So you have prediabetes and, based on everything you’ve read online, you may need to give up carbs forever. But is that really true? The short answer: Absolutely not! Let’s take a dive into carbohydrates and prediabetes! We will discuss what carbohydrates actually are, how they impact your glucose, the different types of carbohydrates, and recommendations for intake!
What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are one of our three macronutrients. A macronutrient just means “big nutrient” and the other two should also sound familiar if you’ve been checking out the Nutrition Facts Labels: fat and protein!
Carbohydrates are important for our bodies because they are our bodies’ main source of energy. Thanks to carbohydrates we can go about our days doing everything we need to do, like breathe, move our muscles, think, and have a beating heart!
You like to do those things, right? I particularly enjoy all of those functions, and I bet you do too!
Can your body make glucose on it’s own? Yes. However, this isn’t the body’s preferred method of obtaining glucose because you have to break down tissue to do so. Sometimes this could be by breaking down triglycerides, but many times our body uses muscle tissue to create glucose when it’s needed.
Muscle tissue is helpful for us for a number of reasons, so we don’t really want to break it down to be used for glucose all the time!
In fact, having adequate lean muscle mass can help our:
- insulin sensitivity
- weight management
- bone density
All of these things help us better manage our glucose and insulin, which lowers our risk of type 2 diabetes.
So we want to try to give our bodies carbohydrates regularly to provide the energy we need to sustain normal function without breaking down our muscle tissue to be used for fuel!
Carbohydrates and prediabetes
I’m sure you’ve heard many things about carbohydrates and prediabetes already. Which of these sound familiar?
- “You can’t eat carbs if you want to lower your glucose.”
- “Don’t eat anything white.” or “If it’s white, don’t bite.”
- “Eat as much protein and fat as you want but avoid fruit, bread, desserts, soda, rice, and cereal.”
Which do you think might be true?
The answer: NONE.
Remember, we want carbohydrates in our day to help us manage our glucose. However, the type of carbohydrate can make a difference. The amount you consume can impact your numbers too!
Types of carbohydrates and their impact on glucose
There are three main types of carbohydrates. Most foods contain all three types, but how much of each varies based on the food.
Fiber
This is my favorite nutrient of all time! Fiber is a carbohydrate that doesn’t break down into glucose in our gastrointestinal tract. It passes through most of our digestive system untouched, until it hits the large intestine. Here, it ferments and feeds the bacteria, which helps our overall health in so many ways!
Since fiber doesn’t break down into glucose, it does not increase your blood glucose. Fiber also helps us feel more satisfied, or full, after a meal. This can lead to better choices throughout the day because we aren’t hungry and reaching for a candy bar! Which brings me to my next subject …
Sugar
Sugar is a type of carbohydrate that is very easy for our bodies to break down. This type of carbohydrate is found in nature (think fruit, cow’s milk, grains, and veggies) and as added sugar (which could be in the form of granulated, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave, and many more!).
Our bodies aren’t very picky about sugar. They break down sugar quickly for energy and it will make an impact on your blood sugar. But this doesn’t mean to avoid all sugar!
Insulin will be released into the blood stream to help our bodies use the glucose to make energy. Pairing foods with sugar (preferably naturally occurring sugar more often than added sugar) with fiber, protein, and heart-healthy fats can help keep your glucose more stable versus larger, more dramatic spikes.
Starch
Starch is the plant’s form of stored energy. You’ll find starch in many foods, whether it’s occurring naturally (like in potatoes, rice, and oatmeal) or added to help improve a product’s texture or shelf life.
Starch is a bigger molecule than sugar and takes longer to digest. Starch will still impact your glucose, but usually at a slower and less dramatic rate than sugars.
Recommendations for carbohydrates and prediabetes: How much should I be eating?
The keys to successfully managing your glucose while eating carbohydrates is balance. Could you cut out all carbohydrate intake and survive? Sure. At least for a while, in theory, but how would your quality of life be? And without fiber intake … let’s just say I don’t have high hopes about your health overall. So it’s important to understand how to create balance.
To do this, I’ll discuss two options (there are more, but these are the top two I recommend to those in my free Prediabetes Support Group (Dietitian Hosted) on Facebook!
The plate method
The plate method is an easy, low-stress approach to managing your glucose. Eating with the plate method means you eat the foods you already know and love, but you follow a specific breakdown on your plate:
50% non-starchy veggies
25% protein
25% carbohydrate (starchy veggie, grain, fruit, etc.)
This method is simple, integrates foods and flavors you enjoy, and you can practice it anywhere! Or mostly anywhere. The vending machine at the car maintenance place maybe not so much … but hopefully you can get a real meal soon!
This is relatively low stress and is very helpful for those making food for more than just themselves because everyone eats the same foods, but choosing the portion sizes they need!
Carbohydrates per meal and snack
A very individualized approach to managing glucose is counting your carbohydrate intake. This includes more steps than the plate method because you’ll need to measure your foods and tally up the grams of total carbohydrates you have in your meal or snack.
Working with a Registered Dietitian Nutrition (RD or RDN) would be the best route if you choose to count carbohydrates.
While online calculators and nutritionists (non-credentialed individuals who are not regulated by the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics) may provide you with arbitrary numbers, these will not take into account you as a whole.
If you want to get started before meeting with an RD/RDN, consider starting with 45-60 grams of total carbohydrate per meal and 15-30 grams of total carbohydrate per snack.
These are very generalized starting points. You can adjust your intake as you learn what works best for your body, hopefully with the help of an RD/RDN.
So carbohydrates and prediabetes can work together?
Absolutely! It’s all about moderation and the quality of your overall lifestyle!
Here are some key takeaways:
- Carbohydrates are the body’s main energy source
- Fiber is not broken down into glucose in our bodies
- Try to focus on naturally occurring sugars instead of added sugars
- There are many ways to include carbohydrates in moderation. The plate method is the most common approach and the most versatile.