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Reading nutrition info

T

Tonyreynard

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi, when reading nutrition info on food packages do I look at the total carbs or the of which sugars?
Does this tell me what sugars the carb produces or what?
Thanks
 
Tony it is the total carbs figure you need to look at, carbs produce glucose when they are broken down by the body during digestion.
 
@Tonyreynard Its the total carbs you look at. All carbs turn to glucose in the body, so even a completely savoury no-sugar plate of pasta can put your blood sugar up.

The 'of sugars' bit only shows what amount of the carbs are sugar. Sugary foods are usually petty recognisable anyway, but sometimes I do look at this sugar figure for food where the sugar might be hidden eg canned soups or cereal. So if it was a choice between two things, exactly the same amount of carbs, I might then take the 'of which sugars' into account.
 
Well, it's not quite that simple. It's not the sugars bit that is confusing, but the fibre and 'sugar alcohols' (whatever they are) that are handled differently by different manufacturers, mainly from the USA. There, they like to refer to nett carbohydrates, ie taking the fibre off, but we are more circumspect in the UK. Problem is, it makes it very difficult to understand the nutrition labels a lot of the time. A simple rule is: multiply the fat in grams by 9 and the carbs and proteins by 4, and you should end up with the energy in kcal. If you don't, it's a sign that things are not as straightforward as they appear.
 
Yes, U.S. labelling is different, but I believe the OP is in the UK.

The advice above covers all UK foods :)
 
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