Low sugar/carb. I'm so confused

[Spencer0220]

DH is very addicted to sugar. He'll try ANYTHING to sneak it past me.

I can't make him take accountability himself, because he has a brain injury and the sugar problem is linked to that.

I'm trying to understand a low sugar diet, but I'm very confused. How do I read labels for added sugar?

Does low sugar mean low carb?

Is under 5g on a label really the magic number the NHS says?

DH very healthy weight. Really shouldn't lose more. Doesn't do exercise per se (physical disability) but on his feet a lot of the day.

This is ultimately all going to fall to me. DH happy to try it. But I need to organise it all/set it up.

We very rarely eat cake, biscuits, pudding. Hardly eat potatoes. Cook mostly from scratch.

Absolutely loves rice.

He's coeliac, if that makes a difference?

Thank you.

Low carb means less than 4g of carbohydrate in 100g.

That includes natural sugars not just added. Rice is a carbohydrate so can’t be included in a low carb diet. Cauliflower rice can be (it’s heated cauliflower).

generally speaking it will be protein (eggs, meat, fish) with low starch veg. No potatoes, rice, bread, oats or pasta. Only berries and apples for fruit. Nuts and nut butters. Green veg like broccoli, cabbage, green beans, mange tout, edemame. No carrots, peas, parsnips, sweetcorn, beetroot etc.

Once you get past the withdrawal (about a week) you generally don’t crave sweet stuff.

Coeliac shouldn’t matter because you wouldn’t be having any gluten containing foods.

Thank you.

He's concerned he'll be hungry without things like rice.

What’s the reason for the diet?

It’s the opposite if you look at the impact of sugars on hunger. The fats and protein will fill him up. (You need to be using good fats in abundance on low carb.)

Because of his addiction to sugar, and his brain injury making it more difficult to manage

Low sugar is not the same as low carb. Low sugar generally means avoiding sugar (anything ending with 'ose' - glucose, fructose, maltose, etc) and sweeteners. It can also mean cutting down on high GI (glycaemic index) foods, as those can make your blood sugar spike and cause sugar cravings. So swap white rice for brown rice for example, avoid high sugar fruits like bananas, and so on, according to a decent GI chart.

I'd be cautious about doing low carb with health issues or a brain injury, especially if you go ahead without taking medical advice for DH. It can be a great diet for some people, but the evidence about low carb is very mixed and it can cause a lot of side effects, such as aches and pains, brain fog and constipation, especially in the first few days/weeks.

Nothing wrong with carbs! How much sugar is he eating for it to be a problem?

I agree that low carb is not what you want here unless you’ve been medically advised. I think you want to be avoiding added sugars and trying to go with lower GI carbs like pulses and brown rice. That should help with cravings.

I agree.

But I'm getting confused understanding what added sugar means. Like, how do I read a label and see it's bad?

Carbs are not a problem for someone who is a healthy weight and not diabetic or pre diabetic. Rice is not a problem although brown or wild rice is better in terms of GI (avoiding blood sugar spikes) and fibre/nutrients.

Sugar sounds like he has a particular issue so yes worth addressing.

On labels look for anything ending in -ose eg glucose, fructose, anything “syrup” eg corn syrup, anything like concentrated grape or apple juice which is really just another form of sugar, anything “nectar”, anything “malt”, anything “molasses”.

There should also be an amount of sugar per 100g listed (it usually says total carbs and then “of which sugars”). I would try to keep to things that are less than 10g of sugar per 100g. No need to avoid it altogether, just the very sweet stuff.

What is he eating that’s very sugary? Presume not biscuits/baked stuff if he is coeliac?

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/56-different-names-for-sugar#Glucose-or-fructose-Does-it-matter?

What’s the point?

if he’s healthy and a healthy weight, what’s the issue?

carbs like rice and pasta are part of a normal healthy diet. You say you don’t eat cakes, biscuits etc, so where’s the problem.

how is he “addicted to sugar” if he’s not eating refined sugar in biscuits etc?

i’m not seeing it. If you are eating a balanced diet with an occasional treat there’s nothing wrong with that.

this reads as if you’re trying to fix an problem that doesn’t exist. Leave the man be, especially if he’s coeliac and his diet is restricted anyway.

The problem is, if I don't watch him like a hawk, he'll buy chocolate and things like sugary drinks out of vending machines and binge on them. He has this compulsive tendency to eat and eat and eat sugar.

Which then causes all sorts of issues with his brain injury.

And yes, that link is confirmed.

@Spencer0220

when you cut the carbs you need to up the protein & fat, if he does that he won't be hungry.

the first week or so is pretty hard going but if you push past that it's fine & the hunger/craving goes away.

but dipping in & out doesn't work. You're just confusing your body!

if I don't watch him like a hawk, he'll buy chocolate and things like sugary drinks out of vending machines and binge on them.

Understood, but you checking labels on food for home isn’t going to help with him buying stuff separately?

Not directly, no @minipie

But my thinking is, if I can manage what he eats here, he won't want to binge as much. Because he won't crave as much.

Since I started taking an active roll in his food intake, he was binging far more.

Sorry I think I expressed that wrongly.

BEFORE I started taking an active interest....

I really don’t think an ultra low carb diet at home is going to stop him wanting something sugary from a vending machine. We are wired to like sugar.

Going ultra low carb actually sounds quite a bad idea if, as you say, he is very active and really shouldn’t lose any more weight.

Thank you everyone. Taking this all on board. Hence why I asked before I did anything

Everyone is different, but I cut out sugar in the summer and I am cured of my vending machine cravings. It has really stabilised my blood sugar and I find I don't want sweet things any more. (I have also gone off the taste of them.)

I just avoid:

• anything with added sugar
• honey
• most fruit (I still eat fruit that's lower in sugar like berries and pears)

I still eat carbs like rice, pasta, bread.

So it's definitely worth a go.

Thank you. This is (hopefully) what I'm aiming for

So if he has a brain injury, with a direct link to sugar cravings and sugar being detrimental to his health, have you seen a dietician?

if not, get back on to his dr and get one sorted now. No one here knows his medical issues and how his diet may affect that.

get proper advice relating to his specific issues. You could do him harm following MN randomers or trying to manage it yourself.

I’d be asking if it woul dhelp if he swapped sugar for sweetenrs such as Stevia, so you make cakes with Stevia instead of sugar for example.

The reason I suggest asking this is I know there were studies that showed peoples athletic performance got the same boost when someone is given a sweetener as when they were given sugar - because the brain thought it was getting sugar when in reality it wasn’t.

Ergo, he might think he’s getting something sweet but not have the downsides of sugar? Just a thought.

This.

Ask to see a dietician. You have the brain injury and sugar cravings plus celiac. Ask the GP surgery how to get refered.