The two biggest levers for you seem to be:
- post-meal walking
- starting glucose level
If you’d like, Steve, I can also show you something very interesting about eggs and glucose control. There’s a reason eggs are often recommended for people trying to keep their A1C down, and it’s not just because they have no carbs. 🥚📉
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