You know how some foods just instinctively seem low-carb — or appear to genuinely be so, based on the package labels, but somehow aren’t? Isn’t that maddening? Here’s my personal list of dreaded “fake-out foods” that spike my blood sugar when they seem like they shouldn’t:
- protein “shake” drinks [tasty and filling, they're supposedly only 9 grams of carb per an 11 oz.
can, but my post-drink blood sugar disagrees with that assessment]
- rice cakes [I like the more "gourmet" compressed variety, which state that they only contain 8g carb per TWO cakes, but my blood sugar tells me VERY differently]
- light beef bologna [a favorite snack of mine, which supposedly has virtually no carbs — but not dosing for it at all is always a mistake]
- hummus [me loves it, but must I remember that it's made of mashed garbanzo beans, so must remember to dose for at least 20g carb if I'm going to indulge at all — despite the fact that the packaging says 7g of carb per 2 Tbsp, which sounds so insignificant...]
- light Ranch dressing [we buy this as a dip for the kids, but I it like on veggies, too. Why does my BG always spike even though the bottle says just 3g of carb per 2 Tbsp? How much of it could possibly adhere to a handful of mini-carrots, anyway?]
- peanut butter [OK, the mainstream brands are all fat bombs, but couldn't they at least be low-carb? The labels say just 7g carb per 2 Tbsp, so the problem's gotta be that I eat too much once I get started. Hey, it IS addictive.]
- cocktail sauce [once again the jar gives that magic value of 7g per 2 Tbsp, and I never eat too much of this stuff. What's even in there besides tomatoes and spices? And darn it don't you know, even teriyaki sauce can catapult your BG.]
- baco bits [I add 'em to my salads and more; it's all about the garnish and condiments when you're stuck with bland gluten-free foods. But the stupid baco bits always seem to contribute to a BG spike despite the label: only 2 carbs per 1.5 Tbsp?]
Wherever is a body safe? I mention all this because a major recurring theme in my diabetic life is guilt over eating too many carbs. I’m keenly aware that less carbs = better BG control. I work pretty darn hard to keep ‘em in check. But I find I CANNOT limit my food intake strictly to meats and fats and vegetables. I’m desperate for variety, in textures and flavors, as well as nutrients.
And even these foods I’ve traditionally considered “carb-safe” seem to have betrayed me — in what I take as a personal affront to both my mood and my health. Darn you, Food!
Editor’s Note: If it’s any consolation, you can revisit my list of actual, bona fide low-carbohydrate favorite foods recommended by the experts HERE.
I am big on protein shakes as I do a lot of weightlifting at the gym. Provided I get a carb-free mix (yum to Cytosport’s Complete Whey), I don’t have to dose except for the carbs in the milk I mix it with.
I sometimes wonder if the added chemicals in the food make my liver pump out more glycogen. Or something. I don’t know!
Hi Amy, when I started drinking protein shakes I had to have a long talk with my doctor because like you, my blood sugar was saying that there were more carbs in that drink than I was being told. What I found out is that I actually have to bolus for the protein. I don’t remember why, I just remember that when I’m eating an inordinate amount of protein it does something and I need insulin. The ratio is much smaller than what I would bolus for carbs but it still makes a difference.
I’ve always wondered why it is that the carb counts on the nutrition labels on some foods always seem to be wrong. Unfortunately, when the label is wrong, it usually understates the carb content. Some of the ones I’ve found that are problematic are diet bars, like Zone Bars, Cliff Bars and various protein bars (so many of which still seem to have 30 g of carbs per bar); protein shakes, too; some wrap breads also. Glad to know it is not just me. It just makes this already complicated process a little more so.
Protein raises your blood sugar as well as carbs, though not nearly as quickly. I inject regular insulin to cover protein as well as carbs. You have to be careful with injections to cover protein–it’s easy to overdo it.
I only eat meats, seafood, non-starchy vegetables, fats, cheeses, and desserts. It is the best way to consitently achieve normal blood sugars despite type 1 DM. I don’t feel the least bit deprived, although it took a couple of years to overcome cravings for pizzeria pizza.
