Carbs & legumes

[sharonann]

Hi im new to this forum and recently diagnosed as prediabetic. It's all a but confusing at the moment and trying to concentrate on just the carbs at the moment....as was suggested on this forum. Can someone help please? Do we count legumes and beans as carbs? So for example if I had potatoes and some beans would I have to reduce the amount of potatoes? TiA

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi im new to this forum and recently diagnosed as prediabetic. It's all a but confusing at the moment and trying to concentrate on just the carbs at the moment....as was suggested on this forum. Can someone help please? Do we count legumes and beans as carbs? So for example if I had potatoes and some beans would I have to reduce the amount of potatoes? TiA

Yes legumes do contain carbs but not as much as potatoes, green beans are low carb but baked beans, kidney beans etc are higher carbs. I would not eat 2 high carb veg in one meal. But you do need to be careful of portion sizes of things like potatoes, rice, pasta.
Have a look at this link for ideas and explanation. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

 

[Drummer]

Hi im new to this forum and recently diagnosed as prediabetic. It's all a but confusing at the moment and trying to concentrate on just the carbs at the moment....as was suggested on this forum. Can someone help please? Do we count legumes and beans as carbs? So for example if I had potatoes and some beans would I have to reduce the amount of potatoes? TiA

Your are - in effect - asking if you eat carbs and carbs, do the carbs need to be reduced.
Most people just tot up the amount of carbohydrate they can cope with - a blood glucose tester can help reveal what foods to avoid, and find a comfortable level.
There is - as far as I can work out, no benefit in avoiding sugar - though the rise in blood glucose might be a bit steeper with sugar rather than starches, depending on how hardworking the gut is, and what it is eaten with.
I found that I can extract more carbs from beans and peas than the listed value, almost double. A few other people have mentioned the same thing so there might be a genetic factor there.

 

[s'nic]

Do we count legumes and beans as carbs

Be aware that you may see the carbs per 100g on something like dried kidney beans listed as "Per 100g (uncooked)", or it may say something like Per 100g (boiled).

It can be worth checking if quoted figures are cooked or uncooked as carbs differ greatly in cooked and uncooked (dry) pasta or rice (or beans). Sometimes there is a note in the 'per 100g' figures "When cooked according to instructions." or "as consumed" to let you know.

 

[rebrascora]

Rather than have potato and beans why not try replacing the potato with smaller portion of mashed butter beans with butter or olive oil and fill out your plate with protein and plenty of leafy veg. I certainly would not have potato and beans just like I wouldn't have bread and beans. Too many carbs for me.

Like @Drummer, I am one of those who find dried and rehydrated beans and peas and lentils release more glucose than they are supposed to contain and keep releasing it for hours and hours so, much as I like them, lentils particularly, I rarely have them and need to be very careful of portion size. I can get away with a few kidney beans in a big pan of chilli which I serve with a big dollop of coleslaw or on a bed of cooked shredded cabbage or broccoli rather than rice, but it is probably 5 years since I had baked beans. Mushy peas are a twice or maybe 3x a year event and every once in a while I will make a big pan of bacon and lentil soup, but I have to be pretty strict with my portion control, because otherwise I could easily eat half the panful and then be in orbit for many hours even with insulin.

 

[EMcKT]

There are lots of sources of information regarding portion sizes and carbs. I bought the book carb and calorie counter and found it very very useful. Basically you need to reduce your carb intake, not no carb, but reduce. There are guidelines to have under 130gms a day but lots of people are way under that. Might help if you buy the book to start a food diary and write down what you eat at each meal. It will give you an idea of going forward as well as portion control. It takes time to get to grips with this malarkey. Have a read of more of this particular forum.

 

[rebrascora]

Be aware that you may see the carbs per 100g on something like dried kidney beans listed as "Per 100g (uncooked)", or it may say something like Per 100g (boiled).

It can be worth checking if quoted figures are cooked or uncooked as carbs differ greatly in cooked and uncooked pasta or rice. Sometimes there is a note in the 'per 100g' figures "When cooked according to instructions." or "as consumed" to let you know.

And with tinned cooked beans it may be listed as drained weight for things like kidney beans or butter beans where you would pour off the liquid, but not for baked beans where the sauce is intended to be eaten, so there are lots of things to consider with foods that are dehydrated and then cooked like rice and pasta and beans and lentils as well as canned foods that come in a liquid and it can become quite confusing very easily.

 

[nonethewiser]

Hi im new to this forum and recently diagnosed as prediabetic. It's all a but confusing at the moment and trying to concentrate on just the carbs at the moment....as was suggested on this forum. Can someone help please? Do we count legumes and beans as carbs? So for example if I had potatoes and some beans would I have to reduce the amount of potatoes? TiA

My wife ate legumes & potatoes whilst doing slimming world diet after being told she was prediabetic, she didn't really carb count but concentrated on calorie reduction as that is principle behind diets like SW.

For various reasons she had gained weight so she focused on weight loss as a means of reversing her diagnosis, what she did worked as she went on to lose 5 stone in total & all bloods since have been normal, think her last hba1c was 36 so in her case weight loss was the key by losing weight & more importantly removing fat from around her organs, that is what Newcastle Diet sets out to achieve also.

 

[sharonann]

My wife ate legumes & potatoes whilst doing slimming world diet after being told she was prediabetic, she didn't really carb count but concentrated on calorie reduction as that is principle behind diets like SW.

For various reasons she had gained weight so she focused on weight loss as a means of reversing her diagnosis, what she did worked as she went on to lose 5 stone in total & all bloods since have been normal, think her last hba1c was 36 so in her case weight loss was the key by losing weight & more importantly removing fat from around her organs, that is what Newcastle Diet sets out to achieve also.

