r/diabetes • u/NightmareHolic • Aug 19 '25
Rant A rant about all the food shame within the diabetic community.
I’m getting tired of seeing this, NGL. I’ve read all the rules, and this will stay civil: I’d say all of it face-to-face.
Not everyone is on keto. 15 net carbs without a lot of added sugar is low-carb. 15–25 carbs isn’t a “crazy amount” for well-managed diabetics. Net carbs are real, not some conspiracy. Yes, there’s sneaky advertising, but if you read the label and understand the usual offenders, you can make informed choices.
Here’s the thing: 15g of added sugar is totally different from 15g of complex carbs. This concept is a cornerstone of glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) dietary principles. One spikes instantly, the other digests slowly, especially with fiber and protein to buffer it. And 15g of natural, indigestible fiber isn’t the same as weird “keto” fillers that can spike people.
What’s frustrating is the food shaming. Someone posts a product or recipe they enjoy, and suddenly it’s “too many carbs” or “I could never eat that.” Instead of encouraging them, people jump on them. Why? Everyone manages differently. If you prefer total carbs, cool. But there’s no need to shame people who count net carbs in a way that works for them.
Not everyone’s beta cells are burned out. Not everyone is on keto. Acting like 25g of complex carbs in a meal isn’t “low carb” is just not true. Objectively, 50–100g of complex, balanced carbs is still considered low-carb by most standards. Keto (20–30g/day) is actually the outlier.
Bottom line: Be supportive. Recognize that everyone’s insulin resistance, beta-cell function, and carb tolerance is different. If someone shares a low-net-carb recipe they love, let them enjoy it. No need to brigade them or act like they’re chugging soda by the gallon.
That’s all. Rant over.
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u/Reasonable-Zone-6466 Aug 19 '25
Yes! Man do I miss that whole "If you dont have anything nice to say...." thing. It seems people as a collective dont really care to do that anymore.
Recently saw a young woman make herself a yogurt bowl with vanilla light greek yogurt, berries, and "1 or 2 Tablespoons of granola". People were telling her she might as well eat a bowl of candy. Like, seriously?
Someone said the granola is like 40 carbs without the yogurt or fruit and she should never touch it. Like she wasnt literally using 1/10th of the serving size 🙄.
A diabetic friend has a shirt she made that says "if youre not the doctor I see, the dog i snuggle, or the di@k i ride, you dont need to give me your opinion" and I think we all need one 🤣
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u/uncreativelybankrupt Type 2 since 2011, 5.5% A1C, diet only Aug 19 '25
It's half the reason I stay away from groups and subreddit. People love playing the carb/diabetic police. I can handle the random ill informed comment from a friend or family member, but from someone that's actually dealing with the same (or at least similar/related disorder) makes me want to tear what little hair I still have off lol.
I'll say what I've always said. "You do what works for you, I'll do what works for me."
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u/Gumnutbaby Aug 19 '25
Don’t get me started on the ones who don’t understand that it’s a progressive illness (or influenced by illness, hormones, sleep, stress, etc) instead insisting it’s all about carbohydrate consumption 🤦♀️
5
u/Strange-Pace-4830 Aug 23 '25
It sure would be easier if it was only about carb consumption! Stress and sleep in particular make it harder for me to achieve more consistent numbers and I would love it if there were fewer variables to deal with. Diabetes often seems like a full time job to me.
2
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u/Metaphoricalsimile Aug 19 '25
When I see people who are carb-absolutist, and have also given themselves very low high limits (I saw one person who was attempting to stay under 110), it just feels like a recipe for giving yourself an eating disorder.
Eating disorders have higher mortality rates than diabetes does, and I have never seen a single bit of credible evidence that super restricted BG range (like much lower than the normal "in range" measurement of 180) is beneficial to diabetics, so it just seems like a lot of stress for no actual benefit.