I agree Jonathan. I don’t eat cereal bars often, but I found some at whole foods that were only 20g carb, and they were all ingredients I recognized. They were my breakfast for a week, but I ended up having to dose as if they were 40g carb. I seriously considered writing the company. Apparently I think my body is more accurate than a lab!
(1) USDA standard for calculating carbs is “by difference”
(2) Nobody audits the package information to verify that it is accurate. This is not limited to the US. I submitted this as an news article to DiabeticConnect. The url is http://www.diabeticconnect.com/news_articles/352
(3) the USDA Nutrition Analysis Laboratory’s database of nutritional values has more errors in it than I can throw a planet at — I mean, how can a 52-gram serving have 58 grams of carbs? This is what I found listed for my favorite cold breakfast cereal, Kashi GoLean. The package serving is 52 g, 140 calories, 1 g fat, 85 mg sodium, 480 mg potassium, 30 g carb (10 g fiber – 1 g soluble, 9 g insoluble; 6 g sugar), 1 g protein. SR20 lists information for the same 52 g serving as 1188 calories, 1.9 g fat, 165 mg sodium, 926 mg potassium, 58 g carb (19.6 g fiber; 12 g sugar), 26.1 g protein. Even if it were pure fat, the highest calorie count 52 g could provide is 468. The rest of the numbers suggest they were based on a 100 g serving, not the 52 g serving listed in the database.
With crazy numbers and no oversight, is it any wonder the label says “10″ and your body says “50″?!?!?!
I’m a T1 vegan with a carb-rich diet, but maintain an A1c under 6. I could never drastically cut out carbs; I don’t think that’s healthy in the slightest, especially not for people who exercise daily. You need to replenish glycogen, diabetic or not. Also, high protein all the time taxes the kidneys and can affect bone density. There are times when I’ll eat a salad for dinner or tofu scramble for a weekend brunch, which are low carb enough that I can avoid an annoying spike, so I understand bypassing carbs for convenience. I don’t think eating low-carb is sustainable or advisable over the long term, though.
Meh. I do think the nutrition labeling is wrong quite a lot of the time. Stuff like soup is always a WAG – the manufacturers don’t count how many pieces of potato, carrot, beans etc are in each can. I use the carb count on packaging but monitor after meals carefully to make corrections.
Is another common thread between these products HFCS?
Lauren, different things work for different people. It’s pretty clear Amy isn’t trying to survive on 30g of carb a day. I think she’s shooting for that moderation between almost none and 300+g.
Just putting in my general two cents. Of course everyone has to find their balance — for example, 90% of what I’ve read about diabetes management is useless for me. But, I do think carbs get demonized, and not as many people are aware of the pitfalls of eating high-protein all the time.
PEANUT BUTTER…….I am addicted. It’s comforting to know I’m not the only one
k2
I think when we talk “carbs” we bandy this label around a little too freely. I’m very apt to say I eat hardly any carbs because I don’t eat white, refined carbs but I eat lots of veggies and beans which are carbohydrate foods.
But I do find like evreyone else sometimes the carbs listed on a label or a book like Calorie King have nothing to do with what they do in my body. I tried this great grainy bread that said it had 15g of carb per slice for which I’d need one unit of Humalog, I needed three times as much! Go figure.
Pasta that says it only has 8g of carb. In my experience I have have had to adjust to the same value as normal pasta. This and some of the other exsamples are reasons why oversight is so important. Our politicians pas a law that gives a good sound bite, but ends up being meaningless because no one checks or the companys in reality don’t care.
(I haven’t read all the comment, so if this is dupped, sorry!)
I found the only way to be sure is to read first 10 ingredients before eating something.
“How much of it could possibly adhere to a handful of mini-carrots, anyway?”
Actually, carrots have a somewhat high glycemic index, so it’s probably the carrots plus the ranch that is causing your spike.
I could not believe the amount of quality material on this site. The site is extremely eyecatching and pulls the reader straight it, the articles are great quality and are very professionally written. I have seen too many of these sites where it looks good, but there’s nothing of value there.