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Food labelling question

C

colinrim

Member
Messages
21
Hi all,
I am sure this may have been asked before but despite a search I am unable to find a definitive answer.
Most foods are labelled with 2 carbohydrate figures, 1 'total' and one 'of which sugars'
For example a box of Kellogs cornflakes is labelled thus-
Carbohydrate of 84g (per 100g)
and a 'of which sugars of 8g (per 100g)
Now 84g seems high but is it just the 'of which sugars' figure I should be paying attention to?

Any help will be most gratefully be received!
Colin
(Type 2, struggling to lower my glucose level)....
 
I stay away from the "of which sugar" if it's above 5 & the carb level above 25. It's working for me at the mo, but I'm only 3 weeks diagnosed, but have lost 4kilos in that time.
 
@colinrim - Sadly not. We need to heed the total carbohydrate figure.

Where you set the bar, in terms of grams per 100 grams, is up to you, but it's also worth suggesting that there also needs to be a bit of a reality check for some foods. By that, I mean, for some foods, for example, I was having tartar sauce with some fish earlier. I hadn't home made it, and it had something like 30g per 100gr, which would routinely be too high for me. But, here's the rub. How much am I actually going to eat? 100gr? Not this side of the flying pigs! I probably had a teaspoonful, so that was in fact a very modest amount of carb consumed.

I know there are folks who have a carb threshold for foods, which they won't cross, and with luck one of those folks will respond to you.

This condition gives us both physical and intellectual challenges, and it takes a little while to get the old grey matter around it. But, stick with it. It's worth it.
 
USA total carbs include fiber[sic] and you may see the term net carbs used
where EU/UK food have the fibre[sic] removed from the total carb count already
so you also need to look at what country the carbs are counted
 
I hadn't home made it, and it had something like 30g per 100gr, which would routinely be too high for me. But, here's the rub. How much am I actually going to eat? 100gr? Not this side of the flying pigs! I probably had a teaspoonful, so that was in fact a very modest amount of carb consumed.
 
jack412 said:
USA total carbs include fiber[sic] and you may see the term net carbs used
where EU/UK food have the fibre[sic] removed from the total carb count already
so you also need to look at what country the carbs are counted
Click to expand...
I have been led to believe that carbs are what's left after fats & water have been removed, thus carbs contain the fiber, minerals etc. So carbs are needed to a point. it's the sugar we have to keep as low as pos but also other carbs we have to keep down .(what a.. life we do have )
 
Fibre is indigestible, and listed separately on the nutrition list (in the UK)
Carbs are listed as total carbs, and sugars.
It is the total carbs that you need to look at, since they all turn to glucose, whether they start off as sugar, starch or anything else.

So the item below has 15.5g of carbs, per 100g
And, if you follow the serving guide, it would be over 50g of carbs a portion.
So I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.
Your mileage may vary, of course.

image.jpg
 
Paul59 said:
I have been led to believe that carbs are what's left after fats & water have been removed, thus carbs contain the fiber, minerals etc. So carbs are needed to a point. it's the sugar we have to keep as low as pos but also other carbs we have to keep down .(what a.. life we do have )
Click to expand...

You don't need carbs. And that's not what carbs are. :jimlad:
 
twinkle45 said:
I hadn't home made it, and it had something like 30g per 100gr, which would routinely be too high for me. But, here's the rub. How much am I actually going to eat? 100gr? Not this side of the flying pigs! I probably had a teaspoonful, so that was in fact a very modest amount of carb consumed.
Click to expand...
I'm with you there. HP sauce? 28 grams per 100? YES! A bottle lasts a year.

I love HP sauce, always did, always will.
 
I think the question is how many carbs are you supposed to be eating? 70g per day? 30g per day?

Whatever it is it will need to be made up from the total carbs figure on any nutritional information. The thing to watch out for is that carb split on the packet. Generally high sugars will cause your blood sugar to spike rapidly post eating, where lower sugar and higher complex carbs will take longer for the BS increase.

The other thing about high sugars in a meal is that you will not remain satiated for that long after eating and will quickly be hungry again.

Best to avoid anything with a high total carb content if you are a type 2 trying to lower blood glucose by diet.
 
colinrim said:
Hi all,
I am sure this may have been asked before but despite a search I am unable to find a definitive answer.
Most foods are labelled with 2 carbohydrate figures, 1 'total' and one 'of which sugars'
For example a box of Kellogs cornflakes is labelled thus-
Carbohydrate of 84g (per 100g)
and a 'of which sugars of 8g (per 100g)
Now 84g seems high but is it just the 'of which sugars' figure I should be paying attention to?

Any help will be most gratefully be received!
Colin
(Type 2, struggling to lower my glucose level)....
Click to expand...
Hi Colin, I am sorry to have to tell you it is the total that counts. The Kellogg's in your example will provide 84 grams of carbs that will be converted to glucose once they are inside your body - except for some of the sugar that will be turned into fructose and damage your liver instead.

Do you test your blood sugar? I found it so much easier to work out what to eat when I could test and see what different food items did to bg.
 
Paul59 said:
I have been led to believe that carbs are what's left after fats & water have been removed, thus carbs contain the fiber, minerals etc. So carbs are needed to a point. it's the sugar we have to keep as low as pos but also other carbs we have to keep down .(what a.. life we do have )
Click to expand...
Sugar is carbs.
 
I totally agree. It is the total carb figure you need to take account of, and ignore the "of which sugars" as the sugars are included in the carb amount.
 
hi every 1 as a chef I hafto count carbs and I know how much of a pain in the bum it is especially when I think have I over estimated the carbs and put too much insulin in but I got advised on a book called carbs and cals which gives you a full run down of the carbs and how much is in every meal it has food portion sizes to help and all your cereals and snacks in there as well would highly recommend this book to any 1 it helps me a lot
 
hi every 1 as a chef I hafto count carbs and I know how much of a pain in the bum it is especially when I think have I over estimated the carbs and put too much insulin in but I got advised on a book called carbs and cals which gives you a full run down of the carbs and how much is in every meal it has food portion sizes to help and all your cereals and snacks in there as well would highly recommend this book to any 1 it helps me a lot
 
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