Carbs or % of which are Sugars?

[ScottJM]

Please forgive me if this is a totally obvious and basic question. Less than a week diagnosed and still navigating all of this.

When looking at carbs, should I focus on total carbs or the % of which are sugars? For example, I just made a wholemeal wrap with tuna mayo and cucumber for my lunch - 26g total carbs, 2g of which were sugars. I am monitoring (and will monitor the after impact on blood sugars) but is this type of value typically 'OK', or way too high?

 

[Inka]

Total carbs @ScottJM I you find two things with the same carbs, you could possibly look at the sugars too then, but it’s the carbs you need to watch.

All carbs, savoury or sweet, will put your blood glucose up.

 

[ScottJM]

Total carbs @ScottJM I you find two things with the same carbs, you could possibly look at the sugars too then, but it’s the carbs you need to watch.

All carbs, savoury or sweet, will put your blood glucose up.

Thanks Inka - guess this will become a rarer lunch moving forward! 🙂

 

[harbottle]

Depends.
Did you test your blood sugar 2 hours after eating to see what level you were at after 26g of carbs?

 

[ScottJM]

Just taken my reading now - I was 10.2 before lunch, and 2 hours after those 26g of carbs I'm still 10.2!

That will probably sound high to many but I was c.15 as an average when diagnosed last week and with my first week of altered diet and medication, the average is down to around 10.

Depends.
Did you test your blood sugar 2 hours after eating to see what level you were at after 26g of carbs?

 

[Harahara]

Please forgive me if this is a totally obvious and basic question. Less than a week diagnosed and still navigating all of this.

When looking at carbs, should I focus on total carbs or the % of which are sugars? For example, I just made a wholemeal wrap with tuna mayo and cucumber for my lunch - 26g total carbs, 2g of which were sugars. I am monitoring (and will monitor the after impact on blood sugars) but is this type of value typically 'OK', or way too high?

Hi. I am a vegan diabetic so all my 1500 daily calories are plant based. I only eat unprocessed foods so the GI index is low and there are no added sugars. 50% of my daily macro intake is from carbs. I am type 2 diabetic on metformin 1000mg a day. My last HBC1A was 38. My twice daily blood sugars are always in the 4.8 to 6.9 range (average is 5.2). So I think it is not purely about how many carbs but more the type of carbs you eat. Mine are all from whole grains, fruit, veg, nuts, seeds, pulses. High fibre, filling, low GI.
I hope this answer helps. Good luck.

 

[harbottle]

Ah, so you're starting at a high level.
Over around 10 the kidneys will start removing glucose from the blood and the gliclazide will be helping.

Good progress to get it down from 15!

 

[Inka]

Hi. I am a vegan diabetic so all my 1500 daily calories are plant based. I only eat unprocessed foods so the GI index is low and there are no added sugars. 50% of my daily macro intake is from carbs. I am type 2 diabetic on metformin 1000mg a day. My last HBC1A was 38. My twice daily blood sugars are always in the 4.8 to 6.9 range (average is 5.2). So I think it is not purely about how many carbs but more the type of carbs you eat. Mine are all from whole grains, fruit, veg, nuts, seeds, pulses. High fibre, filling, low GI.
I hope this answer helps. Good luck.

Yes, a low fat plant-based diet has been shown to help 🙂 Well done on your results!

 

[Sheilaslims]

I'm newly diagnosed, 5 weeks, so it's all new to me. My diabetes practitioner said only foods with no more than 5% sugar per 100g. No mention of a carb allowance. What I have found is if the total carbs in a meal are high, over 45, then the blood glucose taken about 2 hours later is also high. So perhaps we have to find a level that suits our particular bodies for carbs? I'm seeing her on Thursday so will ask her. Good luck!

 

[trophywench]

NB Everyone - we advocate for a lowER carb way of eating which by no means, means a NO carb diet.

It all depends on how much in the way of carb people generally eat usually, as to how much they need to cut down on, and what goes first! Usually the very first thing to look at is sugar itself - cos most folk like sugar in their tea/coffee. I'd already cut it out completely in coffee but still took a flat tsp in tea. That stopped immediately on diagnosis and gobsmacked me suddenly discovered how much more thirst quenching it was, completely without it! By Day 2 - I'd even got used to the taste without it. Now 51+ years later - if I accidentally get a drink with sugar in it - tastes sour; acrid even and revolting.

 

[Inka]

I'm newly diagnosed, 5 weeks, so it's all new to me. My diabetes practitioner said only foods with no more than 5% sugar per 100g. No mention of a carb allowance. What I have found is if the total carbs in a meal are high, over 45, then the blood glucose taken about 2 hours later is also high. So perhaps we have to find a level that suits our particular bodies for carbs? I'm seeing her on Thursday so will ask her. Good luck!

That’s an ok rule but carbs do matter - as you’ve discovered 🙂 Yes, you’re quite right. Type 2s need to find a carb level that works for them. Some people can have a reasonable amount, others have to keep them pretty low.

 

[ScottJM]

NB Everyone - we advocate for a lowER carb way of eating which by no means, means a NO carb diet.

It all depends on how much in the way of carb people generally eat usually, as to how much they need to cut down on, and what goes first! Usually the very first thing to look at is sugar itself - cos most folk like sugar in their tea/coffee. I'd already cut it out completely in coffee but still took a flat tsp in tea. That stopped immediately on diagnosis and gobsmacked me suddenly discovered how much more thirst quenching it was, completely without it! By Day 2 - I'd even got used to the taste without it. Now 51+ years later - if I accidentally get a drink with sugar in it - tastes sour; acrid even and revolting.

I've gone pretty much carb free, but not entirely - I'll still eat things like rice cakes, ryvita etc for snacks - but gone are the days of carb heavy breakfasts (bacon/sausage rolls, sugary porridges, cereal, toast), and an imbalanced carb content for dinners and lunches (rices, pasta, potatoes, sandwiches, burgers etc). I've pretty much gone to protein and veg, with carbs being <1/4 of the plate if I do have any. That's working for me, but I'm aware mileage may vary for others 🙂

I'm still learning how my bloods etc respond to different food types, so I'm not being prohibitive - I'll gradually try things, measure the response and manage accordingly - as a scientist, that's the 'fun' part of diabetes so far.

 

[trophywench]

I was addicted to spreadsheets (and or Adobe Pagemaker) at one time (Windows 7/XP......) for analysing things but frankly since you now can't purchase Office to install 'for ever on this computer, here's the CD to keep in your desk drawer' I can't be bothered to re-learn how to operate it - since it certainly is a lot different from how either Excel or Lotus 123 used to behave.

But if it still pleases you - feel free to go for it. @Docb likes a spreadsheet too and he's a much better person to talk to about them, to glean the info to assist you properly, rather than recording unmeaningful accompanying dross, than most of the rest of us!