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What to do with "Sugars"?

foxglove

foxglove

Well-Known Member
I am keeping a record of my low carb (not more than 100) & low calorie (1200per day) diet and also log the Saturated Fat (20gpd) Protein (60gpd) and Sugars which I have put at 45g per day. Very often the sugars go up quite a lot more than that but as the main problem of blood glucose levels are controlled by carbs what should I be looking for as regards the foods that contain these sugars?
Hope that makes sense.. :rolleyes:
 
You're a diabetic. That means that your body can't properly process sugar and it can't properly process starch because once you ingest starch your body turns it into sugar as part of digestion and metabolisation. I don't count do calorie and carb counting because I'd wind up being obsessed by what I eat rather than taking pleasure in it. Nature designed us in such away that we find all the things we need to do survive are pleasurable. So I try to live as "naturally" as is possible when it comes to eating stuff I enjoy. Many people here eat low carb high fat and have reported superb results. It's the carbs that your body can't handle so give yourself a break
 
There is no need to record sugar intake. It is the carb intake that matters for diabetics - the sugars are in the carbs and all sugars are carbs. Count the calories, protein and fats by all means (I do) but don't bother about sugar.
 
How do you manage to get your sugar intake as high as 45grams of more when you are on 100 carbs per day? That means about half of all carbs you have are sugar?

Please tell us a bit more about what it is you eat and we will help you.
 
Totto said:
How do you manage to get your sugar intake as high as 45grams of more when you are on 100 carbs per day? That means about half of all carbs you have are sugar?

Please tell us a bit more about what it is you eat and we will help you.
Click to expand...

My food today was
Breakfast - Liberte Yogurt 100g + Alpro Dessert (these I had some 2hrs apart as I have to take my painkillers with something to eat)
Lunch - Bread wholemeal 33g + Cheese 24g
Snack - Cherries 20 + Oatcake 1
Evening - Ham 110g + Egg hardboiled 1 + Salad + Salad Cream 20g
Extra - Milk Semi Skimmed 240ml (for teas)

Calories 1006 Carbs 94 Sat Fat 17 Protein 74 Sugars 69 Fibre 8
 
foxglove said:
My food today was
Breakfast - Liberte Yogurt 100g + Alpro Dessert (these I had some 2hrs apart as I have to take my painkillers with something to eat)
Lunch - Bread wholemeal 33g + Cheese 24g
Snack - Cherries 20 + Oatcake 1
Evening - Ham 110g + Egg hardboiled 1 + Salad + Salad Cream 20g
Extra - Milk Semi Skimmed 240ml (for teas)

Calories 1006 Carbs 94 Sat Fat 17 Protein 74 Sugars 69 Fibre 8
Click to expand...
I still don't understand. Are 69 grams of the 94 grams of carbs you ate sugars? So only 25 grams of starch and other carbs in total, mostly sugar when it comes to carbs?

And what other kinds of fat did you have, apart from the saturated fat? You must have had more than 17 grams of fat in total, right? And what is the point in counting saturated fat but not the rest if you are to count at all?

It doesn't seem to add up.
 
Totto said:
I still don't understand. Are 69 grams of the 94 grams of carbs you ate sugars? So only 25 grams of starch and other carbs in total, mostly sugar when it comes to carbs?

And what other kinds of fat did you have, apart from the saturated fat? You must have had more than 17 grams of fat in total, right? And what is the point in counting saturated fat but not the rest if you are to count at all?

It doesn't seem to add up.
Click to expand...
I was taking account of all fats but having been told my cholesterol is very high and the fact that it is the saturated fats that are the cause I changed to calculating just those instead. As far as the carbs/sugar.. I know that the carbs intake prevent me from losing weight and that is why I have cut them down as much as possible. Where the sugars actually come from or are determined is quite a puzzle to me but I want to get more info in order to cut them down as well but that would mean cutting out practically all fruit.
I am on a salt free, fat free, low carb diet with an allowance of 1200 cals per day and it's very difficult to keep to especially as I have to have something that is quick to eat with taking my pain killers as I am in a lot of pain most days and in particular first thing in the morning.
 
I also can't help noticing your fibre is very low, which won't be good for you and your bowels. You should be eating at least 14g fibre per 1000 calories, at a minimum.
 