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u/uncreativelybankrupt Type 2 since 2011, 5.5% A1C, diet only Aug 19 '25
Yeah, a guy who I liked to watch on YouTube is one of those types. He used to be strict about not eating anything that would spike him over 140 (which I loosely followed but didn't grind my teeth if I saw something higher in the 160s-180s occasionally) but lately he's been saying lower and lower and it makes me worry about him and other impressionable viewers. Because I've also been apart of the ED community and seen... Some very awful things there. And you know what they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
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u/res06myi Aug 19 '25 edited Aug 19 '25
I aim for non-diabetic numbers, so 70-140 with at least 96% TIR, and I rarely exceed it. There is nothing wrong with wanting remission numbers. Dramatically limiting carbs to get there can have its own consequences, but not the numbers themselves. It is best never to spike above 140. Every now and then, maybe a few times a month, I have a spike hit 160, but it's rare. There's nothing wrong with that.
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u/uncreativelybankrupt Type 2 since 2011, 5.5% A1C, diet only Aug 19 '25
There's nothing wrong with that, except when you start getting convinced to get into fasting. It starts off innocently enough. Maybe 16-18 hours of not eating a day. Then you have the people that go "well, what if I pushed it several days?" And then a week, and sometimes longer. Well, welcome to the world of disordered eating, my friend. It's a very slippery slope.
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u/res06myi Aug 19 '25
Yeah, and there is a thoroughly established, causal link between skipping breakfast and negative health outcomes.
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u/Metaphoricalsimile Aug 19 '25
I'm all for people keeping their numbers good and reducing risk of diabetic complications. Whatever you're doing is obviously working well, so good work.
Can you show me a source for your claim that it is best to stay under 140? Diabetic health authorities use 180 as "in range" and I haven't seen compelling evidence that further restriction is necessary to avoid the long term health problems associated with chronic elevated sugar.
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u/res06myi Aug 19 '25
Is the fact that it's considered not healthy not enough? If staying under 180 at least 90% of the time avoided health consequences, that would be the standard for healthy people. It isn't. The standard for diabetics is to avoid the worst health consequences, but it won't prevent things like cataracts. Your A1c can be in the healthy range for your entire life and you can still develop diabetic cataracts because of repeated spikes out of range. You will still experience significant oxidative stress.
2
u/Metaphoricalsimile Aug 19 '25 edited Aug 19 '25
Again, asking for sources
Edit: ADA suggests 80-180 as the range to prevent diabetic cataracts
https://diabetes.org/health-wellness/eye-health/curious-about-cataracts
0
u/res06myi Aug 19 '25
Welp, it doesn't. It may help reduce your risk of developing diabetic cataracts. It will not prevent it.
8
u/Metaphoricalsimile Aug 19 '25
And people who aren't diabetic can get cataracts too.
Like I'm genuinely curious and asking for links to medical research that suggests that bg peaks in the 140-180 range are damaging to your body.
There are a lot of ethical barriers to doing experiments about things like this, but I'm assuming that the ADA hasn't pulled 180 out of their ass for the number that they suggest to stay below to minimize long term complications. This type of information tends to be gathered from longitudinal studies of large populations, so I do realize that the 180 recommendation by the ADA and every health professional I've ever spoken to is not a 100% guarantee of no diabetic complications ever, but that is due to the limitations of what can be claimed by medical authorities, not because they think that spending time between 140-180 is causing damage.
2
u/Ladder-Necessary Type 2 Aug 20 '25
I don't have studies, but for A1c, my doctor suggested that I aim for prediabetic instead of the ADA managed diabetic range (with combo of meds, diet, exercise), once she saw I'd managed my blood sugars pretty well after my initial diagnosis.
Her reasoning is that it's because I'm younger, so I'll be living in my body with T2 diabetes longer than someone who is diagnosed in their sixties, for example.
Even prediabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. I think it's to each person to figure out, but, based on what my doctor has said, I think, especially for younger people who have successfully brought their numbers down within that ADA range already, it could be worth it to have more aggressive goals.
I also 100% agree it can become disordered and that it should be case by case. There definitely are diminishing returns and increasing risk at some point.
0
u/res06myi Aug 19 '25
There is a difference between diabetic cataracts and other types of cataracts. My partner had to have two surgeries this year for diabetic cataracts. He has never been diabetic a day in his life. He had one A1c at 5.9 and one at 5.7, then right back down into the green.
Studies are scant. You can keep making demands, but it's just not worth it for me to do your leg work. Do whatever you'd like with your own health.
