What is the daily maximum sugar and carbohydrate intake?

M

mrqt2d

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone,

I hope You're all doing well.

I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, and currently, I am on medication.

I attempted to find the answer to my question, but I was unable to do so.

I began tracking my daily sugar and carbohydrate intake, but I'm unsure of the recommended limits.

Could you please provide me with the daily maximum recommended sugar and carbohydrate intake for individuals with T2D (male / 48y)?

Could You please help me?

Thanks for Your answers in advance.

Have a nice day.
MRQT2D
 
Welcome @mrqt2d 🙂 The answer varies according to the individual. That might sound an annoying answer, but it’s true: you need to find what works for you and your blood sugar. A good starting point is cutting out sugary foods like sugary drinks, juices, sweets, cakes, etc, then looking at the amounts of non-sweet carbs you had pre-diagnosis and making gradual reductions in those.

Low carb is anything under 130g carbs a day, to give you a rough idea. What was your HbA1C at diagnosis? What meds are you on?
 
Inka said:
Welcome @mrqt2d 🙂 The answer varies according to the individual. That might sound an annoying answer, but it’s true: you need to find what works for you and your blood sugar. A good starting point is cutting out sugary foods like sugary drinks, juices, sweets, cakes, etc, then looking at the amounts of non-sweet carbs you had pre-diagnosis and making gradual reductions in those.

Low carb is anything under 130g carbs a day, to give you a rough idea. What was your HbA1C at diagnosis? What meds are you on?
Click to expand...
Hi Inka,

Thanks for Your answer.

Blood Sugar Level: 22.9 mmol/L.
HbA1C: 134 mmol/L.
 
mrqt2d said:
Hi Leadinglights,

I am on oral medication.

- Metformin 1000mg
- Diacronal MR 60mg
Click to expand...
Those medications work in different ways, metformin helps the body use the insulin it produces more effectively and reduces the release of glucose by the liver and the Diacronal (gliclazide ) encourages the pancreas to produce more insulin. As such it is important you keep an eye on your blood glucose levels as it has the potential to cause low blood glucose especially if you do not eat enough carbohydrates for the insulin to work on.
However as you blood glucose is fairly high at the moment that hopefully will not be a problem but is something you should be aware of and make sure you keep your monitor to hand to check especially before driving.
It would be wise to lower your carb intake gradually to around 130g per day and see how that suits you. Remember to look at the total carb not the sugar as sugar is just a carb.
Have a look at this link for some ideas for a low carb approach which is based on the suggested 130g per day carbs. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
 
mrqt2d said:
Hi Inka,

Thanks for Your answer.

Blood Sugar Level: 22.9 mmol/L.
HbA1C: 134 mmol/L.
Click to expand...

Those are fairly high numbers but I’m sure you can improve them 🙂 As @Leadinglights says, you need to be careful as the Gliclazide could, theoretically, cause low blood sugar. In addition, as your blood glucose has been so high, it’s kinder on the body to bring it down gradually. I’d start by looking at what you’d eat in a day pre-diagnosis and look to see where you can reduce carbs. Then see how that goes with your meds, then make more reductions if needed.
 
You say you have been tracking carbs and sugar which is a jolly good start to being able to see where you can make some reductions if needed bearing in mind the medication you are taking.
A good strategic testing regime is useful in guiding you in which foods and meals are causing the problem with increased blood glucose and don't forget drinks as they can add quite a few carbs. People find that testing before eating and after 2 hours where they are looking for an increase of no more than 2-3mmol/l but as your levels start to come down then the aim would be 4-7mmol/l before eating and no more than 8.5mmol/l 2 hours post meal. You probably have a long way to go before you get to that point but the more you can keep your meal increases within range the better the overall levels will be.
Doing things gradually is kinder on your eyes and nerves.
 
Thanks for Your answers.

I check my Blood Sugar Level when I wake up, before breakfast, before lunch, before dinner and before I go to sleep. The Highest number was 14.3 mmol/L. But there were also 5.0 and 6.3.

I reduced the amount and the quality of the food.

I think it was the irresponsible eating that caused the problem.
For example:
I ate a lot of junk food, 1kg of apples at least, chocolate bars, and fries on a daily basis.
I drank 1l energy drink, 2l whole milk, 2 canned drinks at least per day.

I was on a pre-job medical check and it came out after the urine test.
 
mrqt2d said:
Thanks for Your answers.

I check my Blood Sugar Level when I wake up, before breakfast, before lunch, before dinner and before I go to sleep. The Highest number was 14.3 mmol/L. But there were also 5.0 and 6.3.

I reduced the amount and the quality of the food.

I think it was the irresponsible eating that caused the problem.
For example:
I ate a lot of junk food, 1kg of apples at least, chocolate bars, and fries on a daily basis.
I drank 1l energy drink, 2l whole milk, 2 canned drinks at least per day.

