Do you count vegetables?

[ewelina]

Ive just had a look at the book posted by JontyW in other section on carb counting.

https://shop.diabetes.org.uk/store/lite ... -book.aspx

Its all great and very useful but they say not to count vegetables. Now im bit confused as i usually count it all unless it is very small portion. Am i right here?

 

[mo1905]

Some are worse than others but generally pretty low except for parsnips I think. You'd need to eat quite a lot to bother to count them as carbs I would think.


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[ewelina]

Im quite familiar with carb content in vegs as i eat it a lot. The thing is they say not to count it at all. If I add half of tomato to my sandwich I dont count it but quite often i eat larger amount like whole packet of stir fry veg with chicken. 300g packet has around 15g of carbs so I inject. I have sometimes some unexplained hypos so I wonder if i do it right :think:

 

[mo1905]

Well, if you eat a lot, I would count it. Maybe try a half unit ?


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[hale710]

I had a car counting class the other day and this was discussed. The dietician said that veg should NOT be counted as we do not utilise the carbs that are in them.

The exception is for vegetarians on the assumption that their vegetable intake is higher than the average person and as they have less protein they will absorb some of the carbohydrate.

Or that was my understanding!

 

[Riri]

I never count veg either - unless I have parsnips. On saying that I think there are the odd one or two that I should count in say 5-10g for like fried onions - had them last night and they definately had an impact. All the green and orange stuff though - zero for me.

 

[noblehead]

Depends whats on the plate and the quantity, today's chicken dinner I had carrot and turnip mash, broccoli, cauliflower and peas together with roast and boiled potatoes, I estimated 10g of carbs for the veg although I'm sure it was possibly more, I don't weigh vegetables but do weigh potatoes.

 

[hanadr]

Green leafy veggies are pretty much carb free, but roots can be fairly high. I would count parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes and older carrots. Some things we eat as veggies are actually fruits, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and it's worth checking them out in reference books.
also portion size matters. A TINY portion of anything is usually not a problem, but a LARGE portion of some things can have significant quantities of carbs. You need a reference book or to use on-line references regularly. I use the interweb, and my Collins little gem book as well as the calorie,carb and fat bible. All are older editions, but things don't change so fast. For newer ready foods, read the panels on the back. the traffic lights are not helpful for carbs.
Hana

 

[ewelina]

Thank you all for replies. i guess its all about finding out how it works for me. I always count everything on my plate and usually it works fine. Last week though I had low carb noodles with prawns, packet of stir fry vegetables and stir fry sauce. All the carbs was 20g and i took 2 units. 1.5 hour later i had a hypo. I need to write down my readings and see for some patterns. or maybe there is no such thing like pattern with diabetes :crazy:

 

[donnellysdogs]

I have parsnips, carrots, swede, leeks, brocolli, mange tout, peppers and apple sauce at least 4 days from 7 this time of year.
I always carb count them.

I also carb count my salads as well.

I used weighing scales for my first initial meals this autumn. Since thenI just guestimate.

My salads always have sultanas or raisins/walnuts /apple/onion/lettuce/cucumber/tomatoes/peppers and more, so I always weigh my first initial salad of the season and therafter guestimate.

I also bolus when I have my meals.. Never before...

 

[SamJB]

It's bonkers that professionals tell you not to count carbs in veg. Carbs are carbs! Unless we're talking about fibre, which should not be counted.

Take spag bol, for example. A tin of tomatoes contains 12g of carbs, a small onion about 7g, a carrot about 7g, garlic has around 1g per clove. So you're getting on for nearly 30g of carbs before you've even added the pasta. I'd certainly count it because it will push my sugars up, because it is carbohydrate.

Carbs are carbs, it all adds up.

 

[lavenderchild]

I count ever thing I eat through the day.. No matter what it is... It all soon adds up

 

[hale710]

She described it in terms of sweet corn, that passes through you as does all the other vegetables. You don't absorb the carbs in the same way as other foods

Tomato is a fruit so I count that and when I eat a vegetarian meal I count as the quantities are so huge. But I've heard it from two dieticians now.

 

[iHs]

The best way to figure out whether to count carb in vegetables and bolus for them is to test bg levels 1-1.5hrs after eating.

Some veg I count and some I dont but it also depends on the quantities too.

 

[SamJB]

Funilly enough I find sweetcorn effects my levels. I guesss the only way to find out is to test. I know for a fact that I need to count everything, you might be different though.

 

[hale710]

Yes everyone's different, I'm more likely to hypo than go high so if I started counting carbs in vegetables too id be on the floor!

I guess it depends what you eat it with also. One carrot for a whole batch of Bolognaise is barely anything when you start looking at the pasta etc, but if its a roast dinner with meat potatoes and plenty veg it might be more likely to spike you. But now I'm just speculating!

 

[WilliamIrvine]

I've never ever counted abything like carrots. The only veg that I eat that I count is potato's.

Am I wrong?? Just curious if I'm doing it all wrong.

 

[hale710]

I've never ever counted abything like carrots. The only veg that I eat that I count is potato's.

Am I wrong?? Just curious if I'm doing it all wrong.

I guess the general consensus has been there is no right or wrong! Dieticians say don't count them, but for some people that would cause a spike and so they DO count them.

Personally I don't. If not counting them hasnt caused you am issue so far then I'd carry on as you are

 

[smidge]

Hiya!

I count all carb including vegetables. If I didn't my BG would spike high. A reasonable portion of mixed vegetables e.g. Cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, cabbage and carrot will have about 8g carb in and that's a whole unit for me, so why would I not count it? It would be like saying only count 1 of your 2 potatoes!

Smidge

 

[donnellysdogs]

I'm same as Samjb... In my spag bols I even count the garlic!! I put in 2 cloves, so always adding on 2 g.