Fat 17g x9 = 154 cal
Pro 74g x 4 = 296 cal
Carb 138g x4= 550 cal
1000 cal


Calories 1006 Carbs 94 Sat Fat 17 Protein 74 Sugars 69 Fibre 8

You are eating high carb % low fat %

If you are using USA tables, you subtract the fiber off of total carb and call it net carb which includes sugar
Google carb counting
 
foxglove said:
My food today was
Breakfast - Liberte Yogurt 100g + Alpro Dessert (these I had some 2hrs apart as I have to take my painkillers with something to eat)
Lunch - Bread wholemeal 33g + Cheese 24g
Snack - Cherries 20 + Oatcake 1
Evening - Ham 110g + Egg hardboiled 1 + Salad + Salad Cream 20g
Extra - Milk Semi Skimmed 240ml (for teas)

Calories 1006 Carbs 94 Sat Fat 17 Protein 74 Sugars 69 Fibre 8
Click to expand...
The part missing from that menu is your blood glucose level at your peak after each of those meals. Do you test at that time? If not, consider it. My meter has shown me I could not eat your breakfast and lunch without a large BG spike an hour later.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
I also can't help noticing your fibre is very low, which won't be good for you and your bowels. You should be eating at least 14g fibre per 1000 calories, at a minimum.
Click to expand...
I know my fibre is very low and sometimes it is much lower than that but I am trying to adjust my diet to maintain ALL levels required for a healthy diet which I am finding extremely difficult to say the least!
Fact is I have always had great difficulty in that area no doubt through the old way of when young being fed a large dose of cascara every Friday night!
 
Alan S said:
The part missing from that menu is your blood glucose level at your peak after each of those meals. Do you test at that time? If not, consider it. My meter has shown me I could not eat your breakfast and lunch without a large BG spike an hour later.
Click to expand...
I am "only" on a diet controlled regime and I don't test very often anyway... fact is it is not recommended in the UK unless in extreme cases.
More like it's to do with not wanting to supply the testing sticks.
I was tested at regular hours when I was in hospital just recently as I had to have a pacemaker and the readings were always very good despite anything I ate although to be honest I was kept on a DB diet.
I have tested in the past at the time you suggest and have not shown any spikes at all. Very often my breakfast consists of 30g Oats + 1/2Tablespoon Honey.
Worth reconsidering whether to test just in case!
 
The saturates are fine, it is the polyunsaturated that are the problem. Refine how you cook. And what you cook with. Having oats and honey for breakfast gives you a bad start to the day in terms of your blood glucose levels. It will be a struggle until your diet is a lot less carbs, you will have to discover what is best for you by testing, look at the advice given in the low carb forums. Then choose a diet that suits your body and your lifestyle.
 
You will, there is great advice on here from people who have experienced what you are going through. There is some great advice in threads concerning your symptoms and diet
Read up and you choose. You know your body better than anybody else!
 
For a start ignore the idiots advice that says don't test start to test on as many meals as possible if cost is an issue and sounds like your surgery wont issue with sticks get the SD code free and your sticks are £7.50/ pot/50.
In a rush and l gossip to much but l am sure you will get a lot of other info :)
 
foxglove said:
I am "only" on a diet controlled regime and I don't test very often anyway... fact is it is not recommended in the UK unless in extreme cases.
More like it's to do with not wanting to supply the testing sticks.
I was tested at regular hours when I was in hospital just recently as I had to have a pacemaker and the readings were always very good despite anything I ate although to be honest I was kept on a DB diet.
I have tested in the past at the time you suggest and have not shown any spikes at all. Very often my breakfast consists of 30g Oats + 1/2Tablespoon Honey.
Worth reconsidering whether to test just in case!
Click to expand...
I know why "is it is not recommended in the UK unless in extreme cases." I consider that disgraceful. You will find my reasons in the BMJ rapid responses to the paper being used by the NHS so often these days to justify that nonsense. If you browse through the other responses to that terrible paper you will find several doctors agreeing with me. Sadly, the NHS has used it to restrict T2 access to test strips since.

Tomorrow, just for fun, try a test one - not two - hour after breakfast.
 
Late getting back to reply (again!) as I've been very busy sorting out stuff ready to move which is most probably quite soon.

TBH I never.. or very rarely bother to test.. when I was in hospital and they tested regularly every day my stats were perfectly okay despite whether I had just eaten a bar of chocolate or such like.
So you may well wonder why I am questioning the sugar factor.. It's mostly because I am just bewildered at what it means and what affect it has as it certainly doesn't seem to affect me much...but thanks for all the posts. :lock:
 
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