What is the recommended daily "Carbohydrate" intake

[JohnH]

Hi I'm newly diagnosed type 2 and I'm trying to find out what the daily recommended Carbohydrate allowance is ?
Any help would be appreciated
John in Cornwall

 

[Diabeticliberty]

John this is a question that I think will meet with a multitude of answers. The recommended daily carbohydrate intake for an adult male is approximately 250g for a 2000 calorie daily diet. This figure is now hotly disputed and suggestions are that people do very well on a lot less carbohydrate and a relatively high fat content diet with loads of vegetables. A good starting point might be to assess what your current daily intake is and compare this to how well your condition is managed. This might allow you to then tailor your intake according to the direction you wish to manage your condition in. I am sorry if this sounds a little bit vague but there really is no absolutely specific answer.

 

[Martin Canty]

Complicated question, John, but in a nutshell we all find our personal tolerance....
There is actually no nutritional requirement for carbs (our bodies can synthesize any carbs needed) yet the establishment want us to eat something like 200g a day or more😱
Many of us on a LCHF diet eat perhaps up to 50g a day (my dinner last night was about 15-20g) & actually thrive. Others eat in the range of 100-150g daily, it's all a case of personal preference

The important thing to note is that it's not so much how many carbs but how the food affects our BG levels, the thing to avoid is the spikes of more than 3 mmol/L after eating. while looking to lower our average BG

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Hi I'm newly diagnosed type 2 and I'm trying to find out what the daily recommended Carbohydrate allowance is ?
Any help would be appreciated
John in Cornwall

Hi John the simple answer/solution is to eat to your meter. It doesn't matter what the recommendation is, it's what your body can cope with and from your results so far what ever you are eating is to much carbohydrate wise.

 

[Stitch147]

Everyone is different, I personally aim for between 100-150 a day, as I know I van sustain that in the long run. But I tend to ho for the slower release type, like porridge and wholegrain/seedy breads.

 

[JohnH]

John this is a question that I think will meet with a multitude of answers. The recommended daily carbohydrate intake for an adult male is approximately 250g for a 2000 calorie daily diet. This figure is now hotly disputed and suggestions are that people do very well on a lot less carbohydrate and a relatively high fat content diet with loads of vegetables. A good starting point might be to assess what your current daily intake is and compare this to how well your condition is managed. This might allow you to then tailor your intake according to the direction you wish to manage your condition in. I am sorry if this sounds a little bit vague but there really is no absolutely specific answer.

Great reply - Thanks

 

[graj0]

people do very well on a lot less carbohydrate and a relatively high fat content diet

Or even a lot less carbohydrate and no extra fat content. Higher fat intake just doesn't suit everybody and can lead to weight gain.
In my case, when the GP suggested I wasn't eating enough I increased my cheese and yoghurt intake with a dash of cream for good measure. End result was that I gained weight and even my BG went up. If you google fat to glucose or even protein to glucose there seems to be some evidence that they do convert to glucose, just a question of by how much, but dependent on the person's metabolism. We are all different.

 

[Mark Parrott]

LCHF is all about balance & your metabolism. I think it's best to gradually lower carbs & if necessary, increase good fats. Protein doesn't appear to affect my BG's, unless i'm missing something.

 

[Marsbartoastie]

LCHF is all about balance & your metabolism. I think it's best to gradually lower carbs & if necessary, increase good fats. Protein doesn't appear to affect my BG's, unless i'm missing something.

I think this sounds like an extremely sensible approach. It may take a few weeks of experimentation, but should help you find a level at which you feel well and your BG comes under better control.

 

[Rosiecarmel]

Hi, John. What the others have said is completely correct. It's all about testing to see what you personally, can eat. I stick to around 100/125g a day although there are days where I eat under 20 and I'm fine! But for me, 100g is sustainable as I work on hospital wards and I'm at uni so I need a small amount of carbs to get me through the day.

I will add that once you start paying attention to your carbohydrates, it's easy to see how people eat so much. They're in everything! Slow release carbs are the best like Stitch mentioned so things like brown pasta, brown rice, brown bread etc. These things still are carbohydrates but as they're slow release, they tend not to spike you as much as their white counterparts.

 

[PinkGrapefruit]

It's easy for carbs to add up.

Two slices of hovis granary (an empty sandwich) are a total of 32 carbs.

Two weetabix 26 carbs + 100ml milk 5 carbs (total 31 carbs).

50g cooked brown rice 23 carbs.

Even a very meagre diet can easily take you over 100 carbs a day without much effort.

I know if I even think about carbs it raises my BS!