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How many grams of carbs tolerated?

carina62

carina62

Well-Known Member
Messages
349
Location
Leicestershire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
miserable weather, rude and bad mannered people
Hello All, I've recently started this 'low carbing' and just wondered how many carbs people can tolerate at each meal. I am going low carb so just having less than 80g daily but last night I had a small seeded roll with my salad and the roll had 27.5g of carbs and when I tested after my meal, my BS reading was 9.5 as opposed to the evening before where it was 8.0 2HPM as I had some home made chilli con carne with some veg. I guess I will have to just keep experimenting but would be interesting to know how much others can tolerate at each meal sitting.
 
Everyone's different - I can go to about 15-20g carb for breakfast depending what they are - about 15 for lunch - in the evening I can go a bit higher at about 25g - but I am on gliclizide so I keep my carbs to lowest I can without going hypo - I seem to have the balance right at the moment - lots of people on here have as low as 15-20g a day - you have to find your own level - you are doing the right thing by testing meals to see what you can tolerate it's a project but worth it
 
Hi there

If I was you and I understand that I am not :-) I would start at less than 20 grams per day until your blood glucose levels were under control. Then you can start adding foods back in one at a time while testing to see how you react. This is eating to your meter. No one can tell you what level you need to be at because everyone is different. At 20 grams per day all your carbs should be coming from above ground veggies and trace amounts from eggs and dairy (no milk, heavy cream only). Good luck
 
Thanks for the advice. As I am now finally taking my diabetes seriously for the first time in 7 years, I will take on board any advice and I think this Forum is brilliant! :-)

It all makes sense - oh and my book The Blood Sugar Diet arrived yesterday :-)
 
I don't tolerate any carbs at breakfast at all.
Then my insulin resistance seems to drop slowly through the day, and I can eat about 20-25 g carbs during the evening.

But... for me, the type of food that contains the carbs is the MOST important thing.
Even 5 g of carbs in grains (incl. wheat, rice, etc) will raise bg disproportionately
Starchy veg are tolerated better
And green veg, saladings, and low carb veg like aubergines blip my bg not at all. I can eat huge portions, adding up to quite a lot of carbs, with no impact on bg.

I would urge you to take more notice of which food caused the spike, than the no of g of carbs that caused the spike. Although both are, of course important.
 
Hello. I've never added up what carbs I eat. I just eat what I believe to be low carb, as best I can. Like @Brunneria I can eat enormous amounts of the right stuff (I am thin, btw) but recently taught myself a lesson with two recipes, each using half a can of chopped tomatoes but one with belly pork (lots of fat) and one a veggie casserole (very little fat). The first kept my BS below 7 while the latter sent it to 9.5. Fat is my friend, also because it gives me energy in place of carbs.
Good luck on your journey.
 
I'm another than cannot tolerate any carbs at breakfast. I have some at lunch time and the rest for evening meal, totaling up to 30g a day, often less. I arrived at 30g after starting much higher. I realised I had to go lower, and did this bit by bit until I was down to 30g. That is my threshold. Yours may be completely different. Your meter will tell you.

I agree with @Brunneria that is the type of carbs that are more important than the number, or at least in my case. I can eat potatoes. I cannot eat ordinary bread, whether seeded or not. I eat Lidl high protein rolls, which do nothing to my BS levels.
 
carina62 said:
Hello All, I've recently started this 'low carbing' and just wondered how many carbs people can tolerate at each meal. I am going low carb so just having less than 80g daily but last night I had a small seeded roll with my salad and the roll had 27.5g of carbs and when I tested after my meal, my BS reading was 9.5 as opposed to the evening before where it was 8.0 2HPM as I had some home made chilli con carne with some veg. I guess I will have to just keep experimenting but would be interesting to know how much others can tolerate at each meal sitting.
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More than 50g a day and I see spikes into the 7s.

Around 25-35g and I remain low 4s to mid 5s:)


Sent from my iPhone using DCUK Forum
 
Thanks All, very interesting and much appreciated advice. Is there a list on here of the 'above ground' vegetables we can eat which are lower in carbs? thanks
 
I'm like @DeejayR in that I have never bothered to actually count the carbs, mainly because I cannot be bothered to weigh stuff.

I just concentrate on trying not to eat many foodstuffs that I know contain a lot of Carbs. I think of them as unnecessary Carbs, such as Bread, Rice, Potatoes, Pasta etc.

I refuse to believe that the Carbs in Green Leafy vegetables can possibly be "bad" for you, so I eat tons of the stuff.
 