That's amazing, thanks for the info.

 

[sharonann]

Rather than have potato and beans why not try replacing the potato with smaller portion of mashed butter beans with butter or olive oil and fill out your plate with protein and plenty of leafy veg. I certainly would not have potato and beans just like I wouldn't have bread and beans. Too many carbs for me.

Like @Drummer, I am one of those who find dried and rehydrated beans and peas and lentils release more glucose than they are supposed to contain and keep releasing it for hours and hours so, much as I like them, lentils particularly, I rarely have them and need to be very careful of portion size. I can get away with a few kidney beans in a big pan of chilli which I serve with a big dollop of coleslaw or on a bed of cooked shredded cabbage or broccoli rather than rice, but it is probably 5 years since I had baked beans. Mushy peas are a twice or maybe 3x a year event and every once in a while I will make a big pan of bacon and lentil soup, but I have to be pretty strict with my portion control, because otherwise I could easily eat half the panful and then be in orbit for many hours even with insulin.

Thanks Barbara, I'll just see how my body reacts to different foods. It's a learning curve, thanks for the information.....makes a lot of sense.

 

[beating_my_betes]

Potatoes and beans/legumes are fantastic foods! And while not entirely conclusive at the moment, there is research being done into the wider scope of effects of eating these foods (via resistant starch, fermentation, 2nd-meal effect etc.) other than just the inherent nutrition they provide:

Whole Grains, Legumes, and the Subsequent Meal Effect: Implications for Blood Glucose Control and the Role of Fermentation

Whole grains and legumes are known to reduce postprandial glycemia and, in some instances, insulinemia. However, the subsequent meal effect of ingesting whole grains and legumes is less well known. That is, inclusion of whole grains or legumes at breakfast ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Jodee]

It depends which one, you can search google for legume by name name followed by the word carbs. For instance half a cup of boiled without salt black beans is 20.9grams of carbs according to Precision Nutrition. So they can be quite high. Carb Manager says* 22g for half cup of potatoes others say between 15.9 and 22g carbs (depending how prepared).
Meat protein would near on zero carbs depending what its prepared with. Depending how active you are you could go for half cup of each cooked with loads of close to 0 carbs veg or salad.

Carbs in half a cup of green beans is only 4g carbs.

 

[s'nic]

For instance half a cup of boiled without salt black beans is 20.9grams of carbs according to Precision Nutrition. So they can be quite high. Carb Manager says* 22g for half cup of potatoes others say between 15.9 and 22g carbs (depending how prepared).

But of course half a cup of beans and half a cup of potatoes are unlikely to be the same quantity by weight.
I personally would view cups as inherently inconsistent and would concentrate on how many carbs in 100g of that item

 

[Martin.A]

But of course half a cup of beans and half a cup of potatoes are unlikely to be the same quantity by weight.
I personally would view cups as inherently inconsistent and would concentrate on how many carbs in 100g of that item

A cup seems to be an American measure, and you're right - it depends on what's in the cup - so I would also stick with the 'per 100 grams' as a measure.

 

[Jodee]

But of course half a cup of beans and half a cup of potatoes are unlikely to be the same quantity by weight.
I personally would view cups as inherently inconsistent and would concentrate on how many carbs in 100g of that item

You can do that too - nothing is impossible.

 

[rebrascora]

For instance half a cup of boiled without salt black beans is 20.9grams of carbs according to Precision Nutrition.

I love the irony that they are called Precision Nutrition and quoting carbs to one decimal place ie 20.9g but using a cup as a measure which is inherently not an accurate or "precise" measure. I am guessing it is also a US site since they are using the cup as a measure and therefore could cause further confusion with regard to fibre being included in the carb count.

 

[s'nic]

I am guessing it is also a US site since they are using the cup as a measure and therefore could cause further confusion with regard to fibre being included in the carb count.

The confusion causing someone to use an incorrect carb count is a big minus

 

[Jodee]

I love the irony that they are called Precision Nutrition and quoting carbs to one decimal place ie 20.9g but using a cup as a measure which is inherently not an accurate or "precise" measure. I am guessing it is also a US site since they are using the cup as a measure and therefore could cause further confusion with regard to fibre being included in the carb count.

Yes but it is easy enough to search UK only info, just put UK after the words you are searching for. My recent search for carbs in Galia melon UK brought up differing amounts of carbs too. I really do think (actually according to Zoe) believe not all food types measure the same in content, liken to nutritional value and likely carbs too 🙂 We can only go by guidelines for whichever country we reside.

 

[Docb]

Hi @sharonann. I have a technical/scientific background and as a consequence look on this carb thing slightly different to many. If you look into it you will find that the carb numbers you see quoted are very much guesswork, sometimes the best guess by people who know their stuff and sometimes not. As far as I could make out, you cannot actually measure carb content of anything, it is assumed that what is left when you have measured all the things you can measure, must be carb. Also, the, numbers you see on packets are not measured values for that product. They are estimates based on what has gone into it. The numbers have errors but nobody tells you what those errors are.

What this means is that although it can be great fun to try and work out carb values and effect of substitutes, you will not get very far. You will get most of the way by reducing the "big hitters" in your diet (typically potatoes, cereal flour based products, and ripe fruits) and not worry too much about the other stuff from a carb viewpoint.

 

[Jodee]

The confusion causing someone to use an incorrect carb count is a big minus

I guess only use diabetes.org.uk home page and carbs and cal books if you do have a concern for yourself and for others when there is any doubt. 🙂