Hi, I am new to all this. Have just begun a low carb diet with my husband with the aim of losing some tummy fat. We are not diabetic nor pre diabetic. Just want to loose a bit of weight before it gets too near the mark. However I am becoming very confused about this carbohydrate/glycemic information. My son told me that sweet potatoes are OK but I find them quite sweet. From a browser search I find on an American web site that they are indeed in the low glycemic range but here they are said to be high in carbs ?
I have also seen that dates are on the high side (as one would expect) but it is stated in the BSD recipie book that they use them a lot ! Also bananas are said to be a no no but on a glycemic chart from Sidney university they are in the low range. I have found several other incidences of conflicting information but they are too numerous to list here ! – can anyone help with my confusion ?

Hi anneearlybird – I think the problem is confusing not only the carbs and glycemic rating, but also the fact that we are not just looking at the level of carbs in a given food, but the quantity to be consumed.

Firstly, I would say ignore the glycemic rating and look at the carb content. Then consider the quantity that you would eat as a portion. So if the carb content would be 69g carbs per 100g of the food item and it’s something you’d eat 100g as a portion, you’d probably want to avoid this, but if you’d only have say 10g as a portion then that would be fine – assuming you had the scope in your daily allowance.

You also need to think about the level of carbs you want to aim for as a daily intake. Most on the forum aim for around the 50g mark, but some of us push lower than that. I’d suggest starting out at between 50g and 60g and see how you go.

Hope that unmuddies the water a little. Good luck and I hope you both see positive results quickly.

Sweet potatoes are okay in some respects but very high in carbs, like many root vegetables, so just keep portion sizes well under control, for any ‘below ground’ vegetables. The reason 50g is often quoted for net carbs (total carbs with fibre subtracted) is that this is the figure used by many keto style diets as a figure below which fat burning or ketosis is almost certain to occur, which is the state necessary for the visceral fat to be reduced.

If you are on the BSD 800 Fast you would not have room for the things the dates are in (although I dont remember seeing them). Too man caloriesI assume they are in a biscuit recipe. Don’t forget not everyone on the BSD is going the full no starchy carbs and those on the Med diet can allow things in very small portions that I would never eat. You have to chose what level you need and feel you can cope with.

I have just re-read sections of the original book and on page 132-3 it says on the subject of snacking on fruit, you can eat berries BUT “limit your intake of tropical fruit……. And steer clear of dates. Even at Christmas” He goes on to say that 2 dates have the same amount of sugar as 2 large punnets of strawberries. Then looking at the cookery book version there are several recipes using dates but they are all biscuit and cake recipes where they are a small part of the ingredients and, for example, if you ate something that divided into 16 you would probably get less then half a date and the recipes come with the warning Eat them slowly, in small portions, and enjoy – now and then! I would say again, these recipes are not for people on the BSD but maybe on the Med or 5:2.

Would just like to thank you all for taking the time to reply to my query. Sorry for my late response – life a bit hectic at the moment ! But the ‘diet’ is going well. Inverted commas as I’m not actually counting calories, just cut out most carbs.
Thanks again.

For a non diabetic I think that is a good way to eat for life, we know the carbs are really bad for us and have been encouraged to eat loads. As a diabetic I will probably shun the carbs for life but you can pick and choose as long as you don’t go back to the old system of nutrition (the old pyramid which has been replaced but some doctors etc still go by it). I looked at my chicken roast dinner yesterday and I had the chicken, mashed cauliflower in place of mash then leeks and carrots and gravy. Back in the day I would have had roast potato, mash and sage and onion stuffing. How bad was that.

Thank you for bringing this up. I have been a tad confused too. I don’t want to become a BSD blinkered zealot and the idea of control and moderation is very appealing. I think I will follow the guidelines as strictly as I can during the week and then have weekends off. The thought of a weekend without gin, wine and salty treats is not terribly appealing.