what are carbs

[andy elvin]

hi,ive been type 2 for quite a few years now,i started on pills then progressed to humalin,i was on 50 units in the morning and 40 at night,i also take 2.5 mils of munjaro,my average glucose was 17.5,i have now been put on 60 ml of toujeo slow release,and trurapi with meals 3 times a day,but every morning my glucose is still around 15,my friend who is type 1 thinks i may be type 1,and says i need to carb count,i really dont understand carbs,i have never been told about them,can anybody advise me about carbs,and the best things to eat.

 

[KennyA]

Hi and welcome. There's a really complicated scientific definition of "what carbs are" but I'm guessing that you really want to know what foods are carbohydrates?

This website will help.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods

Carbohydrates are starches and sugars. Sugars are in things like sucrose, fructose (eg in fruit) and lactose (eg in milk). Lots of other foods either have natural sugars or have sugar added. Some packaged meats have added sugar, for example - cooked chicken often has sugar added to brown the skin.

Starches are things like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, cereals. Once eaten, they get digested to glucose just like sugars and will tend to elevate your blood glucose levels.

Fats and proteins in food aren't carbohydrates and aren't digested to glucose. I aim for around 20g carb per day. This is a very small amount, and I'm not suggesting that everyone needs to be at that level. It's just what has worked for me - so most of what I eat is fats and/or proteins.

If you're planning on reducing your carb intake, you may need to adjust your medication - so you should discuss this with your medical team. Basically your medication is lowering your glucose, but if you lower it yourself by changing your diet, you may end up taking more medication than you need or is safe.