Diabetes Meal Plans

Low Carb Meal Planning for Type 2 Diabetes & Prediabetes

Simple and Complex Carbohydrates 101

➢ By Dr Jedha & DMP Nutritionists | 58 Comments
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You’ve probably heard of simple and complex carbohydrates before, it’s something most of us are familiar with.

You might have heard of complex carbs, that sugar is a carb, and glucose…is that the same as sugar, and what is a simple carbohydrate exactly?

Yep, the carbohydrate category of foods is the most difficult one to get your head around. But as a diabetic it is necessary to understand the different types of carbohydrates so you can keep your blood sugar and A1C in a healthy range.

All Carbs Are Glucose AKA Sugar AKA Carbs

All types of carbohydrates provide energy to the body in the form of glucose. Glucose is also known as sugar and carbs as well. That’s why you’ll often hear people talk about sugar even when they might be talking about things like rice or bread. Or they might refer to them as carbs.

Glucose/ sugar / carbs, these are essentially all the same thing, so if you hear any of them mentioned just remember that.

However, there are different sources of carbs and what makes them different is that they are all made up of different chains of sugars.

Simple carbs are short chains of sugars, so in nutrition terms these are called:

  • Monosaccharides – which include glucose, fructose and galactose – these are just a single chain chemical structure.
  • Disaccharides – include sucrose, lactose and maltose – disaccharides have a double sugar chain chemical structure.

For example, sugar is a disaccharide (sucrose) – it’s made up of 50% glucose/ 50% fructose.

So why is this important to understand?

As Diabetes UK simply puts it: “The difference between a simple and complex carb is in how quickly it is digested and absorbed”.

You see, it’s often the chemical structure that makes all the difference to how fast a carbohydrate is absorbed into the bloodstream.

The Type Of Carbohydrate You Eat Is The Single Biggest Influence Of Blood Sugar Regulation

carb-protein-fat

As a diabetic you may already be aware that when you eat carbohydrates your blood sugar rises, and if you didn’t know that you do now.

Other things also influence blood sugar (like protein), but carbohydrates have the single biggest influence on blood sugar levels. And both the quantity of carbs and the type of carbs you eat are very important.

Our body is designed to keep our blood sugar within a tight range that’s best for our health. If you’re unsure of the normal blood sugar ranges, read this.

When our blood sugar rises, this stimulates the pancreas to release insulin, and insulin helps the body to deal with the carbs and bring the blood sugar down. That’s the simple process of blood sugar regulation.

Here’s a simple graphic so you can take a look at this concept of controlling blood sugar levels.

how-the-body-controls-blood-sugar

The important thing to remember is that your blood sugar rises in varying response depending on the type and the amount of carbohydrate you eat.

I’m going to apologize for repeating some of this stuff again and again but it’s the most important stuff to get concreted in your brain, that’s why it needs to be repeated. I think we all need to hear things over and over again before they become concrete – at least that’s how my brain works.

SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES

News-what-is-a-simple-carb

So we’ve got simple carbohydrates or simple sugars, remember they are the same thing.

Simple carbohydrates are short chains of glucose and these types of sugars uptake into your bloodstream very quickly without the need for much digestive processing.

So when you eat simple carbs, they quickly absorb across the small intestine and into your bloodstream.

You’ve probably felt the effects of eating some chocolate or having a soda. Simple sugar is often what we reach for to get fast energy, and that’s why it does give us fast energy, because it uptakes quickly into the bloodstream, providing that immediate energy.

Although that might sound like a good thing, these are the type of carbohydrates you want to steer clear of because they are going to make it difficult for you to regulate blood sugar and A1C levels. Remember our body likes to keep our blood sugar in a tight range that’s best for our health – not be spiking up and down like a roller coaster ride.

Overall what you need to know about simple carbs is that they are the type of carbohydrate you want to avoid.

If you can avoid simple carbs all together – that’s great, and this is the ultimate aim. But if you do eat them, only eat in small portions and only occasionally.

Let’s get down to the more practical stuff shall we.

Examples Of Simple Carbohydrate Foods

Take a look at this list to see some examples of simple carb food sources.

Simple carbohydrates

As you’ll see from this list, we can find simple carb sources around us everywhere, which is part of our rapid health decline.