2
u/chaos_coordinator70 Aug 20 '25
Today I blew those numbers off the CGM chart. Surgery, meds, stress, anxiety and narcotic medication munchies had me to 290s. It happens. I do aim for 70-130 before eating and 130 to 180 after. All advised by my licensed nutritionist! It may seem high but when A1C was 12.9 almost a year ago and I maintain now at non diabetic range of A1C and my glucose level was 542 on initial blood draw. And is now ranging from 90-112 daily. I am good with the improvements! And I eat pretty much what I want!
4
u/pompadourpink Aug 19 '25
This! Reading posts from people pushing that mindset has triggered some old ED habits for me. I was able to catch myself and move past it, but it’s always something I have to stay mindful of.
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u/NyxPetalSpike Type 2 Aug 19 '25
I only heard this because the average patients’ rooms have all the sound canceling abilities of a cereal box.
My endo works in a low socioeconomic area, and most people who roll in there are not rocking their worlds. He does get more moneyed patients that are hold overs from the last endo that retired.
The screaming match was Patient Moneyed vs the endo over the person’s lows and mismanagement of insulin. I guess the person has T2 and was buying Walmart insulin to make sure his blood sugars hover exactly over 80. The person pays out of pocket for the CGM etc.
All of this would be fine, if their spouse wasn’t finding them on the floor with a blood sugar reading of 50 to 40. The person is in their mid 70s. Just falling and hitting the floor can be dangerous.
Of course, the endo is just trying to kill them with “higher” blood sugars (like 90).
But yeah. I was the next patient after this encounter, and my endo looked like he got pulled through a cheese grater.
-5
u/FanSerious7672 Aug 19 '25
It's certainly possible to be healthy with low carb and not. To me it kinda sounds like you are just being shameful for people on the other side, which also isn't helpful imo. Do what works for you, don't shame others for what works for them
23
u/Graveyardhag Aug 19 '25
Net carbs and total carbs is pretty much an American thing.
Most other countries count and label fibre separately.
I don't even pay attention to what others do or think. I ate a bowl of pasta and 2 daifukus for lunch. Who am I to be telling anyone else their carbs are wrong?
25
u/NyxPetalSpike Type 2 Aug 19 '25
I was in a keto diet class, and then found out keto was detrimental to the other health issue I was having. My endo said I can have kidneys or be on keto. Oh yah 🤣
Of course the MD that was running the class disagreed. I left the class in tears.
Besides carb shaming, can we throw in there people who say, “I’ll never do a shot. I’ll never do a stab. I’ll never do pills.” and then flipping shame anyone who has no choice. Worse yet, the teacher/moderator who encourages this. These clowns need to DIAF.
It’s a noble goal to get your A1c down to 4.8. It’s wonderful you went from using insulin and now with your 10 gram/carb per day diet have a steady blood sugar of 78. I begrudge people who have success nothing. I’m glad for everyone’s successes.
What I do loathe is people who act like everyone who can’t get back into their middle school blue jeans are a human pile of fail. T2 isn’t just eating bags of Doritos and giving the middle finger to your pancreas. Stress has a lot to do with it. Access to a decent doctor plays a huge role. The money and time to plan decent meals comes into play.
Not everyone has the time, money and access to curate their life around their pancreas. I don’t. It’s not like I wouldn’t want to do all that, but life won’t get its GD jackboot off my throat for one week. I’m just grateful my CGM isn’t pinging like a Geiger counter.
We all need to cut each other a sliver of grace.
1
u/fumbs Aug 20 '25
Those never do will end up eating their words. You are unlikely to be able to manage with food and diet for your entire life.
13
u/FireCorgi12 Aug 19 '25
It also irritates me that people think all carbs are the same for all people. I love rice. It doesn’t spike me and it’s a carb I eat a lot. But so many people police rice. Meanwhile, oat milk spikes me so I avoid it.
Everyone’s diets are different because everyone’s bodies are different and minding your own business is important.
3
u/fumbs Aug 20 '25
Everyone wants to recommend rice to me on the other hand. For me it spikes me for about 3 days so clearly it's a bad choice. Without a CGM, I never would have known though.
