How many carbs a day?

[slipper]

As a type 2, on diet and some exercise, how many carbs does the body need to function safely.

Searching online I get figures like minimum 20g , or the "the brain needs 160g to function"😱

Mornings, I can tolerate about 12g with a scrambled egg. About the same in the evening, but often lunch has no carbs to speak of.

Bit of a how long is a piece of string I suppose, but in all the books etc I have read, I have not seen any mention made of this,

 

[Mark T]

I'm currently running somewhere between 120 and 160 g Carb per day - although I have dropped as low as 70 when I've been loosing weight.

There are lots of contradicting opinions on the web and I'm not going to add to them 😉

 

[slipper]

Does the Metformin allow you to take extra carbs, Mark. Those figures are loads more than I could tolerate.

 

[Mark T]

Does the Metformin allow you to take extra carbs, Mark. Those figures are loads more than I could tolerate.

To be honest, I'm not sure.

Metformin only impacts on insulin resistance and heptic glucose production. Some of my test results seemed to indicate that I didn't have huge amounts of insulin resistance (not as much as they expected for a textbook type 2 at least). It certainly does nothing for post-prandial response.

I've got records for foods that I have eaten not long after I was diagnosed and then eaten the food more recently. The difference between pre-meal and post-meal is usually very similar between the various sets of readings. What has changed is the point I'm starting from.

 

[Robster65]

I think, technically, you don't need any carbs to function as long as you make up the calories with protein and fat.

The liver can do marvelous things with protein to synthesise glucose for muscle fuel and the brain and nervous system use ketones, which are the by product (different to ketoacidosis), as far as I remember.

But it would presumably put a strain on your liver eventually and better to find some low GI carbs that you can tolerate to make your meals a bit more interesting if nothing else.🙂

Rob

 

[slipper]

Thanks guys. I remember reading certain high protein diets could in time damage the liver, hence my question.

I'll get the six oven chips out again.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

If you go to the diabetes.org.uk site and search for "dahlqvist" you will find the current Diabetes UK position statement (MArch 2011) on low carb, including the amounts they consider to be lowish, low and very low.

They seem to think it is one valid possible approach to weight loss and BG control but not the only solution.

Cheers

LGC

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

How much carbohydrate is in a low-carbohydrate diet?

For a 2000kcal diet, the recommendation for carbohydrate is 225?300g per day (45?60%) (2).

There is no agreed or set definition amongst researchers regarding the amount of carbohydrate in low-carbohydrate diets, but a critical appraisal by Accurso et al (2008) (3) suggested the following definitions:

• Moderate-carbohydrate diet: 130?225g per day (26?45%) of a 2000kcal diet
• Low-carbohydrate diet: less than 130g per day (26%) of a 2000kcal diet
• Very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet: less than 30g per day (6%) of a 2000kcal diet

For the purpose of this position statement, the term ?low-carbohydrate? is used as a collective term to describe any amount of carbohydrate restriction which is less than the dietary reference value of 45% of total energy.

Interesting breakdown LGC thanks for the link.

What strikes me is that even on a day when we go to the chippy and I have a complete carb-blowout (120g+ for one meal) I'm still only counted as moderate carb?!

 

[slipper]

The stance on carbs from them and the NHS puzzles me. How can they propose a high carb low fat diet, if in fact that is what the suggest, cant even figure that out from my DN.

I only have to sniff a carb, and my BG is double figures; there are a few exceptions but not many.

 

[Northerner]

The stance on carbs from them and the NHS puzzles me. How can they propose a high carb low fat diet, if in fact that is what the suggest, cant even figure that out from my DN.

I only have to sniff a carb, and my BG is double figures; there are a few exceptions but not many.

I think it's because they are trying to give out a 'one-size-fits-all' recommendation, which as we all know won't work because we are all different in terms of our needs and tolerances. I eat probably between 140-180g but I am pretty active. I can't imagine eating 300g per day, I miust admit. When I am less active I put on weight, whereas I never used to prior to diagnosis - perhaps due to the insulin. I think the main thing to bear in mind if you wish to make any radical change to your diet - whether it is reducing carbs or increasing fat, or both - then it's important to at least let your doctor know. There may be other medical conditions a person has that have particular dietary requirements, so if you intend to stray significantly away from your normal eating patterns then find out first if it may present any problems.

 

[slipper]

Thanks for that, my DN went through my food diary that I had recorded, which was normal diet type things before diabetes, and basically said everything was ok. (Including the chicken pie!!!!).

To continue eating as I was would be crazy,(I think) having now got my meter and seen the results, and so my carb intake is often less than 30g. per day.

I eat loads of fresh fruit and veg , so although little carb, at least my overall diet is better I hope. I have lost a stone in 2 months so when that is 2 stone perhaps then I may be able to tolerate a bit more carb as my system adapts.