Our bodies simply aren’t designed to consume these types of foods in the quantities we do – particularly because most of them are majorly processed and contain added sugars, refined carbs, additives, and preservatives.

It might sound like the end of the world to hear so many foods you may enjoy on this list. But there are ALWAYS options and alternatives, one’s much healthier for us to eat and we’ll be covering loads of options in the days to come.

I promise you’ll still have plenty of tasty things to eat!

Simple carbohydrates

  • Sugar – all types including raw sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, castor sugar.
  • White flour
  • White bread
  • White pasta – lots of products are made with refined white sugar and flour
  • Soft drinks & sodas
  • Energy drinks
  • Fruit – yes that’s right, fruit is a disaccharide and is a simple sugar that will impact blood sugar levels – there are a few fruits you can have – we’ll get to those later.
  • Fruit juices – even homemade ones, it’s a common misconception that these are healthy but they are full of sugar.
  • Many cereals – instant oatmeal, Cherrios, Fruit loops, Nutrigrain
  • Many crackers – these are frequently made with refined white flour
  • Many sauces and condiments – even things you wouldn’t consider to have sugar often do have lots of sugar contained in them, for example salad dressings, jarred savory sauces like a satay sauce, ketchup and so forth.
  • Processed & packaged foods – as I already mentioned, lots of products are made with refined white sugar and flour – meaning they are high in simple carbohydrates and not good for your blood sugar levels
  • Ice creams & popsicles
  • Cakes & cookies – often made with white sugar and flour
  • Pies – the crusts are often made with white sugar and flour
  • Natural sugars like honey, molasses, and maple syrup
  • Candy bars
  • Pizza – the crusts are often made with white sugar and flour
  • Jams & jellies – full of refined simple sugar
  • Chocolate – if you’re going to choose a chocolate, choose a very dark chocolate
  • Milk & yogurt – predominantly lactose, which is a disaccharide simple carb
  • Dried fruit
  • Breaded or battered foods
  • Corn chips and crisps
Recap: The short of it is that a simple carbohydrate is a short chain of sugar that doesn’t require digestive processing. This means it uptakes into the bloodstream quickly and can cause higher spikes in blood sugar compared to other carbs, complex carbs for example.

 

For best health and blood sugar regulation, simple carbs are best avoided.

COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES

News-what-is-a-complex-carb

Complex carbohydrates are longer chains of sugars (aka glucose) known as polysaccharides – glycogen, starches, and fiber.

You’ve probably heard that eating complex carbohydrates is better for your health. That is true, complex carbs are generally a better choice than simple carbs – but there is a bit more too it than that.

For optimal blood sugar control many complex carbohydrate sources still need to be avoided because although the type of carb is important, the amount of carbs you eat is even more important. Many of the complex carbs contain way too many carbs overall, which won’t help you control blood sugar and A1C.

So let’s go over the different types of complex carbs, and then we’ll cover the practical stuff.

Glycogen

You won’t hear about glycogen much in the way of the food we eat because there is only a small amount contained in meats. But you may hear of glycogen in the body because when we eat carbs we store some of the glucose as glycogen in the muscles and liver. This gives our body the ability to break it down for use when we need energy. Still, it doesn’t really relate to the food you actually eat.

Starches

Simple and complex carbohydrates for diabetics

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Plants store glucose as starch – giant chains of sugars.

Carbohydrates in the form of starches include potatoes, wheat, rice, other grains like millet, rye, barley, and oats, sweet potatoes, beans and lentils.

Fibers

Fiber is what forms the structure of plants, so different amounts of fiber are found in all sources of plant foods.

There are 2 types of dietary fiber, soluble and insoluble. Soluble means the fiber can dissolve in your stomach water and enzymes and this makes them like a gel that slows down digestion of foods, and slows down the uptake of glucose into the bloodstream.

Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve but helps to form a lattice like structure in the digestive tract that cleans out our digestive tract and prevents constipation. Both forms of fiber are very good for us and help manage diabetes, they fill us up, and provide many health benefits.

We need to eat LOTS of fiber but most people simply don’t get enough. The main reason for this is that processed and packaged foods don’t contain a lot of fiber.

Where do we get these fibers?

Vegetables.

We need to eat LOTS of vegetables, and vegetables are also a source of carbohydrates.

