Limiting carb intake v "5 a day"

[debs248]

I'm trying to strike a balance between limiting my carb intake while still eating at least 5 portions of veg per day. As I'm also generally only eating one full sized meal plus one or two snacks, this is proving to be a real headache!

I've noticed that nowhere in any of the low carb resources I've been following is there any mention of *how many* portions of veg to aim for in a day.

Does anyone here succeed in eating 5 or more veg a day while eating low carb? I'm trying for 35g carbs max per meal, up to about 100 per day. Is it even worth me trying, or should I just prioritise keeping the carbs down?

 

[Antje77]

Does anyone here succeed in eating 5 or more veg a day while eating low carb? I'm trying for 35g carbs max per meal, up to about 100 per day.

Easy. For most veggies it takes a lot of them to come even close to 35 grams of carbs a meal, so if you just leave out the rice/spuds/bread/pasta you're not very likely to go over 35 grams a meal.

Where are you getting your nutritional information from?
If you use Google, the first result often says that sources include the USDA. In the US, fiber is included in the total carbs, in the UK and Europe the fibre is listed separately. If you use a US source, you'll need to subtract the fiber from the total carbs to calculate the 'net' carbs as we use them.
You don't want to count the fiber.

 

[debs248]

Easy. For most veggies it takes a lot of them to come even close to 35 grams of carbs a meal, so if you just leave out the rice/spuds/bread/pasta you're not very likely to go over 35 grams a meal.

Trouble is I'm not eating those anyway (maybe once a week) so no wiggle room there. My carbs are coming mostly from dairy or veg that wouldn't be my first choice, such as carrots, pulses and leeks. As I'm not able to prepare my own food, I rely on other people's choices.

I think what I want to know is, is it better to eat eg peas and carrots, and go over on carbs, or reject them? I like most veg, so I'm hoping the answer is "eat them up, they're good for you overall despite the carbs"!

 

[Antje77]

I think what I want to know is, is it better to eat eg peas and carrots, and go over on carbs, or reject them? I like most veg, so I'm hoping the answer is "eat them up, they're good for you overall despite the carbs"!

Do you use a glucose meter to see how you react to your meals by testing before and two hours after meals?
We're all different and a meter will show you how you deal with different veggies.

 

[debs248]

I'm trying to test 4 times a day (first thing, before and after 1 meal and before bed) but still only getting a good blood drop about 2/3 of the time, so don't have a complete record.

Gliclazide seems to be masking any effects from food as 2 hours after a meal I'm generally 2mmol/l *below* the before meal reading.

My high readings are nearly always when I get up, after I've not eaten for over 9 hours, so surely can't be as a result of too many veg?

Just want to do the best I can diet wise, it's such a balancing act.