Carbohydrates on food labels.

Wandawoo said:

Many thanks for your kind response. In fact, most of your suggestions are already part of my daily routine. I walk 5 miles a day never eat processed foods or snacks of any kind. I didn’t even eat that much carbohydrate to be honest but I can cut back a little bit, but I would still love to have pasta once or twice a week with no shop source of course is it possible to keep doing all of these amazing things to cut your levels? But then the levels can still rise. I have a friend who has a father and sister , who were both diabetic and got down into the prediabetic but cannot seem to get out of it entirely. Is this due to the genetic link?

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It's really difficult to give precise answers about individuals. That's why people on the forum generally talk about what they personally do, rather than say "everyone should..." whatever, because it usually doesn't work out that way. We seem to be substantially different in how we react to and manage the combination of food and exercise.

There is an allowable error in HbA1c tests and what it shouild be depends on who you listen to. It usually is set at 5-6% - there were calls in the US to raise it to 10% (iirc) so that home testing kits could be sold, but I understand this has been resisted.

The ideal according to a recent research paper is 3%, but I usually assume 5% error. Link:


So, assuming 5% error, a true HbA1c value of 40 could be represented on a test by a value anywhere between 38 and 42 and that would be acceptable in testing terms.

For me I found it essential to cut out all the high-ticket carb items - pasta, rice, bread, pastry, fruit, potatoes, and anything sugary. I didn't set out to do this, but my current pattern means I often don't want to eat for 16-18 hours at a time. and eat almost no pre-prepared or packaged food. I didn't take much exercise until comparatively recently, and it doesn't help me lose weight, quite the reverse. Instead it maintains and builds lean muscle mass and (I think) helps with insulin sensitivity. That has worked for me for nearly five years.

Are you testing your BG before and after meals? That is the best way to see quickly exactly what the food you eat does to your blood glucose. That way you'll have the evidence to take informed decisions - whether you should be having pasta twive a week or not, for example.

The ADA is a notoriously bad support site for diabetics, especially for Type2. They are sponsored heavily by both pharmaceutical companies and also food & drink companies who prefer people to use their products rather than be healthy.
A few years ago, the ADA CEO was a Type 2 diabetic in remission called Tracey Brown. She actually put her diabetes into remission using a Low Carb way of eating and there was a video interview about it. The ADA's sponsors objected and she was removed as CEO (though I think she still works for them - just in a less prominent role.