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Confused about carbs

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Wish19

Newbie
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4
Hi, I am newly diagnosed and I am getting confused with carbs. I always knew carbs were in pasta, bread, potatoes etc and I should try and swap for wholemeal versions. However I was just filling in my app and it was saying my carrot and suede mash was really high in carbs, but I thought they were good for you. Any advice?
 
Hi Wish19, can you just clarify which type of diabetes you have and what meds if any are you on? It’ll help members to help you.
Just tagging in @daisy1 for her useful info post.
 

Hello and welcome.

This is an excellent link for visual guides re carbs. It makes things really simple hope you find it helpful.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/visual-guides
 
Hi Wish 19. It is really confusing isn't it. We tend to think that bread, pasta, rice and starchy veg are the villains, but the reality is that all veg and fruit has some carbs. The ones that grow underground or in hot climates tend to have the most carbs. It pays to do your research and try to identify foods which are really low like meat and cheese and look for the carby foods which have the highest GI numbers. These are the foods which release sugar into our blood more slowly. This avoids the sort of glucose spike that you get when you eat sugary or high carb foods with a low GI number. Google carbs and GI and there is a wealth of information. Please get a blood glucose meter and do regular prick tests to see which foods spike your BG. We are all different, so it's only by testing that you will find out what you can safely eat and what you should avoid. I use a Code-Free meter which cost about £25. The strips cost around 18p if you buy them on-line, which is a lot less than many other makes. You could try getting a meter and strips free from your GP. Some will prescribe them, but most won't any more. Good luck and keep asking questions. This site is fab
 
I think you have low and high GI the wrong way round.
 
Unfortunately what we have had hammered into us about what is good to eat if we wished to be healthy has been - let us say guided rather than anything stronger, by people who should have known better. They probably did know better, but they were working to prove their own hypotheses.
High carb foods will raise your blood glucose levels, no matter what the colour or source, and whilst some people do cope with such things as porridge, many do not. From my own experience my gut is just as happy to break down low GI carbs as high GI ones, and resistant starches - well they do not resist my enzymes at all well.
I therefor do not eat carbs from densely carb foods, and stick to those with 10 percent carbs or less - that gives me normal numbers, and peace of mind.
 
Welcome to the magical world of What IS the TRUTH about food.

i was the same, re carbs.
the Link @Debandez provided IS what worked for me.and @NoCrbs4Me
nailed it..

so i no longer see the GOOD v BAD food anymore..it's all the same...check the carbs for everything.
@Resurgam makes the point we have been slightly misled all these years re healthy food.
i entirely agree now.

So no rice, bread, pasta

swede i eat, carrots i don't

its good your checking, that is the way to beating this and getting good control.
Know and learn what YOU can tolerate..use the meter wisely.
and life gets easier.

Good luck on your journey.
 
@Wish19
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and helpful.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
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