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Why Eat Carbs As A Type 2 Diabetic?

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rab5

rab5

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Edited by moderator to add:
This post and the several following have been moved from @Australiandiabetic2 's Potato thread, because the discussion was derailing the Potato theme. This way people can continue the discussion on a separate thread.
The original question, posed by @rab5 was:


Why eat carbs as a (type2) diabetic?

(brackets added by moderator to clarify the context, since the original thread was discussing dietary options for people type 2 diabetes)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If we eat to our meters, then what we eat is good for us. I am not going down the Zero carbs route on a thread, with a newbie trying and struggling hard to find a way of eating which is workable for them right now. Lets start with the basics, start with the support, start with a do-able approach.

Telling someone who is finding it hard and on the point of giving up trying that they should be ditching all carbs is not helpful. And, for this poster, may not even been necessary or advisable. We are all different, and many of us struggle with more than one issue.
 
That’s just not true. It’s the cumulative effect of eating carbs that has a lot of us in this position. Your entitled to your opinion your not entitled to your own facts.

People will react to information in whatever way they want. At least give the right info. Potatoes are one of the worst foods we can eat. They are full of starch.
 
rab5 said:
Why eat carbs as a diabetic.
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Because I like them. Moderation is the key. I can't speak for you but for me and many others we only have to reduce carbs, not eliminate them completely. I eat no more than 20 to 30g with each meal maximum and it has precisely zero effect on my glucose control. If I followed the recommended dietary guidelines I'd be 330g per day. Then I would be in serious poo.
Quality, not quantity.
 
Crocodile said:
Because I like them. Moderation is the key. I can't speak for you but for me and many others we only have to reduce carbs, not eliminate them completely. I eat no more than 20 to 30g with each meal maximum and it has precisely zero effect on my glucose control. If I followed the recommended dietary guidelines I'd be 330g per day. Then I would be in serious poo.
Quality, not quantity.
Click to expand...

I hear what you say. But carbs are not required and they are lethal for diabetics. Not in a single meal but over time. If your diabetic you can thank carbs

Diabetes may be the least of your worries thanks to carbs
 
This nugget of information I read when I was first diagnosed really explained things to me
“Modern research has shown that insulin resistance can be combatted by treatment methods that reduce how much insulin the body is producing or taking via insulin injections or insulin pumps.

Reducing insulin resistance can be achieved by following low-carbohydrate and ketogenic diets.”
 
lucylocket61 said:
Low carbohydrate is under 100 - 130g of carbs a day.

according to diet doctor website I linked to upthread, it is 100g, and 130g a day on the pages on here: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/low-carb-diabetes-diet.html

low carb is not (almost) no carb. This is the low carb section of the forum, which includes those of us at the upper range.
Click to expand...
Someone with type 2 diabetes, or needs to lose weight, may wish to aim for a very-low carbohydrate (ketogenic) intake.
 
rab5 said:
I hear what you say. But carbs are not required and they are lethal for diabetics. Not in a single meal but over time. If your diabetic you can thank carbs

Diabetes may be the least of your worries thanks to carbs
Click to expand...

Rab - I think to state carbs are lethal for diabetics is just too much and a bit too generalised. Diabetes isn't a binary condition. If it were, it would be simplert to manage in many ways.

People are at liberty to make their choices. I choose to eat a LC diet, but last night's cottage pie did have cheesy mashed potatoe on top. I had some, but My OH helped me out by uncovering the meaty lower section for me to pillage, meaning I didn't have great dollops of potato.

My last HbA1c was 30, which isn't too shabby. The Libre and my self testing evidences that I don't have worrying spikes. All of that said, I have been diagnosed over 4 years, as opposed to someone with a much more recent diagnosis.

Should any member adopt a diet of their choosing, then not achieve their desired results, they may have to modify their approach, but for some incremental is the way to go, and others may be in the all-or-nothing camp.
 
I followed Jenny Ruhl's method of testing lowering of carbs until I found a level that worked for me. I've had normal A1c readings for 6 years and no known complications thus far. I know my limit is 30g of carbs per meal and I try to stick to that. I normally eat 2 meals a day, so average 60-70g per day. On the rare occasions where I eat 3 meals, I will be under 100g carbs. I very rarely go above that level.

I still think Jenny Ruhl's method is good because by following it you find a level of carbs that is workable and sustainable for the individual. There's no one perfect way to achieve a good result.
 
If carbs are not lethal for diabetics what way would you word it?
I did say in my last post that diabetics 'may wish to aim for a very-low carbohydrate (ketogenic) intake.'
That seems very good advice. Advice I may add given on this site.

I dont understand what you mean by diabetes not being a binary condition. Surely you have it or you dont. Serious question.
 
lucylocket61 said:
Low carbohydrate is under 100 - 130g of carbs a day.

according to diet doctor website I linked to upthread, it is 100g, and 130g a day on the pages on here: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/low-carb-diabetes-diet.html

low carb is not (almost) no carb. This is the low carb section of the forum, which includes those of us at the upper range.
Click to expand...
And yet you have been zero carbing for the past few days and have been quite successful at it.
 
rab5 said:
If carbs are not lethal for diabetics what way would you word it?
I did say in my last post that diabetics 'may wish to aim for a very-low carbohydrate (ketogenic) intake.'
That seems very good advice. Advice I may add given on this site.

I dont understand what you mean by diabetes not being a binary condition. Surely you have it or you dont. Serious question.
Click to expand...
My understanding of his 'binary condition' is that there are degrees of affliction. Some are better or worse than others. Not much different my Mother's diabetes being worse than mine along with her arthritis too.
 
rab5 said:
That’s just not true. It’s the cumulative effect of eating carbs that has a lot of us in this position. Your entitled to your opinion your not entitled to your own facts.

People will react to information in whatever way they want. At least give the right info. Potatoes are one of the worst foods we can eat. They are full of starch.
Click to expand...
I confess that I've never heard of carb accumulation phenomenon. I'd be interested to read up on it if I could pester you for a source that I can study.
 
rab5 said:
Are you serious?
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Yes, I'm not being flippant. I'm interested in looking into it. I am not a medical practitioner so my understanding comes purely from reading. To this end I don't really understand how a carbohydrate accumulates. That suggests every spoonful of carbohydrate ever eaten has remaining traces in our bodies. I would have thought that our bodily systems eventually metabolise these foods and would only be a problem if the rate of absorption was greater than the rate of disposal. It would also mean that non-diabetics are equally as exposed. This has tickled my curiosity.
 
pedantic might be a better description of your question. I never said "carb accumulation phenomenon"

Maybe I didnt explain it in plain english. What I tried to state is that by eating carbs over a long period of time, has led us to have diabetes. Surely you dont want me to explain the whole process. Please tell me you have read about T2D and the causes.
 
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