Free sugars

[DiabeticDee]

Hi started counting carbs and sugars. Apparently I’m allowed up to 25g free sugar a day. What I’m confused about is do you include the sugars in milk and veg for instance in that amount? Thanks

 

[Goonergal]

I’m not sure what you mean by ‘free sugars’. What guidance have you been given and who by?

Personally I’d count all carbs, not just sugars - the fewer the better in my view when managing type2 via diet or diet plus metformin.

 

[Oldvatr]

There is a clue here:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/how-does-sugar-in-our-diet-affect-our-health/
This is the standard government advice for diabetics.and generally used by health care providers for all. It is not really suitable advice for Type 2 diabetics especially if they are not being treated by insulin.

 

[KennyA]

Hi started counting carbs and sugars. Apparently I’m allowed up to 25g free sugar a day. What I’m confused about is do you include the sugars in milk and veg for instance in that amount? Thanks

Hello, welcome to the forum.

My pattern is to count all carbs, not just sugars. So I would count the carbs in milk and veg, and would count all carbs no matter where they come from.

Carbs and sugar are both converted to glucose in the body. "Free sugar" I think is misleading - it doesn't mean "free" as in something you can eat without causing your blood glucose to rise. Unfortunately a lot of the official dietary advice is just not suitable for those of us with Type 2 diabetes, and may not be that good for a substantial proportion of the rest of the population.

If you are testing your blood glucose before you eat, and a couple of hours afterwards, you will get a picture of what different carbs in food do to your blood glucose. It's not the same for everyone. I'm not too bad with legumes, but (eg) any sort of pastry is a disaster. Other people will be different.

Best of luck. This forum is a great source of advice and support.