I stay under 20 and also am one that cannot eat carbs at BF other than some avocado or a piece of lettuce with a slice of deli meat, mayo and mustard. I need a high fat BF. I eat only above ground veggies, avocado and a few nuts or seeds for carbs. I so however have to watch portions of veggies but I don't like large meals anyway. I like some protein and fat on a medium to large piece of lettuce. You can put all your 'sandwich' fixings on it as well.

I also never eat grains or starchy veg. Fat is my friend as well. I eat avocado with every meal. Slows and lowers the spike. I meal without enough fat will spike me higher and faster

Above ground veggies are all salad greens, kale, Swiss chard, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, peppers, all types of cabbage, scallions, mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, Brussels sprouts, celery, cucumbers, bok choy. I'm sure I missed some but that should give you a good start.

Below ground are starchy tubers such as white potato, sweet potato, kohlrabi, rutabaga, parsnips

Some of us even avoid onion, carrots and peas. I eat a pinch of onion on wraps and occasionally a pinch of shredded carrot for color.
 
Please may I share this - I feel quite elated! :-)

At lunchtime today, I went with a group of colleagues to a Leaving Do at our local Thai restaurant, I was a bit nervous on my food choices as I have been low carbing for only a few days now. I decided to have a mushroom hot and sour soup for my starter and for my main I chose a chicken curry but I asked for vegetables instead of the rice and they brought me a big plate of veg which consisted of beansprouts, broccoli and a few carrots. The vegetables would have been quite bland on their own but with the curry and it's sauce, it was absolutely delicious. I had a sparkling water to drink with ice and lemon and finished off with a coffee. I have just tested myself 2HPM and my BS reading is 7.7 - I'm over the moon with this and just proving to me that my careful food choices will lower my BS levels - Why oh Why did I not do this 7 years ago?? - my only regret!
 
How many carbs you can tolerate (and therefore eat) is very much an individual thing, but you also need to consider whether you can keep it up if you try an extremely low carbohydrate diet. Often it's better to start with moderately low figure - say around 100g a day, and reduce this if needs be to find your own balance. Watch for spikes and reduce or cut out the foods that regularly cause them.

I just allow myself a certain number of carbs a day rather than per meal, and will try to spread them out a bit depending on how many meals I decide to eat. I'll normally eat less than 50g carbs a day, and can generally keep my post meal levels in the mid 6s now. I don't actually count but now have a fair idea of the quantity I can eat, and my meter will show me how I'm doing.

But it's definitely both the type of carbs - and what we eat with them (e.g. with plenty of fats and oils)- that matter most. I get most of my carbs from above ground vegetables, nuts, and some low carb fruits, and just avoid all starchy and sugary foods almost completely.

Robbity

PS As a rough guide to veggies, if it looks like the green growing parts of a plant (e.g. leaves and stalks) it's fine to eat, if it looks like a fruit it's usually OK to eat it, but if it's the root part then it's mainly best avoided.
 
carina62 said:
Please may I share this - I feel quite elated! :)

At lunchtime today, I went with a group of colleagues to a Leaving Do at our local Thai restaurant, I was a bit nervous on my food choices as I have been low carbing for only a few days now. I decided to have a mushroom hot and sour soup for my starter and for my main I chose a chicken curry but I asked for vegetables instead of the rice and they brought me a big plate of veg which consisted of beansprouts, broccoli and a few carrots. The vegetables would have been quite bland on their own but with the curry and it's sauce, it was absolutely delicious. I had a sparkling water to drink with ice and lemon and finished off with a coffee. I have just tested myself 2HPM and my BS reading is 7.7 - I'm over the moon with this and just proving to me that my careful food choices will lower my BS levels - Why oh Why did I not do this 7 years ago?? - my only regret!
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That's great! Congrats and in such a short time. Eating out always makes me nervous. I usually order a salad with a creamy dressing or a burger or chicken breast with no bun, chips, fries etc and a side salad. I like my meals at home, much fresher and I know what I'm getting.
I could never eat 100 carbs a day like some others can. I just keep to the basics. Some salad greens, celery, radish, mushroom, pinches of onions and sometimes some steamed asparagus, broccoli or cauliflower. I don't need variety as much as some others do. I switch up my proteins and mayo based sauces. I love mayo mixed with hot sauce, mustard or horseradish. Flavors change with herbs as well. I found the meals that work for me and keep them very consistant. No thinking involved, I know where my bs will be and shopping is easy.

I have no idea what I would have ordered at a Thai place. You did very well!
 
