Carbs or not carbs. This is the question

[SugarPossum]

My last two HBa1C three monthly readings have hovered around 6% after achieving a low of 5.5% a year ago.
So I'm back to monitoring every day logging of total carb consumption.
I thought I understood % carbs in everyday food but after more reading I find it now somewhat confusing.
For example from healthyeating web site, "..one popular brand of coconut flour contains 64.8 grams of total carbohydrates per 100 grams. Of that total, 38.5 grams are dietary fiber, sugars account for another 8.7 grams and only the remaining 17.6 grams are starchy carbs."
Then again, "..100-gram portion of white all-purpose flour contains 76.3 grams of total carbohydrates. Of that total, only 2.7 grams are dietary fiber and another 0.3 grams are sugars, leaving 73.3 grams of starchy carbohydrates."
So on my normal decision making coconut flour is not far short of white flour.
So what decides on bad carbs? sugars + starchy carbs? Ignore fibre content?
e.g., potatoes come in at ~18% carbs but have not yet, so far, split them down to significant(?) proportions.

 

[Bluetit1802]

If you read a website that spells fibre the American way (fiber) then be careful. American food labelling is different from Europe. In the USA they include fibre in the total carb content. In Europe the fibre is deducted and listed separately, giving a total of net carbs. Is this the problem you are having?

 

[Indy51]

If you're in the UK, why not just use total carbs as they are already adjusted for fibre?
AFAIK, only the US labels need the fibre deducted.

 

[rmz80]

If you read a website that spells fibre the American way (fiber) then be careful. American food labelling is different from Europe. In the USA they include fibre in the total carb content. In Europe the fibre is deducted and listed separately, giving a total of net carbs. Is this the problem you are having?

This site is listed as registered in San Francisco, USA

 

[novorapidboi26]

This site is listed as registered in San Francisco, USA

Is it really.....lol.......

 

[SugarPossum]

Tesco do not attach a label with carbs (net or otherwise) to their parsnip so I've been using this as my carb bible.
Oh dear! Picture doesn't insert from URL so I've added a cropped image as example. Figures represent % carbs but proportions?

 

[Bluetit1802]

There is an excellent book, and app, called Carbs & Cals, available from Amazon. Take a look. When I first started I rarely put it down, and I still use it now. It even comes on holiday with me!

Parsnips (roasted) are high carb, about 19% according to carbs & cals.

 

[SugarPossum]

@Bluetit1802 I guess you mean this:
Carbs & Cals Pocket Counter ?

 

[bulkbiker]

Tesco do not attach a label with carbs (net or otherwise) to their parsnip so I've been using this as my carb bible.
Oh dear! Picture doesn't insert from URL so I've added a cropped image as example. Figures represent % carbs but proportions?

Their website has the info for everything they sell....

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/253557408

 

[SugarPossum]

@bulkbiker, back where I started? from your link:
per 100g
Carbohydrate 12.5g
Sugars 5.7g
Fibre 4.6g

 

[Bluetit1802]

This is the one I have
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Carbs-Cals...qid=1524140706&sr=1-2&keywords=cals+and+carbs

 

[SugarPossum]

Thanks

 

[slip]

EU food labels should say 12.5g carbs of which 5.7g are sugars - although it's not clear or stated on the the tescos page BB provided - someone email tescos and point out their error you might get a free years supply of parsnips.............

 

[bulkbiker]

@bulkbiker, back where I started? from your link:
per 100g
Carbohydrate 12.5g
Sugars 5.7g
Fibre 4.6g

OK Tesco lays it out badly..
It should read Carbs 12.5g
Of which sugars 5.7g

Fibre 4.6g is totally separate from the carb count.

If this was a USA site it would say
Carbs 17.1g
Of which sugars 5.7g
Of which fibre 4.6g

Although not in those words and they have a "portion" size which varies from product to product hence I always avoid using USA sites for anything nutrition counting related.

Edit to add parsnips are therefore 12.5% carb so way over what I would eat anyway...

 

[bulkbiker]

@bulkbiker, back where I started? from your link:
per 100g
Carbohydrate 12.5g
Sugars 5.7g
Fibre 4.6g

Waitrose lays it out in a more clear way
https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/essential-waitrose-parsnips/085147-43236-43237

 

[SugarPossum]

So, bb, it's 18.2g carbs either way?
The parsnip above at 13% needs 6% sugar added.
Now I'm really confused.

 

[bulkbiker]

So, bb, it's 18.2g carbs either way?
The parsnip above at 13% needs 6% sugar added.
Now I'm really confused.

No
Parsnips have 12.5g of carbs per 100g of which 5.7g are sugar. So you look at the total carb figure as all carbs turn to blood glucose once eaten. So parsnips are 12.5% carb
Ignore the fibre (your body does).

 

[bulkbiker]

Waitrose lays it out in a more clear way
https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/essential-waitrose-parsnips/085147-43236-43237

You need to click on the bit that says nutrition.

 

[SugarPossum]

Thanks, that's better.
12.5% carbs I can cope with.
So my picture sheet looks about right.
I'm averaging 70'ish carbs/day.

So finally coconut flour is 26.7% carbs, quite a lot lower than white flour at 73.6%

 

[NicoleC1971]

Useful rules where a carb counter is not available (e.g. when eating food not in a packet)
Or if you are getting stressed or fed up with counting (not sure if that is the case so excuse my presumption):
Quantity - 1-2 fistfuls of carb or less if you tolerate less. You will know by testing post prandial bg after 2 hours
Quality - is it a fibrous carbohydrate? (on the spectrum from white bread through jacket potato down to green leafy veg)? Is it fully of other goodies that you need? (vitamins, minerals,phytates?)
Company - what are you eating with it to slow down its absorption ? (fat and protein or solo will make a differnece to how much insulin and other gut hormones get triggered in the gut)
Timing - as far as I know we are more responsive i.e to carbs spike sugars more first thing (like our eyes' response to bright sun when we've been in the dark all night apparently).

I heard this on a useful low carb podcast and it seems to me like a more sustainable approach unless you are taking insulin and do really need to count (I avoid this by avoiding starchy carbs).
I did eat some coconut flour bread today and can say that it did not raise me as much as wheat flour would have done!