Bell peppers revisited – turns out they won’t kill you after all!

diabetes bell peppers

In February of last year, I did a test where I ate two bell peppers, and suffice it to say that the results were very NOT bueno.

I went from 116 mg/dL to 340! Umm, WHAT??!! Yeah. That was pretty shocking.

But now, in retrospect, I suspect that glucose result was somehow tainted. Maybe there was something on my finger. Maybe the test strip was defective. Maybe my glucose meter just decided to prank me. I have no idea!

diabetes bell peppers

So I mostly avoided bell peppers for close to 18 months. And then one recent commenter, Mike Young, left this comment on that ill-fated bell pepper test:

I think something went wrong and you should have tested again. Bell Peppers only have a GI number of 41.
https://healthfully.com/289170-glycemic-index-of-bell-peppers.html

The possibility of a bad test has always lingered in the back of my mind because that glucose swing was bonkers, but I never got around to it. And then Mike left that comment! And that was the kick in the ass I needed to revisit bell peppers.

So … THANKS MIKE! I took your advice and did some more tests.

diabetes bell peppers

In fact, I did FIVE tests. Four of them were at work, first thing in the morning. The other was at home when I was hungry and just wanted a snack.

113—149 Breakfast: yellow bell pepper, cucumber, pepper jack cheese. 30 minutes after finishing: 132

113—146 Breakfast: yellow bell pepper, cucumber, blueberries, a few cherry tomatoes

104—132 Breakfast: red bell pepper, cucumber, avocado 

105—115 Breakfast: yellow pepper, cucumber, a few cherry tomatoes, pepper jack cheese

124—149 Red bell pepper with ranch dressing. After another 30 minutes: 124

Well look at that! Bell peppers decided to stop trying to kill me.

Keep in mind that when I got that comically high 340 mg/dL, that was after eating TWO bell peppers. These tests reflect eating just one pepper, but also with other diabetes-friendly things.

But still, it seems pretty clear that one whole bell pepper is not the death sentence I once thought it was. And if I were to eat two, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be hitting 340 again.

I guess the moral of the story here is to follow up with another test if you think maybe your glucose result is way, way off the mark.

diabetes bell peppers

I should have tested again after getting that huge number a year and a half ago, but I was at work and probably got busy with … I dunno, doing my job or something.

So don’t fear the pepper! But, as with just about everything else you put in your body, don’t go too crazy either.

Thanks again, Mike!