Whats a healthy low carb number per day?

[Pagankind]

Im fairly new to T2D and wondered how many carbs a day is best for a low carb diet but still keep healthy? are what are other peoples experiences pls?

 

[Rachox]

It’s a very individual thing, so that’s where blood sugar testing comes in. Personally when I was first diagnosed (nearly 8 years ago) I started by keeping to around 100g/day, but testing proved I needed to drop lower. For years now I have kept below 40g/day with a little more on high days and holidays.
Dropping very low too quickly can result in what’s called ‘keto flu’ which I managed to avoid.

 

[Pagankind]

Thanks, I'll try by BG but start around 90g.

 

[AloeSvea]

Oh. I would say - what is the level of glucose in your blood currently? ie your HBA1c...

Because the amount of food you 'should' (I don't usually say should actually, but that phrase 'would be recommended' perhaps? yes....) be eating that turns into glucose in your blood, ie carbs (and excess protein but I ignore that - but everyone is different - protein doesn't affect my blood glucose level but excess protein might do yours?).

Anyway - if you were diagnosed with a high level of glucose in your blood you could safely lower your glucose producing food, ie carbs, by as much as is comfortable for you. Or, as suggested above, taper it off gradually. I did that without knowing I was doing that, by still eating tropical fruit - pineapple and the beloved bananas after first diagnosed. But going cold turkey on added sugar and obvious sugary products. That worked well for me. It was still hard, like breaking an addiction (which I think is what it actually is, was), but had very good health benefits very quickly. That and quitting wheat bread.

 

[Pagankind]

Im new and don't know how to read hba 1. I go by mol but my surgery does my bloods annually and it is low.

 

[AloeSvea]

Hi @Pagankind. No worries - I remember what it was like learning all the numbers and measuring units, and even - the difference between type 1 and type 2 (or at least - paying more attention to if someone was type 1 or type 2 here on the Forum.)

But the HBA1c is very important, as it is the measure of how much glucose in your blood over the last three months. If you know any number - know that one I would suggest.

As you have type two diabetes, and medicated, according to your profile that is exhibited there, I am assuming your HBA1c is in the diabetes zone! And therefore - not low. If it's low then you are doing great and after a period of time will be in remission and then 'just' on maintenance of being hunky dory.

Which either or, eating a Low Carb Healthy Fat (LCHF) diet is great. So - good!

 

[KennyA]

Im new and don't know how to read hba 1. I go by mol but my surgery does my bloods annually and it is low.

Attached graph shows you what the HbA1c range is for non-diabetic people. Most people cluster around 38, and almost everyone is somewhere between 35 and 41.

Round about 2008 there was international agreement to automatically diagnose T2 if someone's BG went over 48mmol/mol. This was supposed to be a fallback - ie there would be people diagnosed earlier with lower HbA1cs on the basis of symptoms etc, but even people without symptoms would be classed as T2 at 48+.

The problem was, at least for the UK, that 48 quickly became the only diagnostic criterion. This was made worse because a lot of the diabetes-related payments for GPs via the Quality and Outcomes Framework were linked to the 48 figure. GPs were effevctively told to concentrate on finding people whose BG was +48 - rather than (for example) finding people whose BG was going out of normal range and stopping it rising further.

So if you've been diagnosed as T2, your HbA1c must have been over 48 at that point, which is not "low", and the question is what is it now?

Other question: if you're doing fingerprick testing (and I'd strongly recommend you do) it is not a dependable means of predicting the next HbA1c, largely because the two tests test for different things in different ways. And in any case, it will be what it will be.

Fingerprick testing is however really good at identifying the foods (these will be carbs) which raise your BG most. All carbs will raise BG to some extent- that's what they do, being converted to glucose and moved into your bloodstream. What the fingerprick testing shows is how quickly and efficiently your system copes with removing glucose and either using it or storing it. If high levels of glucose stay in your bloodstream for extended times, that can damage nerves and capilliaries, and lead to secondary symptoms. I had plenty of those, and have some permanent damage as a result.

[edited to correct many typos]

 

[Pagankind]

Hi @Pagankind. No worries - I remember what it was like learning all the numbers and measuring units, and even - the difference between type 1 and type 2 (or at least - paying more attention to if someone was type 1 or type 2 here on the Forum.)

But the HBA1c is very important, as it is the measure of how much glucose in your blood over the last three months. If you know any number - know that one I would suggest.

As you have type two diabetes, and medicated, according to your profile that is exhibited there, I am assuming your HBA1c is in the diabetes zone! And therefore - not low. If it's low then you are doing great and after a period of time will be in remission and then 'just' on maintenance of being hunky dory.

Which either or, eating a Low Carb Healthy Fat (LCHF) diet is great. So - good!

Thank you that's great info, I'll do some more research on this .

 

[carol08]

Funnily enough my husband spoke to our pharmacist yesterday and she happened to say the his HBA1c (or at least I think that is what she said) had gone down from 68 to 60 at his last blood test and she seemed quite happy about that. But we are now watching far more closely what we eat now and hope to lower it further.