Carbs and sugar content

[c.e.s]

Hi there
My partner has type 2 diabetes and i am counting all the carbs in our meals.
However the sugar content is high especially in fresh fruit,as these are natural sugars do you count these or subtract them from your total recommended sugar allowance of 30g ?

 

[Dragonheart]

They form part of your “allowance” so count them. The body doesn’t recognise the source of carbs (fruit, whole grain, brown etc) just the fact that it is sugar once digested.

Berries are the best option if you want some fruit but don’t go too mad. Vegetables can give all the same micronutrients without the sugar.

Where are you getting 30g sugar allowance from? It is all carbs that need considering (not including fibre) not just “sugar”. The nhs standard advice of 30g carbs a meal (plus snacks) might be ok for some people to achieve normal levels but in reality its still too many for a lot of us if we want to manage with drugs. It is however a good place to start and see where it gets your husband but remember if it doesn’t get him where he wants to be he can go lower and see how much that helps. There’s a significant number who need to go as low as 30g a day, not a meal. We increase other parts of the meal to avoid hunger.

 

[bulkbiker]

All carbohydrates turn to sugar once ingested..

You'd be better off counting total carbs rather than sugar.

Are you aiming for ketosis at 30g of carbs per day or just reducing carbs to "low carb" of 130g per day?

I found the former with some time restricted eating put my T2 into remission very quickly.

 

[Dragonheart]

You'd be better off counting total carbs rather than sugar.

I avoid using the word total carbs as confusion often follows - between the USA total carbs (with fiber include in the number) and UK/Eu carbs as listed (excluding fibre, which is the same as USA net carbs)

So many sources of carb info are USA based there is constant misunderstanding of what method is being used and undercounting, by double deductions of fibre, happens all the time in the uk, or less commonly a fear of the carbs in fibre unnecessarily restricting otherwise low carb foods like green veg.

Clarifying it’s not just sugar or don’t worry about fibre seems to make the point more clearly (which I realise you did include)

I’m being a bit picky but newbies often don’t realise the total/net/fibre issue on labels and counts

 

[c.e.s]

Thank you everyone

 

[c.e.s]

They form part of your “allowance” so count them. The body doesn’t recognise the source of carbs (fruit, whole grain, brown etc) just the fact that it is sugar once digested.

Berries are the best option if you want some fruit but don’t go too mad. Vegetables can give all the same micronutrients without the sugar.

Where are you getting 30g sugar allowance from? It is all carbs that need considering (not including fibre) not just “sugar”. The nhs standard advice of 30g carbs a meal (plus snacks) might be ok for some people to achieve normal levels but in reality its still too many for a lot of us if we want to manage with drugs. It is however a good place to start and see where it gets your husband but remember if it doesn’t get him where he wants to be he can go lower and see how much that helps. There’s a significant number who need to go as low as 30g a day, not a meal. We increase other parts of the meal to avoid hunger.

Thank you everyone

They form part of your “allowance” so count them. The body doesn’t recognise the source of carbs (fruit, whole grain, brown etc) just the fact that it is sugar once digested.

Berries are the best option if you want some fruit but don’t go too mad. Vegetables can give all the same micronutrients without the sugar.

Where are you getting 30g sugar allowance from? It is all carbs that need considering (not including fibre) not just “sugar”. The nhs standard advice of 30g carbs a meal (plus snacks) might be ok for some people to achieve normal levels but in reality its still too many for a lot of us if we want to manage with drugs. It is however a good place to start and see where it gets your husband but remember if it doesn’t get him where he wants to be he can go lower and see how much that helps. There’s a significant number who need to go as low as 30g a day, not a meal. We increase other parts of the meal to avoid hunger.

Sugar: the facts

Most adults and children in the UK eat too much sugar. Cut down by eating fewer sugary foods, such as sweets, cakes and biscuits, and drinking fewer sugary fizzy drinks.

www.nhs.uk

The above is where we found the 30g sugar allowance

 

[rebrascora]

Those are guidelines for healthy non diabetic adults. If your partner is diabetic, then he almost certainly needs to not just cut the sugar down further but his carbs in general. Doing it gradually is a good idea though so work on shaving a bit more off what he is currently having this week and a bit more off next week. It takes a bit of getting used to but gradually your tastes change and not only do you not miss the sweet stuff but you start to be more aware of and enjoy other flavours like sourness and savoury and bitterness and especially creaminess.

 

[Dragonheart]

Sugar: the facts

Most adults and children in the UK eat too much sugar. Cut down by eating fewer sugary foods, such as sweets, cakes and biscuits, and drinking fewer sugary fizzy drinks.

www.nhs.uk

The above is where we found the 30g sugar allowance

That’s just the “of which sugars” bit and probably not even all of those. Whilst it might be a step in the right direction for now it’s unlikely to be enough to turn things around and get normal levels back.

Many nhs surgeries and courses will tell you 30g of carbs per meal. And that is the one I was saying was still too high for a lot of people to manage by diet alone. It certainly is for me and my meter after eating the whole grains/brown carbs that are often recommended shows they do much the same as white versions in raising levels. I need to be closer to 30 a day if I want normal levels and no medication and I’m not that unusual.

Testing is unbiased and shows you what the food does. Test immediately before and 2hrs later. A rise of more than 2mmol means you didn’t have a normal response and need to eat less of the carbs. I’d do each food or meal a few times to see the trend as other things can throw a spanner in the works sometimes. It’s most likely you’ll have to buy your own meter and strips so lost at the cost of the strips as it’s like a printer the costs are in running it more than buying it.

This practice (and others) are more enlightened and doing far better than national rates at improving their patients health. Have a read https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/