I was on a pre-job medical check and it came out after the urine test.
Click to expand...
Testing need to be for a purpose and unless you are making some change based on the readings you take then there is no point as it is telling you nothing.
A better strategy is to do as suggested before you eat and after 2 hours. You could tackle one meal at a time so you can modify the carbs in your meal for next time according to the result.
Portion control is also important but reducing carbs and basing meals on protein and healthy fats
 
Leadinglights said:
Testing need to be for a purpose and unless you are making some change based on the readings you take then there is no point as it is telling you nothing.
A better strategy is to do as suggested before you eat and after 2 hours. You could tackle one meal at a time so you can modify the carbs in your meal for next time according to the result.
Portion control is also important but reducing carbs and basing meals on protein and healthy fats
Click to expand...
My meal today was as follows:

Breakfast:
82g red onion,
60g red bell pepper
67g tuna chunks in brine
20g grated Mozzarella cheese
3 eggs - scrambled
3 slice chia and wholegrain bread
olive oil
parsley - dried
paprika - ground

Snack:
106g apple - Pink Lady

Lunch:
3 eggs - sunny side up
193g avocado

Snack:
20g breaded Mozzarella stick
25g walnuts

Dinner:
79g breaded fish fillet
50g breaded fish fingers
228g mixed cooked vegetables
87g ice-cream

Snack:
28g natural peanut mix - raw
23g cashew - raw
26g pumpkin seeds - roasted
121g blueberries.

If I count well the results are:
Sugar: 74,67g
Carbohydrates: 213,66g
 
I'd say that quite a high carb intake for a day.
 
mrqt2d said:
My meal today was as follows:

Breakfast:
82g red onion,
60g red bell pepper
67g tuna chunks in brine
20g grated Mozzarella cheese
3 eggs - scrambled
3 slice chia and wholegrain bread
olive oil
parsley - dried
paprika - ground

Snack:
106g apple - Pink Lady

Lunch:
3 eggs - sunny side up
193g avocado

Snack:
20g breaded Mozzarella stick
25g walnuts

Dinner:
79g breaded fish fillet
50g breaded fish fingers
228g mixed cooked vegetables
87g ice-cream

Snack:
28g natural peanut mix - raw
23g cashew - raw
26g pumpkin seeds - roasted
121g blueberries.

If I count well the results are:
Sugar: 74,67g
Carbohydrates: 213,66g
Click to expand...
That sounds like an awful lot of food.
As it is the carbs that are the most relevant people tend just to take account of the total carbs. Do your numbers mean 74.67 g sugar in addition to the 213.66g carbs or it the sugar part of the 213g?
It would be a good idea to try to get closer to the suggested 130g per day but gradually. Having filling meals rather than snacking in between is thought to be better for your system an otherwise your pancreas is forever dribbling out insulin.
 
Is that sugar of 75g incorporated into the carbohydrates? ie is it 214g carbs of which 74g is sugar.

It seems like a huge amount of food to me. Do you need those snacks in between meals or is it just a habit?

Your use of a comma instead of a full stop to mark the decimal place suggests you are residing somewhere other than the UK. That isn't a problem as people are welcome here from anywhere here on the forum, but some places like the USA count carbs slightly differently to here in the UK in that they include fiber in the carb count, whereas here in the UK fibre has been deducted and listed separately, so it might be helpful to know which country you are posting from so that we can be aware of any discrepancies like this.
 
rebrascora said:
Is that sugar of 75g incorporated into the carbohydrates? ie is it 214g carbs of which 74g is sugar.

It seems like a huge amount of food to me. Do you need those snacks in between meals or is it just a habit?

Your use of a comma instead of a full stop to mark the decimal place suggests you are residing somewhere other than the UK. That isn't a problem as people are welcome here from anywhere here on the forum, but some places like the USA count carbs slightly differently to here in the UK in that they include fiber in the carb count, whereas here in the UK fibre has been deducted and listed separately, so it might be helpful to know which country you are posting from so that we can be aware of any discrepancies like this.
Click to expand...
I did wonder initially as the medication was not a brand I recognised but blood glucose quoted was in mmol/l
But you do have a point about the comma which I hadn't clocked.
 
Leadinglights said:
That sounds like an awful lot of food.
As it is the carbs that are the most relevant people tend just to take account of the total carbs. Do your numbers mean 74.67 g sugar in addition to the 213.66g carbs or it the sugar part of the 213g?
It would be a good idea to try to get closer to the suggested 130g per day but gradually. Having filling meals rather than snacking in between is thought to be better for your system an otherwise your pancreas is forever dribbling out insulin.
Click to expand...
I counted the carbohydrates and the sugar separately.
But.....
I see just now the following:

Carbohydrate 29g
of which sugars 2,7g

So, if I think well, I need to count them as:
Carbohydrate = Carbohydrate - Sugar = 29-2,7 = 26,3g
Sugar = 2,7g

Am I right?
 
rebrascora said:
Is that sugar of 75g incorporated into the carbohydrates? ie is it 214g carbs of which 74g is sugar.

It seems like a huge amount of food to me. Do you need those snacks in between meals or is it just a habit?

Your use of a comma instead of a full stop to mark the decimal place suggests you are residing somewhere other than the UK. That isn't a problem as people are welcome here from anywhere here on the forum, but some places like the USA count carbs slightly differently to here in the UK in that they include fiber in the carb count, whereas here in the UK fibre has been deducted and listed separately, so it might be helpful to know which country you are posting from so that we can be aware of any discrepancies like this.
Click to expand...
Snacks are just a habit.

I am writing from Ireland.
 
mrqt2d said:
I counted the carbohydrates and the sugar separately.
But.....
I see just now the following:

Carbohydrate 29g
of which sugars 2,7g

So, if I think well, I need to count them as:
Carbohydrate = Carbohydrate - Sugar = 29-2,7 = 26,3g
Sugar = 2,7g

Am I right?
Click to expand...
No if it says 29g carbohydrate that is the number to count. In the UK it is the carb content that is important the sugar is only relevant if you are comparing two products with the same carb content then you might choose the one with the lower sugar as it would contain less empty carbs.
 
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