What's the difference between carbohydrates and 'of which sugars'

[notafanofsugar]

I know this is going to sound like a dumb question, but I wanted to know what the difference was between carbohydrates and 'of which sugars' - I know it's carbohydrate but if I'm low carbing do I look at carbohydrates or of which sugars?

Any help appreciated!


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[viviennem]

Re: What is the difference between carbohydrates and 'of whi

Sugars are carbohydrates, and all carbohydrates are turned into glucose by our bodies. In general, sugars turn into glucose more quickly, but all carbohydrates get there in the end.

"They" list "of which sugars" on the packet because "sugar" is one of the "unhealthy" substances that the Government is so fixated about. For diabetic purposes, we need to control our carbohydrate intake to keep our blood glucose levels down, and avoid sugar because it acts fastest.

So as far as the back of the packet is concerned, ignore "of which sugars" and look at "total carbohydrates". Work out the level of carbs you want to eat per day and, using your meter, work out which carbs spike you highest and fastest and avoid those.

For example - mashed potato can spike you just as high and just as quickly as table sugar. Either eat very small portions or avoid altogether. New potatoes, on the other hand, spike you less quickly - a couple of small new potatoes are in general better handled by our systems that a couple of tablespoons of mash.

White bread is nearly as bad as mash - wholemeal is better, and a seedy bread (eg Burgen, or my local baker's wholemeal granary) is better still - but in my case only one or two slices as a time, and certainly not every day.

Don't forget fruit contains sugar - I can't take banana, grapes or pineapple, but I can tolerate a small apple, and berry fruits, apricots and plums tend to be okay - in small quantities, occasionally.

Once you've tested your BG levels for a while you'll quickly learn which foods to avoid, which are for treats only, and which you can eat without a problem. We are all different, but its all carbs we have to watch, not just sugars.

Oh, for an enormous pile of hot mashed potato with a big lump of butter inside the heap! and you stick your fork in and all the lovely butter gushes down the sides! (Sigh!) Those were the days!

I hope that ramble round has helped!

Viv 8)

 

[notafanofsugar]

Re: What is the difference between carbohydrates and 'of whi

Thanks Viv - so basically is the of which sugars but rubbish? Does it all actually sugar then?


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[viviennem]

Re: What is the difference between carbohydrates and 'of whi

For diabetics it's almost irrelevant - you want to be looking at total carbs. Of course, the higher the sugar content the quicker it will hit you, so it's wise to stay away from sugary foods except for very rare treats - like, once every 6 months!

I have set myself a limit on the amount of carbs I eat in any foodstuff. Even with ready meals, which I keep in for those occasions when I can't be bothered or don't have time to cook, I won't touch anything with more than 15g carb in half a pack, and prefer if I can to get around 5g carb per half-pack. I don't look at anything else - just the carbs.

Work out which foods you can eat by testing, and find a daily limit of carbs that you can stick to. If you're not very-low-carbing, go for maybe 100g carb per day and test to see how that affects you. If your levels go up, eat fewer carbs.

Viv 8)

 

[ElyDave]

Re: What is the difference between carbohydrates and 'of whi

So, I understand the various type of carbs, complex vs simple etc, I'm an athlete and before I became diabetic (diagnosed last week, type 1) I had a pretty good diet with mainly complex carbs, lower GI apart from during races where I had more but not exclusively simpler carbs.

The question I have now that I'm actively counting carbs is how to deal with the things that have either higher protein or higher fibre in there typically lentils, pulses, quinoa etc. I've had advice from the daibetes nurse to ignore the carb content in those, but then also seen advice elsewhere to count the net carbs i.e. total carbs-fibre.

Anyone got any experience or suggestions that might help?

Thanks

Dave

 

[ernestsalsa]

Re: What is the difference between carbohydrates and 'of whi

To make mashed potatoes without using a lot of potatoes, I use celeriac and combine it with only 2 potatoes. Cooking the celeriac and potatoe mix and preparing it the same way as normal mashed potatoes gives me as a type 2 no problems with quick rising sugar levels. And by using olive oil and fresh herbs while mixing It is one of my favourite dishes with meat and fresh vegetables or salad.

 

[notafanofsugar]

Re: What is the difference between carbohydrates and 'of whi

Viv - forgot to say thanks for the explanation

For diabetics it's almost irrelevant - you want to be looking at total carbs. Of course, the higher the sugar content the quicker it will hit you, so it's wise to stay away from sugary foods except for very rare treats - like, once every 6 months!

I have set myself a limit on the amount of carbs I eat in any foodstuff. Even with ready meals, which I keep in for those occasions when I can't be bothered or don't have time to cook, I won't touch anything with more than 15g carb in half a pack, and prefer if I can to get around 5g carb per half-pack. I don't look at anything else - just the carbs.

Work out which foods you can eat by testing, and find a daily limit of carbs that you can stick to. If you're not very-low-carbing, go for maybe 100g carb per day and test to see how that affects you. If your levels go up, eat fewer carbs.

Viv 8)

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[Yorksman]

Re: What is the difference between carbohydrates and 'of whi

The question I have now that I'm actively counting carbs is how to deal with the things that have either higher protein or higher fibre in there typically lentils, pulses, quinoa etc. I've had advice from the daibetes nurse to ignore the carb content in those, but then also seen advice elsewhere to count the net carbs i.e. total carbs-fibre.

Typically you can ignore them yes, but monitor your levels to be sure. The reason is as follows.

Certain foods, wholegrains, sprouts, cabbage for example contain high levels beta carbohydrates, cellulose, which we cannot break down. We lack the cellulase family of enzymes. Humans can only digest alpha carbohydrates.

However, there are many types of alpha oligosaccharides and pulses for example contain some monosaccharides (ribose, glucose, galactose and fructose) and some disaccharides (sucrose and maltose). Depending on yuor own personal metabolism and level of insulin response, these may raise your blood sugars. So you do need to monitor to begin with. However, most of the saccherides in pulses belong to the alpha galactosides group, raffinose, stachyose, verbascose, melibiose and manninotriose for example and the human digestive system lacks the enzyme alpha galactosidase and cannot hydrolyze alpha galactosides. These oligosaccharides accumulate in the lower intestine and undergo anaerobic fermentation by bacteria so, they don't turn into blood sugars but do cause flatulence.

A simple rule of thumb if you want to eat carbs is go for high fibre foods but, be aware that high fibre foods can contain simple easy to digest sugars too. I eat gram beans, and mixed lentils once a week as curries and they have never spiked me.