If you are type-2 diabetic is the amount of carbs you should eat per day different?

Answer 1

• Carbs and sugar restriction is very important in type 2 diabetics. Although the reduction of carbs should be discussed with a diabetic dietitian, a general rule is a diabetic should have no more than 20-60 grams of carbs per day, or even less if your blood sugar is constantly too high.

• Eating carbs is like eating sugar. It will increase your blood sugar levels without a doubt. As a diabetic, I am lucky that I was never much of a sweet eater, but carbs were my downfall. I watch my carbs carefully. Having protein and fiber with the meal to slow the uptake is also important. Exercise is one of the best tools to manage your blood sugar.

• Yes, and it's a bit different for each person, too. It depends on your size, your individual metabolism, your capacity to produce insulin, and the GI index of the carbs you're eating. (GI Index is a measurement of how fast a particular carbohydrate turns into blood sugar.)

• Since you can't calculate all these things, and everyone's reactions are different, just following a fixed number recommendation is not very effective. Your best strategy to avoid diabetic deterioration and deadly side effects is to "eat to your meter", that is, start testing your blood sugar (yes, now) at mealtimes, 1 hour, and 2 hours after each meal, and learn what foods and amounts keep YOUR blood sugar within recommended limits. Here they are for you:

Fasting blood sugarunder 100 mg/dl (5.5 mmol/L)One hour after mealsunder 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L)Two hours after mealsunder 120 mg/dl (6.6 mmol/L)

• Yes, it varies from person to person. The thing is that not all carbs are created equal. Those on the low glycemic index are good for some people. In my opinion, beans, lettuce, broccoli, sweet potatoes and so on will not cause issues for some people. Whereas, white bread, rice, white potatoes, fried foods, cookies and so on will give you grief as far as your blood sugar goes. Low sugar foods are good, but the sugar is often replaced with other carbs, like saturated fats, which will not do any good. Be sure to read your labels.

• Yes, it varies from person to person. Moreover, people are not created diabetic equally. For example, even a small portion of beans, sweet potatoes, and all fruits, would cause significant problems for me. As would, even a small portion of all bread (whether white or wholewheat/wholemeal), rice (both white and brown), all potatoes, wheat products, rice products, cereals, grains, and refined processed carbohydrates. I might get away with a mouthful of each (but not all at the same time of course), just as a taste now and then. I'm a non-insulin-dependant type 2 diabetic. In my opinion, and in my experience, both professional and personal, some non-insulin-dependant diabetics need to be stricter than those taking insulin. For example, I've always had a careful diet and exercise regularly. Nonetheless, I developed Diabetes because there is a strong family history of the disease. Therefore, although I don't need to take insulin, I'm very insulin resistant and can tolerate very few carbohydrates per meal. So, always bear in mind that some type 2 diabetics can have very few carbohydrates while others appear to be safe with more. You cannot afford to take chances. You many not be the 'average' diabetic. Your limbs, eyes, organs, and life are at stake if you do not count and restrict as necessary your carbohydrate intake. You need to determine how many carbohydrates are safe for you as anindividual by testing your blood sugar, with your glucometer, one hour after each meal and then again two hours after the meal. Glucometers are readily available to buy at any drugstore, pharmacy, or chemist's shop. They are small and (with a little bit of practice) easy to use. After a few months of testing you will have a personalized 'safe' list of foods and quantities.