Most people don’t realize that vegetables are a source of carbohydrate.

Here at Diabetes Meal Plans we support a low carb diet for blood sugar control, and many people often say: ‘but don’t we need to eat carbs’…

Yes we do, and we can get all the carbs we need predominantly from vegetables. If you focus all of your attention on eating vegetables as your main source of carb, you will lower blood sugar and A1C, and be able to manage them long term. This advice is equally as important for prediabetes and for general health as well.

Resistant Starch

As a diabetic it is recommended to avoid most starches (potatoes, rice, bread, pasta) as they are very high in carbohydrates. However there are some starches that are resistant starches and we need these for feeding beneficial gut bacteria.

You see, resistant starches escape digestion in the small intestine and provide fuel to the bacteria in our large intestine. These bacteria generate small chain fatty acids such as butyrate that improve our health and boost immune function, among other things.

Resistant starches also improve insulin sensitivity, help lower post meal blood sugar, and beans and legumes (a resistant starch) have a ‘second meal’ effect, meaning they help keep blood glucose lower after your next meal too. When eating these, we only want to eat them in small amounts because they do contain high amounts of carbohydrates.

Recap: Complex carbohydrates are long chains of sugars that require longer digestion. This means that ‘generally’ they uptake into the bloodstream slower than simple carbs.

 

For best health and blood sugar regulation, choosing complex carbs is the better choice. But, it’s also important to remember that many complex carbs are still high in overall carbohydrates, so some are still best avoided or only eaten in small portions.

We’ll get to more examples below but let’s first compare the difference between simple and complex carbs.

Simple and Complex Carb Comparison

This is the general list for both simple and complex carbs, so you can see the difference.

Simple carbohydrates

  • sugar
  • white sugar
  • white flour
  • white bread
  • white pasta
  • soft drinks & sodas
  • energy drinks
  • fruit juices
  • many cereals
  • many crackers
  • many sauces and condiments
  • processed food
  • ice creams
  • cakes & cookies
  • pies
  • fruit
  • honey

Complex carbohydrates

  • whole grains
  • whole grain breads
  • whole grain crackers like brown rice cakes
  • gluten free wholegrain pastas
  • brown rice
  • quinoa
  • buckwheat
  • vegetables – loads of them to choose from
  • beans and legumes such as:
  • chickpeas
  • lentils
  • adzuki beans
  • borlotti beans
  • navy beans
  • wild rice
  • oats
  • sweet potato

Examples of Best Complex Carbohydrates Sources For Diabetes

Now all that scientific stuff is out of the way, let’s get down to the practical stuff. Where do all these forms of carbs fall and which ones should you eat.

Fibers/ Carbs – Eat mostly these

  • Asparagus
  • Artichoke
  • Celery
  • Tomatoes
  • Bell pepper
  • Spring onion / scallion
  • Leek
  • Cauliflower
  • Broccoli
  • Kale
  • Lettuce
  • Cucumber
  • Mushrooms
  • And more

Resistant Starches to include

  • Beans and legumes – small amounts only 1/3-1/4 cup per serve max
  • Artichoke
  • Cashews – these are a fat and a carb

Carbs – in moderate amounts

  • Pumpkin
  • Carrots
  • Onion
  • Turnip
  • Beets

Starches/ carbs to avoid

  • Potatoes
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Yams
  • Plantain
  • Parsnip
  • Wheat
  • Barley
  • Rye
  • Millet
  • Most grains
  • Bread
  • Most flour
  • Rice
  • And so forth

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💬 58 Comments - Join the conversation, leave yours below. Filed Under: Diabetes Diet

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  1. Mary checking in .Starting to see changes. This information is so interesting l hate to to put it down.