Kristin251 said:
That's great! Congrats and in such a short time. Eating out always makes me nervous. I usually order a salad with a creamy dressing or a burger or chicken breast with no bun, chips, fries etc and a side salad. I like my meals at home, much fresher and I know what I'm getting.
I could never eat 100 carbs a day like some others can. I just keep to the basics. Some salad greens, celery, radish, mushroom, pinches of onions and sometimes some steamed asparagus, broccoli or cauliflower. I don't need variety as much as some others do. I switch up my proteins and mayo based sauces. I love mayo mixed with hot sauce, mustard or horseradish. Flavors change with herbs as well. I found the meals that work for me and keep them very consistant. No thinking involved, I know where my bs will be and shopping is easy.

I have no idea what I would have ordered at a Thai place. You did very well!
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Thanks Kristin. Normally I would have had the rice and thought 'well I have to eat it as it comes with the meal' but realise that I don't have to - that I have a choice and I made the right choice in asking to have my rice replaced with the vegetables :-)

I come from Italian background so am thinking of having my vegetables with some taste ie cooking them and tossing them in olive oil for example as I do not like bland food and will have to now re-think on how I can make vegetables taste tasty. I love mediterannean food as that's what I was brought up with but unfortunately, the high carbs came with it ie the pasta, bread etc

One question I do have and am a bit puzzled about is that Italy has a high carb diet with the pasta and bread and potatoes etc so just wondering if there are a lot of Italians in Italy who are diabetic - wonder where I could find this information from?

You sound like you do very well indeed with your control and I hope to be where you are in the future :-)
 
carina62 said:
Thanks Kristin. Normally I would have had the rice and thought 'well I have to eat it as it comes with the meal' but realise that I don't have to - that I have a choice and I made the right choice in asking to have my rice replaced with the vegetables :)

I come from Italian background so am thinking of having my vegetables with some taste ie cooking them and tossing them in olive oil for example as I do not like bland food and will have to now re-think on how I can make vegetables taste tasty. I love mediterannean food as that's what I was brought up with but unfortunately, the high carbs came with it ie the pasta, bread etc

One question I do have and am a bit puzzled about is that Italy has a high carb diet with the pasta and bread and potatoes etc so just wondering if there are a lot of Italians in Italy who are diabetic - wonder where I could find this information from?

You sound like you do very well indeed with your control and I hope to be where you are in the future :)
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I have no idea about Italians, sorry.
I do NOT like bland food either. As far as veggies I usually cook them and toss with garlic olive oil and sea salt. Sometimes oregano as well if I remember it. Butter works well too but I prefer olive oil. I still like to taste the vegetable so I don't need tons of stuff on them. I also have a Italian herb olive oil that is great. Not sure where you are located but I'm in the US and I go to an oil and vinegar store. Not too fond of vinegar other than balsamic but it's too high carb for me. IF I do use it I only need a few drops so no damage done. You could also sprinkle a little feta cheese on them if you eat cheese. Or some crumbled nuts. Lemon squeeze. Orange zest.
I used to love to cook. Was my hobby in fact. Now I keep it simple but never bland. I get most of my flavors with my fats, sea salt and herbs. I precook tons of different proteins ahead and freeze them in single serve baggies. Then whatever I am in the mood for that day I defrost the baggies in cold water and top my lettuce with it and then add my flavor of the day. Keeps the kitchen clean and options endless. I love cold salmon and lamb so no problem precook get them either.
Good for you for realizing you don't have to eat anything you don't want to. Most restaurants are good about exchanging starch for veggies. Even if they're not I will pay the up charge for a side salad. Angers me but I will do it. I need some veggies at all meals to feel good.
This will be an adjustment but you will find a routine and it gets easier especially when you know which foods work and which don't and the quantities. In the beginning I always used a food scale to see what quantities of food I could eat. Some weren't worth it. Broccoli has 1 carb per small floret but about 1/4 c cabbage is 1 carb. It was interesting to see how much more asparagus I could have instead of broccoli for example. I do still weigh my protein as it will spike me.
Can I ask what you are eating these days?
 
Wonder why the Middle eastern countries have such high rates?
 
To keep veggies from being boring...... flavored cream cheese, cheese sauce made with heavy cream and all different kinds of cheeses, butter, butter with whatever herbs you like, olive oil, coconut oil (virgin), lots of salad dressings are great on cooked veggies (read labels some are extremely high carb), stir fry. Lots of options. Cauliflower can me made into just about anything including "rice" and "mashed potatoes" and "pizza crust".
 
Thanks all for your comments. I have to share that my BS levels are dropping to the 6's :-) - my FBS this morning was 6.8 I haven't seen this number for months so whatever I'm doing with my carb lowering is working :-)
 
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