Hello

[Northerner]

Question: Thanks for the info on watching Carbs - and ignoring the bit which says"of which is sugars" What daily level of Carbs should I be aiming for ?

As Grovesy says, the ideal amount is the amount that you tolerate well and that results in good, steady blood sugar levels 🙂 The testing will inform you where this level lies for you personally, allowing you to maintain maximum flexibility in your food choices - no need to give everything up if it doesn't cause you a problem! 🙂

 

[Northerner]

I read on the Diabetic's-uk page that for men it's 300 grm per day...which seems rather a lot ... have I read it wrong ?

I would say that 300g carbs is too much for anyone, actually. Personally, I'd really struggle to eat that much unless I was making very poor choices! 😱 I would say that my diet is around 100-150g carbohydrates, but I am on insulin which allows me some greater flexibility than people who are on diet-only or pills.

 

[JohnH]

As Grovesy says, the ideal amount is the amount that you tolerate well and that results in good, steady blood sugar levels 🙂 The testing will inform you where this level lies for you personally, allowing you to maintain maximum flexibility in your food choices - no need to give everything up if it doesn't cause you a problem! 🙂

Thanks - I typed in "Daily recommended carb intake for type 2 diabetes" and the result came up as 300g/day for a male - which I thought was rather high ?....
I see your point about the regular testing though ... Thanks

 

[Martin Canty]

There is a lot of information out there about the benefits of a low carb diet..... Personally I aim for 20-50 a day sometimes more often less.

I had a lot of problems last year in reducing my carbs without balancing the fat, added to which I was on Glyburide (which stimulates the pancreas into secreting insulin) as a result suffered frequent hypo's (it is really embarrassing to be in a meeting looking like you have the DT's)..... Finding an ideal balance for me in my diet allowed me to come off the Glyburide (as a consequence feel way better), lost an additional 30+lb (over 50 in total) & have FBG (fasting blood glucose) of about 5.0 every morning (at DX it was 13+)

At the end of the day, I am eating a much better diet than the carb infested one I ate previously, way more (green) veggies, better fat (my pantry is a shrine to Extra Virgin).... Prior to DX I was bulking up on way too much rice & pasta which ultimately assisted me in developing T2,

 

[JohnH]

Great reply - can't figure out why this website lists 300g as a daily recommended carb intake - do you this they made an error ?

 

[Martin Canty]

do you this they made an error

The problem stems back to the 7 Countries Study in the 60's & 70's where Ansel Keys cherry-picked results to support his theory that fats are bad & carbs are good, this led to the nutrition guides that we see today (assisted by lobbying from various influential agriculture groups). this was despite contrary research by people like John Yudkin, it's just that Keys had the backing of the US government & forced his opinion on his peers.

As a result we have seen Obesety, Diabetes & other chronic conditions on a significant rise since the 80's, (looks like a major correlation to me). If we look back to our parents & grandparent era where we ate a more traditional Meat & Veg diet with little regard to the fat then we dust didn't have this epidemic.

 

[Andy HB]

Thanks - I typed in "Daily recommended carb intake for type 2 diabetes" and the result came up as 300g/day for a male - which I thought was rather high ?....
I see your point about the regular testing though ... Thanks

I think 300g per day is too high. That probably equates to my lower levels of intake when I was having severe problems prior to diagnosis (but probably doesn't cater for when I was having the odd chinese takeaway with their stupid portion sizes of rice)!

Like Northerner, I am probably in the 100g to 150g range, but maybe towards 200g on 'bad' days.

Andy 🙂

 

[SB2015]

I too aim for about 100 g per day, but like Northerned I am on insulin so have more flexibility in what I do. The important thing is to find out what suits you, and that will take a bit of time, but just the fact that you are on here asking questions is an excellent start.