Carbohydrates

Starches, sugars and fiber are the carbohydrates in food. Carbohydrates are a molecule that plants make during photosynthesis, combining carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They are very important in your body's metabolism because they are generally the part of food that is digested most quickly. Carbohydrates can give you quick energy, and cause a rise in blood sugar levels. Diabetics, in particular, need to pay attention to the carbohydrates they eat to help manage their blood sugar. Some carbohydrates, those found in whole grains and leafy vegetables, for example have a much slower impact on blood sugar than carbohydrates in fruits or candy. It's easy to consume a lot of carbohydrates, as foods like breads, pasta, cake, cookies and potatoes are loaded with them. Nutrition experts suggest that you should only get 45 to 65 percent of your daily nutrition from carbohydrates.

Recently Answered

QWhat are examples of sugar alcohols?

1 Answer

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A American Diabetes Association answered
Sugar alcohols are one type of reduced-calorie sweetener. Examples of sugar alcohol are:

erythritol

hydrogenated starch hydrolysates

isomalt

lactitol

maltitol

mannitol

sorbitol

xylitol

Even though they are called sugar alcohols, they do not contain alcohol.
QHow does vinegar lower blood sugar levels?

1 Answer

A

A dLife - It's YOUR Diabetes Life! answered

Preliminary research suggests that vinegar may have some blood glucose (sugar) lowering benefits. There's also some evidence that vinegar may help promote weight loss. The active compound in vinegar, acetic acid, has been shown to inhibit carb-digesting enzymes, which means carbs have less of an impact on blood sugar.

It doesn't matter which type of vinegar you use since it's the acetic acid in vinegar rather than the flavor that can help lower blood sugar levels. The recommendations vary from 2 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons to be taken with meals. Flavoring your salads with vinegar is one way to add this ingredient to your meals.
QWhen figuring net carbs, can I subtract protein?

1 Answer

A

A dLife - It's YOUR Diabetes Life! answered

When figuring net carbs, you can subtract carb grams depending on how much fiber a food contains, not protein. The general rule is that if a food has 5 or more grams of fiber, you can subtract half of those fiber grams from the total carb count. However, it's always a good idea to test your blood sugar after eating and see what kind of effect fiber has on your own metabolism.
QWhat are macronutrients?

3 Answers

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A Boston Women's Health Book Collective , Administration, answered

To better understand how the body uses foods, it is helpful to know how the various components of food function to keep us going. Macronutrients -- namely proteins, carbohydrates, and fats -- are our bodies' basic building blocks. We need them in large quantities simply to survive.

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QWhat foods are high on the glycemic index?

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A Debra Fulghum Bruce PhD , Healthcare, answered
For weight loss, be cautious when selecting foods high on the glycemic index, such as:

Potatoes

Refined grains

Sweets

Vegetables high in starch (corn)

Candy

Pastries
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QHow can consuming simple sugars affect my eating habits?

1 Answer

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A Dr. Vonda Wright, MD , Orthopedic Surgery, answered

Easily digestible foods containing high levels of simple sugars cause a rapid spike in circulating blood sugar. This signals the pancreas to release insulin in order to absorb the glucose. This works well unless the pancreas overshoots insulin secretion, which it commonly does, providing too much transportation of the glucose out of the blood. This causes the blood glucose to fall rapidly and leaves you feeling tired, cranky, shaky, and sometimes lightheaded. This precipitous drop spurs a carb crave three to four hours after a high-carb meal and sends you straight to the refrigerator for more carbs that are high on the Glycemic Index (a measure of the effect of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels and insulin production). Usually, high-index foods also contain a lot of fat and calories, which can set you up for a cycle of overindulging.
QHow does sugar affect the kidneys?

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A National Kidney Foundation answered

Sugar is not a problem for the kidneys unless your blood sugar level gets too high. This commonly occurs in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Once the blood sugar level gets higher than 180 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), the kidneys start to spill sugar into the urine. The higher the blood sugar, the more sugar comes out in the urine. If your kidneys are normal, this usually isn’t a problem, but if you have diabetes, too much sugar can cause kidney damage.

A common blood test used to detect diabetes and monitor blood sugar levels over time involves the hemoglobin A1C (HgbA1C) protein. The higher the blood sugar gets, the more sugar gets attached to this protein. Determining the levels of hemoglobin A1C helps to give an estimate of the average sugar level in the blood for the past three months and provides an indication of how much damage the sugar may be causing in the body, including to the kidneys. A normal HgbA1C is less than 6% for someone who doesn’t have diabetes. As the HgbA1C gets higher, more damage is done.

Uncontrolled diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the kidneys and destroy their filters. When the blood vessels in the kidneys are injured, the kidneys can’t clean the blood properly, resulting in more water and salt being retained and waste materials building up in the blood.
QWhen counting carbs, can I deduct the total grams of fiber?

2 Answers

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A dLife - It's YOUR Diabetes Life! answered

The most recent recommendation for how to deal with fiber in foods is if a food has more than five grams of fiber, you can subtract half the grams of fiber from the total number of carbohydrate grams in the food.

For example, if a food contains 17 grams of total carbs and 12 grams of fiber, you can subtract 6 grams, which would result in 11 grams of carbs for your body to digest and absorb.

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QWhat are some moderate glycemic index foods?

1 Answer

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A Dr. Vonda Wright, MD , Orthopedic Surgery, answered

The Glycemic Index is a measure of the effect of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels and insulin production.

Moderate glycemic index foods include: sponge cake, pita, brown/white rice, barley peas, candy bars, mango, kiwi, basmati rice, buckwheat, sweet potatoes, powerbar, banana, whole wheat, bran cereal, citrus juice, oatmeal, grapes, tortillas, pasta, corn, crackers.
QHow much carbohydrate should I consume?

5 Answers

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A Dr. Vonda Wright, MD , Orthopedic Surgery, answered

The recommended intake is a minimum of 130 grams/day, or 45 - 65 percent of daily calories for adults, independent of age or activity level. This is the minimum needed for your brain to function. Athletes are recommended to consume 6 - 10 grams for every kilogram of body weight per day. For example, a typical man weighing 70 kilograms needs 420 grams of carbs per day to fuel his activity. If you are on a low-calorie diet (less than 2000 calories per day), it may be difficult to achieve the 6 grams per day.

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