A sort of newbie ...

[Janbak]

… but all my original 'stuff' was lost when I got a new pc. Not to worry as I have found my way back.

I was diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic some eight/nine years ago. I am now on two insulin injections per day of NovoMix 30 each of 22 units.

It is only in the last two years that I've really taken Type 2 very seriously, after open heart surgery and blood cancer. I am now in as good a health as I could be but I have a question.

I've bought the book Carbs & Cals which gives all sorts of both printed and pictorial information about Diabetes. What I'm trying to work out is how to convert 'total carbohydrates' and 'which are sugars' into an accurate amount of sugar per carbohydrate. Because in the book it does not give that information.

I've been told that you should divide the total amount of sugar,eg 3.4 by the carbohydrates, eg 7.5 which equals 0.45 of sugars. That is per one ginger biscuit but I'm not totally convinced. Can anyone provide a definitive answer, please?

 

[khskel]

No that's right. Why are you wanting to do the calculation. Not a criticism, just interested.

 

[Janbak]

Because the book lists carbs, proteins, fat, sat. fats but not sugars in any of the examples and I'd like to know how much sugars are in my snacks and meals. For instance, in the ginger biscuit example, on the rear of the biscuit packet it states that the sugars in one biscuit are 4.7 not 0.45 as in the calculation above. surely they can't both be right but they can both be wrong.

 

[Robin]

Because the book lists carbs, proteins, fat, sat. fats but not sugars in any of the examples and I'd like to know how much sugars are in my snacks and meals. For instance, in the ginger biscuit example, on the rear of the biscuit packet it states that the sugars in one biscuit are 4.7 not 0.45 as in the calculation above. surely they can't both be right but they can both be wrong.

The discrepancy is because each figure is answering a different question.
The 4.7 is the answer to the question 'How many grammes of sugar are there in this biscuit?
The 0.45 is the answer to the question ' Looking at every gramme of carbohydrate in this biscuit individually, what fraction of that gramme of carb is sugar?

 

[SB2015]

Because the book lists carbs, proteins, fat, sat. fats but not sugars in any of the examples and I'd like to know how much sugars are in my snacks and meals. For instance, in the ginger biscuit example, on the rear of the biscuit packet it states that the sugars in one biscuit are 4.7 not 0.45 as in the calculation above. surely they can't both be right but they can both be wrong.

For anyone with Diabetes, the important bit of information is the amount of carbs in anything we eat. Our stomachs don’t care whether these are already in the form of sugar, or in other carbs. They all get changed into glucose, and contribute to a rise in the blood glucose, and the need for more insulin.

So the important figures are the amount of carbs. The types of carbs and other bits we are eating such as protein and fats, can have an impact on how quickly our bodies convert the carbs into glucose.

 

[Bronco Billy]

As SB2015 said, it’s best to include the total amount of carbs. For foods high in fat, e.g. pizza, it’s a good idea to include the fat content as well.

 

[Janbak]

My thanks to you guys, especially Robin and SB2015. I'm now fully conversant with the carbs and sugar ratios. Yippee!