    Reply

  2. Excellent and clear info on carbs. Such important things do need to be repeated many times. Thanks.

    Reply

  3. Day 13
    A.M. FBS was 5.3!!🌞👍😊
    Yes, one step and one day at a time for me…thank you all… I have tears of joy…
    Sorry this is lengthy…
    I am getting use to the acv and cheese stick before turning in at nite…
    We are having four days of snow and lots of shovelling 24hrs, means I am unable to sleep through night , must be out frequently to manage the snowfall, I think the less sleep and stress might change reading I will see…
    I am reading in between snow❄ shovelling today all your Carb info with all the links…
    Just finished reading, Jedha, the “4 major annoyances about the Diabetes Industry “…thank you for enlightenment of facts..
    If I had known some of this info, I would have found my diabetic journey easier…30 years ago to the present…
    Many diabetics trust the team of diabetic medical professionals, especially when 1 st diagnosed and not given healthy alternatives in regards to diabetic nutrient info before given meds, injections etc….
    I am so thankful with so much gratitude to be part of the 21DLBSC, the resources, supports, and my personal accountability…
    I have more nutritional daily knowledge and choices to make my personal decisions to enhance and improve my diabetes and overall health…
    I already have amazing changes since day1…wow🤗
    Blessings
    Ginger

    Reply

    • Thank you for the kind words Ginger. It is unfortunate our system is still the same. We find that when people are given the right information they feel empowered to change their lives and find it relatively easy to do. Thanks for checking in and keep up the great work!

      Reply

      • Hi, I’m on track. I have used a freestyle libre 14 day sensor for several years. This has really helped me decide what is a good food choice. You can test all day and watch what happens to your blood sugar numbers. This keeps me on track with food choices. I highly recommend people purchasing and using it. It’s life changing!!!
        I so appreciate your website recipes and this 21 day challenge. I keep my A1c at 5.6 – 5.8. Reading the article about simple and complex carbs was a great reminder!
        Where can I find the article “4 major annoyances about the Diabetes Industry “ that was mentioned about?
        Even tho I do well in my food choices, most of the time, I was a little off track. Thanks for the help!

        Reply

  6. FBS: 123 Yeah!

    Thanks for the info today. Very helpful. I was confused on simple carbs versus complex carbs.
    Happy Thanksgiving everyone,

    Pat

    Reply

  7. FBS was 6.1 yesterday. I am travelling and so have not been able to connect and leave daily comments

    Reply

  8. BS up to 130 today but couldn’t sleep last night so I’m wondering if that was cause as I have been careful with food choices. Thanks for good article on carbs..

    Reply

      • Interesting to read lack of sleep can cause rise in blood sugar.. my husband has a cough so neither of us slept well. My fbs this morning was 155, up a bit… Hope yo sleep well tonight and will see!

        Reply

        • Yes, with lack of sleep stress hormones can influence blood sugar. Hope you sleep soundly tonight.

          Reply

  10. FBS today 131. Saw the doctor with all my numbers. She was glad to see my efforts but wants tighter control on FBS. Levemir increased to 20 units at bedtime. And try to monitor carb s closer.

    Reply

  11. In your article you stated ” …there are a few fruits you can have – we’ll get to those later” but I never did see mention of fruits (other than tomatoes, which I believe is a fruit). I have a serving of blueberries or blackberries every morning with plain greet yogurt. I believe those are “good” fruits. What others?

    I was pre-diabetes one year ago, but went on a regimented diet and lowered my A1C from 5.8 to 5.2. I am doing what I can to continue my good health. I have read many blogs and on-line articles/advise but yours is the best I’ve read so far. Thank-you!

    Reply

  13. So informative, glad I found you. Figuring out carbs seem so daunting. But it’s been 1.5 months and I’m getting better! Down 7lbs

    Reply

  14. On the beans and legumes it says 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup serving. Is that dry measure or after cooking?

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  15. So is quinoa a no no or is it okay. I know that technically it is a seed not a Grain, so I was wondering where you stand with that.
    I also saw Milk and yogurt on the simple carbs list so is that also to be avoided?

    Reply

    • Quinoa is technically a seed but that doesn’t matter, it still a high carb food, coming in around 22 g per half cup. You could try it and see how it affects your numbers but in general we don’t recommend quinoa as we encourage a low carb diet. Milk and yogurt, yes, but again, compared to other dairy (cheese/ cottage cheese) they are higher in carbs, so be aware of this and monitor.

      Reply

  16. I just found out I am diabetic and I am still trying to figure out what to eat…I am about 98 lbs and struggling to maintain my weight with my new diet..do you have any suggestions of what I should Eat?

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  17. Thank you for all
    I hear That mixing food ,for instance Mixing bread and meat lowers the glycemic load of A meal.
    What is it about?