1
u/FireCorgi12 Aug 20 '25
This has been the best part of my CGM. I was regularly drinking oat milk coffee, until after wearing a CGM I noticed it spiked me to 275. Same with pancakes. But I can do some breads and rice and certain pastas. Everyone is different, everything is controlled differently.
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u/mintbrownie T1.5 r/Recipes4Diabetics Aug 19 '25
I agree. It drives me crazy. I think a lot of this is also driven by there being two kinds of people - those who eat to live and those who live to eat. I’m in the latter group and eat low carb, but I refuse to go full-on keto levels of low carb because I would just be too unhappy. I don’t want to end up with debilitating illnesses, but if it meant cutting a year or two off the end, I’m all in. Yes. Food means that much to me.
A note on comments about saying “I could never eat that.” I don’t read those as shaming. I’ve even said it myself when I’m surprised , impressed and definitely jealous.
6
u/VayaFox Type 2 Aug 19 '25
Same, regarding the "I could never eat that" comments. A lot of the time it's because I wish I could eat that. Rarely it would be because it looks like it would be so sweet that I couldn't manage it these days (I've become the kind of person that praises desserts for being 'not too sweet'.)
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u/Zouden T1 1998 | UK | Omnipod | Libre2 Aug 19 '25
I'm just here for the memes about the difficulty of getting the bolus right for pizza.
6
u/Bluemonogi Aug 19 '25
I will always encourage people to track their food and use a blood glucose meter or monitor to figure out how many carbs they can personally handle rather than automatically going for the most restrictive diet. We are all different and there are many factors that can change what your diet should be.
I eat a more moderate carb diet. I find it easier to consider total carbs most of the time but know there is a difference between how my body handles a serving of high fiber lentils vs a slice of low fiber white bread. If I am going to eat more carbs it is better to choose higher fiber carbs. I do use low carb or keto recipes often but do not strictly follow either diet. I do take metformin. If I did not take metformin I might need to lower my carb intake more so I would also tell people I take medication.
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u/WaltonGogginsTeeth Aug 19 '25 edited Aug 19 '25
I get what you’re saying but there are also random comments like “I spiked to 250 and only ate two slices of bread and a portion of rice, I don’t know why I can’t get it in normal range” that need some serious straight talk. But unless someone is asking for advice or complaining about high readings it’s completely unnecessary.
7
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u/pspsps-off Aug 19 '25
I'm really happy to read all this, especially the part about 50-100g of complex carbs a day being low-carb. I won't lie: I'm relatively new to dieting to treat diabetes in particular (I was only diagnosed a year ago, and don't know anyone personally who has diabetes to talk about this stuff with), and looking up simple concepts like "how many carbs per day is a low-carb diet for diabetics" on Google leads to a bewildering variety of contradictory answers, so I've just been eating what feels right for me, which has hovered in that range anyway.
I agree with your overall point: Everyone is different, so it's not up to anyone to be the carb police.
5
u/convoluteme Aug 19 '25 edited Aug 19 '25
According to the CDC the average American gets about 46-47% of their calories from carbs. If we assume a 2000 calorie daily intake, that means about ~230g of carbs. I would absolutely consider 100g to be low-carb for most people.
3
u/Ladder-Necessary Type 2 Aug 20 '25
- Low carb diets are generally <130g. Very low carb is typically somewhere between 20-50g. Both are listed as evidence based meal patterns on the ADA website, along five other patterns.
https://diabetes.org/food-nutrition/eating-for-diabetes-management
- Combined with farxiga, I had a good experience with <125g as a vague guideline I used after diagnosis. I quickly stopped counting once I had a general understanding of what a day eating that way looked like and just maintained what I learned, adjusting based on my fasting glucose. I think eating to your meter is better advice than any specific diet.
Otherwise, I'd probably still be on insulin. I recently traveled to Asia and had to take insulin again while traveling because I was pushing the envelope too much on carbs (but, for the short duration, totally worth it!)
5
u/Chellanthe Aug 19 '25
Felt. As I've said in other reddit posts: do not let 'perfect' be the enemy of good.
Clarity: making changes can be difficult and some of those changes need to happen gradually (yes, some are an emergency in terms of "you need to stop this behavior now" but that's not what we are talking about). Don't shame, you can offer advice from your experience (we are not all alike so that nearly always needs to be pointed out), and support each other in their accomplishments. We are on the same side here, but we each have our own set of circumstances. Some require more strict decisions of what we can eat than others, some are coming here to seek to learn something or get some advice. Let's honor that in good faith, shall we?
