Type 2 Carbs or sugar

[Dawn999]

When looking at the nutritional content on packets do I concentrate on the Carbohydrates or Of Which Sugars and how many grams of each should I not go above? I'm struggling with what's too high. Help!

 

[VashtiB]

Hello- It is particularly challenging when starting out

Do you have a meter? The meter is the tool that will help you work out how many carbs your body can tolerate.And yes it is the carbs that count rather than the sugar.

So the recommendation is to test before a meal and 2 hours after you start the meal and you want to see a raise of less than 2. (I actually found all the '2's helpful as a type 20

Some people also find that their bodies tolerate some types of carbs better than others or find some types of carbs punch above their weight so regular testing is the way to find out.

Of course things like stress and illness can also affect your levels but for me food is something I have some control over.

Let us know if that answers your questions or if you have more people here are only too happy to help.

 

[HSSS]

Definitely carbs. They all turn to glucose as they digest (except fibre). The only thing that varies is how much and how fast. I generally stick to things under 10g/100g and even better under 5g unless it’s something I only eat very small amounts of.

What’s typically done is both the meter readings per meal as above to see which foods work or don’t for you and from that work out how many carbs you can tolerate a day. Eg if you’re doing ok at 20g carbs a meal aim for 60 a day. (Try to stick to meals without snacks. Bigger meals are better than snacking). Standard recommendations are up to about 200g a day of carbs which is way too many for almost all of us. It’s classed as low carb under 130g and a few can tolerate that many. I’d say most of us are between about 50 and 100g a day but it’s not unusual to be lower than 50 down to 20g a day which is usually called keto. Your meter readings will guide you. Some find it easier to go all in other are better taking a step at a time. All depends on your relationship with foods and personality.

Don’t forget it’s not about starvation. Increase unprocessed proteins and naturally occurring fats (no seed or vegetable oils) to balance out the lower carbs. If we’re carrying extra weight it’ll come off once we eat foods we can process properly instead of just store as another spare tyre. Make sure water consumption is good and you are getting good sources of potassium, magnesium and sodium as less carbs, more water and fewer processed foods mean these electrolytes can dip and make you feel yuk.

 

[MrsA2]

Some people try not to go above 5g or 10g of total carbs per 100g, but that's only a rough guide as some things you only use a tiny amount of.
Others wouldn't have anything much that needs a label as that means it's Been manufactured or processed in some way
Easiest is to stick to things you cook yourself : meat, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, olives, plain yoghurt

As Vashti said you need to test and try various things and see what works for you and your body and your lifestyle.

 

[Riva_Roxaban]

When looking at the nutritional content on packets do I concentrate on the Carbohydrates or Of Which Sugars

Just to answer this part of your question.

I use the total carbohydrate content info when I look at the nutrition panels on food and drink items.

Carbohydrate 22.2g
– Sugars 2.7g

Because I do not have get that far into the fine details as a T2 that is diet controlled not on medication.

Figures are for example not what I normally eat.

Edit:Typo

 

[catinahat]

Sugar is a carbohydrate, fiber is also a carbohydrate, sugar Will hit our blood almost immediately where as fiber has no nutritional value and goes straight to the rubbish disposal. Other carbohydrates however take a while for our bodies to process into sugar and will hit our blood sometimes later.
So if you are in the UK the carbs which are fiber have already been taken away from the total carb number so it is the total carb figure we are interested in because sooner or later they will impact our levels
. In the us the total carb figure includes fiber so the fiber needs to be deducted to get to the amount of carbs that will affect our levels.

 

[Dawn999]

Hello- It is particularly challenging when starting out

Do you have a meter? The meter is the tool that will help you work out how many carbs your body can tolerate.And yes it is the carbs that count rather than the sugar.

So the recommendation is to test before a meal and 2 hours after you start the meal and you want to see a raise of less than 2. (I actually found all the '2's helpful as a type 20

Some people also find that their bodies tolerate some types of carbs better than others or find some types of carbs punch above their weight so regular testing is the way to find out.

Of course things like stress and illness can also affect your levels but for me food is something I have some control over.

Let us know if that answers your questions or if you have more people here are only too happy to help.

Thanks, that is very helpful. Think I'm going to have to be less reliant on convenience foods to do this properly and break my ties with beige (bread, pasta, rice & potatoes) too.

 

[Goonergal]

Think I'm going to have to be less reliant on convenience foods to do this

You can also think of different foods as convenience foods. Think individual cheese portions - surprisingly often available as singles these days; or a small bag of nuts or a pack of cold meat.

It’s definitely a mind set change, but ‘grab and go’ and quick, convenient meals are very possible both cooking at home and out and about.

 

[Daphne917]

Thanks, that is very helpful. Think I'm going to have to be less reliant on convenience foods to do this properly and break my ties with beige (bread, pasta, rice & potatoes) too.

Your meter is your friend and we all have different tolerances to carbs. I tend to eat more carbs than many forum members but through testing I know that I can eat the more carby foods such as potatoes, small slices of bread, some cereals and reheated pasta albeit in smaller portions.