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Type 2 Carbs and sugar labelling

MoB1953

MoB1953

Member
Messages
17
Location
Sydney, Australia
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
As a newly diagnosed T2 I have already modified my eating habits along low carb diet recommended intake. However, I have a question on how I should interpret food labelling. Where a food product label lists the carbohydrate and sugar content separately, should I add the two together in counting my carbs or (as seems to be suggested by my reading other posts) assume that the sugar is included as part of the carb content already? Maybe UK labelling is different to Australian labelling.
 
MoB1953 said:
As a newly diagnosed T2 I have already modified my eating habits along low carb diet recommended intake. However, I have a question on how I should interpret food labelling. Where a food product label lists the carbohydrate and sugar content separately, should I add the two together in counting my carbs or (as seems to be suggested by my reading other posts) assume that the sugar is included as part of the carb content already? Maybe UK labelling is different to Australian labelling.
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Welcome to the forums @MoB1953

Most of the labels I've seen in the UK read 'of which sugars' so the added sugar is included in the total carbohydrate figure. Can't say if it's different in Australia but I'm sure we have some other members 'down under'.

Tagging @Mike D and @Indy51 who might be better at helping you with your specific question about Australian food labels.
 
I always go by total carbohydrate as all carbs affect BG levels. I think the "- sugars" on the Australian labels is the same as the "of which sugars" on the UK labels.
 
Found this re Aussie labelling if that helps. Seems it is the same as the UK in counting the TOTAL carbs of which.xg. sugar.

n Australian labels, the carbohydrates listed is the net carbs. No mathematics necessary. Take this label of evil Nutri-Grain. Net carbs per serve is 28.6g, of which 10.7g is sugar (hence the dash). Fibre is a separate listing altogether, you don't take into consideration those 2g. So if you have a bowl of that with no milk you'd be adding 28.6g to your macros. Not 10.7, not 26.6.
 
I always use total Carbs. Be careful the same foods bought at different shops may have different Carb content.
 
Thank you everyone for your valuable input. "Total carbs" it is then. And yes, when I shopped this morning I paid more attention to the labelling and found that the sugar content is indented under carbohydrate, so it is included.
 
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