    Reply

    • Yes, that’s true Issie. If you eat a carb on it’s own it will result in a higher blood glucose response. Whereas, mixing it with a fat or protein slows digestion and the subsequent response due to the way our body digests food.

      Reply

  18. thank you for this free carb course, it will help me in making better choices in my food, as a prediabetic am on my way to reversing , and normalising my blood glucose and A1C. God bless you and y team for this labour of love.

    Josie

    Reply

  19. Thank you for all the helpful information. I have a question that’s off topic, why is my blood sugar fine during the day, but spikes during the night? I’m hoping that changing the way I eat will eventually change this.

    Reply

    • Hi Roberta, Greek yogurt us fine but don’t overdo it. 1/4-1/2 cup per serve. Oats are high in carbs, most diabetics can’t tolerate them but the odd person can. Only you and your meter will know which foods influence your body as everyone does have a slightly different tolerance to the various carbs.

      Reply

  21. Hi Jedha,

    Can I ask you about Agave? I make steel cut oats in the morning and put in honey (from the honey place – real made) some chia seeds, walnuts, half an apple and pumpkin or other seeds if I have them – is this enough to balance out the sugar? This is oatmeal for the whole family in the morning – so everyone takes some not all for one person?

    Reply

    • Stay away from agave Jelena, it is NOT a good sweetener for diabetics. You’ve probably heard it is low GI and while that may be the case, it doesn’t make it good. It has about 20g carbs per tablespoon, quite high, even compared to most other “natural” sugars which come in around 12-15g. But the worst part is it is over 80% fructose, which is very problematic for the liver. Learn more about sugar and fructose here. As for the meal, the only question to ask yourself is: how is your blood sugar and A1C? If it’s still high, then cutting down on oats and honey will probably help because they are considered high carb foods.

      Reply

  22. Hi yes thank you for the info even though I just heard I am what they call pre diabetic I would like to do it right from the start, one quick question on meat chicken and fish these I like do I have to cut back on them or just wrath portions thanks.

    Reply

    • Hi Dave, if you’re prediabetic, a low carb diabetic diet like the one we encourage here will work well for you. No, you don’t have to cut back on meat, chicken, fish – these are proteins, not carbohydrates. A perfect meal is a source of protein (meat, fish, chicken), veggies as a good source of carbs, and a healthy fat like avocado or a drizzle of olive oil.

      Great to see you round, feel free to ask questions if you have them. :)

      Reply

  23. There’s so much to learn it’s overwhelming lol, when I first heard I was diabetic I was afraid to eat anything. I read the labels but there are so many opinions on how many carbs it just stresses me out. I am enjoying these classes and look forward to more understanding

    Reply

    • Yes, it can be overwhelming and there is lots to learn but you will get your head around it soon enough Jennifer :)

      Though there are lots of opinions, the stuff we share here is based on the latest research.

      Reply

  24. I like the examples given between the simple and complex caresults, most times there are not enough examples and I am left guessing. I am looking forward to the next lesson.

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    • I agree Jennifer, that’s exactly why we made a course with more in-depth info. Lots of other stuff just tends to fluff over things and still leave you confused right? Glad you’re enjoying the lessons :)

      Reply

  25. Unless Iam misunderstanding the info, some of the information on what to eat and what not to eat in the carb section seems contradictory, for instance in one area it states sweet potatoes as a complex carb can be eaten, then further down ion the article it says to avoid them?

    Reply

    • Hi Sue, There is no contradiction, just a misunderstanding on your end.

      Complex carbs are better choices, however the list at the bottom is the ‘best’ forms of carbs for diabetes, meaning sweet potatoes are not on the list. The list above gives you a comparison of simple and complex carbs. Complex carbs will always be a better choice, however, many of them are high in carbs, sweet potato being one of them.

      Reply

  26. This article was very informative. I’m looking forward to the Carb Course. Keep up the good work!

    Reply

  27. Very informative. So glad I signed up, this type of material really helps me. Ever since I started watching what I eat and cooking at home I sure am seeing a difference. Thank you for helping us diabetics .

    Reply

    • Spring onion/ scallion is the same thing. Onion is a good food to eat but it just be aware it does have quite a high carb count for a veggie at about 10 g per medium onion. You wouldn’t think of an onion as sweet but it contains quite bit of fructose – which is a form of sugar.

      Reply