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Carbs question

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Spudz

Spudz

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Hi, trying to get my head around carbs and the '130g rule.' On the backs of food packages, (see photo for example), carbs are usually listed with two amounts, one being 'of which are sugars' or words to that effect. Is it this reading you take into account when working out a total, (130g) or the other one which is usually much higher?
IMG_1738.jpeg
 
It’s the Carbohydrate @Spudz So in your example, each thin has 4.2g carbs and it’s that number that you count.
 
Hi @Spudz you can ignore the sugar component of any carb numbers unless you are choosing between 2 foods with the same carb amount but one having more sugars than the other. You may want to choose the lower sugar option. Personally I choose the least processed option because that's how I like my food.
 
Just a thought @Spudz. I think that when it comes to managing T2 there are many suggestions, lots of guidelines but no rules. As such I am not sure about a 130g carb "rule". 130g carb a day is a pretty good guideline for those who are aiming for a medium carb diet but it is not a rule.
 
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My understanding is that sugars are just one type of carb, and we, as diabetics need to reduce all carbs, including sugars, so its the main carb no' thats important. Cheers
 
Yes the 130g per day is just a suggestion as being a good starting point for reducing carbs to not a rule, you will probably see people opt for varying amounts depending on how their body tolerates carbs, some may need to go as low as 50g per day some are fine with 100g but they generally will determine that by testing their blood glucose before and 2 hours after meals and adjusting the carb content accordingly.
 
I just tried using slimming shakes, and my HbA1c went up!! I suspect it could well be because the carbs coming from the shake, which has milk in it, spike my levels.
I usually don't bother to count calories only carbs, but I stay under 40gm per day to keep my numbers normal and eat at 12 hourly intervals, approximately.
Way back in the mid 1800s William banting suspected that the quality of foods rather than the quantity was more important, and perhaps he was correct.
 
Docb said:
Just a thought @Spudz. I think that when it comes to managing T2 there are many suggestions, lots of guidelines but no rules. As such I am not sure about a 130g carb "rule". 130g carb a day is a pretty good guideline for those who are aiming for a medium carb diet but it is not a rule.
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The brain needs the amount of glucose per day equivalent to that produced by 130 g of carbs. The easiest way of getting that high octane 'fuel' for the brain is by having a minimum of 130g of carb. That's where the magic figure of 130 comes from. If you were a road builder you'd need much more of course. Diabetes UK and NHS used to recommend between 45% and 60% of calories from carbs depending on work done and level of physical activity. Most of the auld codgers/silver surfers on here would naturally be at the lower end of that. The DiRECT trial echoed that by having a crash diet of 800 cals with 60% from carbs. Their maintenance diet for 'remission' also suggests 60% of calories from carbs.
 
That figure of 130g comes from a US organisation that used to be called the Institute of Medicine (A document called the Dietary Requirements Intake) and is based on estimations and a lot of guesswork. (They even added an arbitrary number to the original estimate just in case.)

The whole thing is based on the brain only using dietary carbs, not glucose produced by the body via other mechanisms.

The same document also states:

The lower limit of dietary carbohydrate compatible with life apparently is zero, provided that adequate amounts of protein and fat are consumed
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6 Dietary Carbohydrates: Sugars and Starches | Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids | The National Academies Press

Read chapter 6 Dietary Carbohydrates: Sugars and Starches: Responding to the expansion of scientific knowledge about the roles of nutrients in human healt...
nap.nationalacademies.org

The American Diabetes Association also says something similar:

Nutrition Therapy for Adults With Diabetes or Prediabetes: A Consensus Report - PMC

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The amount of carbohydrate intake required for optimal health in humans is unknown. Although the recommended dietary allowance for carbohydrate for adults without diabetes (19 years and older) is 130 g/day and is determined in part by the brain’s requirement for glucose, this energy requirement can be fulfilled by the body’s metabolic processes, which include glycogenolysis, gluconeogenesis (via metabolism of the glycerol component of fat or gluconeogenic amino acids in protein), and/or ketogenesis in the setting of very low dietary carbohydrate intake
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The figure is complete nonsense and so widespread, and never questioned, it's probably caused more harm and damage to people with T2D over the years. The number of idiots I see on a Facebook forum happily eating chips and bread because they think this value is some sort of gospel rule is shocking. If your metabolism struggles with 130g of carbs a day, then you're just making the condition worse, IMHO!
 
If the brain always needs 130g a day I must have been brain dead for most of my adult life. Of course by now it is getting a bit unreliable at times but there again it happens to household appliances and especially anything electronic and/or mechanical that's too complicated for its own good too and just c'est la vie!
 
trophywench said:
If the brain always needs 130g a day I must have been brain dead for most of my adult life. Of course by now it is getting a bit unreliable at times but there again it happens to household appliances and especially anything electronic and/or mechanical that's too complicated for its own good too and just c'est la vie!
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130g of what ?
 
Hi Spudz, could you tell me what the thins are in your photo.
Just they look tasty and low carb. Plus where I can get them.
 
Theo said:
Hi Spudz, could you tell me what the thins are in your photo.
Just they look tasty and low carb. Plus where I can get them.
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My guess is ryvita cheese thins
 
Theo said:
Hi Spudz, could you tell me what the thins are in your photo.
Just they look tasty and low carb. Plus where I can get them.
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Most supermarkets do them, I have some which are from Aldi cheddar and cracked black pepper 5g carb per thin. They are actually quite high carb when you look at the per 100g but because they are so thin only 7g each so not very filling.
The Dr Karg protein pumpkin seed crackers are much better bet as they are only 5.9g carbs per 19g cracker. Sainsbury have those.
 
CliffH said:
That takes me back! I remember TV adverts for ryvita back in the 70s. I didn't know they still make it.
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Oh yes. I have some in the pantry and eat them with a good dollop of cream cheese or quark if I can get it, topped with nice pickled gherkins or red cabbage. Not too carby if I stick to 3 for a light lunch.
 
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