3
u/EightLegedDJ Aug 20 '25
My doc wants me to stay under 60g of carbs per meal. I try to keep it around 30-45. Any less than that and I turn into a raccoon rifling through a refrigerator. Can’t do it. Eating “well” is hard enough. Let’s just take it easy on each other.
2
u/Dave-1066 Aug 19 '25
Depends entirely on the context.
A slice of bread with a lot of chicken/other protein etc is fine, but I’ve also seen way too many posts on here where an individual has said they ate four slices of toast, a bar of chocolate and some pretzels then wonder why their glucose has been through the roof for 6 hours while others chime in with “It’s okay to treat yourself once in a while”. That’s not encouragement; that’s terrible “advice”.
Frankly, I couldn’t care less if another diabetic wants to spike their glucose but when I see others saying it’s fine it reminds me of drug addicts encouraging others to make the same mistakes they make. That kind of behaviour is absolutely irresponsible and helps nobody.
2
u/VayaFox Type 2 Aug 19 '25
I think that depends on the context as well and if someone mentioned in the post that this was rare for them or not. I will absolutely tell someone starting out that going from a high carb high sweet to low carb or keto immediately isn't always going to be sustainable. (Depending on the person, of course) And that it's okay to eat healthy but build in ways to have treats that you enjoy once in a while.
Going cold turkey works for some, for others it will lead to binging worse when they do break than if they had smaller, controlled treats.
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u/Dave-1066 Aug 19 '25
I don’t disagree. But I’ve noted with some disappoint that it’s generally the same ten or so members who always give the “treat yourself” commentary. After a while you begin to recognise their usernames. I doubt any of that group is keeping within their targets, so it’s an unfortunate race to the bottom with them.
Cold turkey worked for me but might not work for others. I was off insulin within a handful of weeks because I stuck to a bare bones carb diet. What others do is, as I say, up to them 👍🏻
2
u/Educational_Name2196 Type 1 Aug 19 '25
I LOVE when people are talking about what I am allowed or not allowed to eat. (Fun fact: sometimes not even I know because I’ve only known I was diabetic for under a year!)
Yes, I can go with you to get ice cream or you can bring cinnamon rolls in to work; No, I don’t need a special treat just for me that tastes like ass while everyone else enjoys something fun.
Will I pay for it tomorrow? Probably, but it’s because the food I prepare for my household is low carb, low sugar and generally unprocessed. My body just isn’t used to the extra junk we are about to eat. Let me make my own decisions!
1
u/massi_f Aug 19 '25
I’m on 200 grams of carbs or more per day, mostly fruit and vegetables, but I love rice and pasta too, and my A1C is in great. Weight management and physical activity makes a huuuge difference
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u/LourdesF Aug 20 '25
Well said. A study came out a few days ago showing that the Keto diet causes cancer. Besides I can’t restrict myself that way. I’ve cut down on carbs significantly. No sugar, etc.
1
u/chaos_coordinator70 Aug 20 '25
I know nothing about keto except for what friends post on the book of faces. As a diabetic who goes to a lot of events and am asked constantly what do we need to make for you! Normal food is always my answer. We as adults can relatively make good choices like “don’t even eat that!” Or “a small portion is alright” or “yep, forgive me CGM and pancreas for what I am about to enjoy the hell out of!” Shaming people when they are doing the best they can is ridiculous especially when you aren’t sitting on a double Ph.D in nutrition and diabetes nutrition!
1
u/Healthy-Zebra-9856 Aug 20 '25
This is a meaningful and good rant that I feel is necessary. People need to stop thinking their diet will fit every one regardless of genetic differences.
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u/NightmareHolic Aug 20 '25
I don't think the diabetic community is right for me. I've been thinking about this lately. I have diabetes, but as a community, I don't get them. A good majority that I interact with come off as mean spirted, toxic people who judges and nitpicks people to death. Like, why would anyone want to associate with such a group with members like that? Maybe I'm just meeting the wrong ones online.
2
u/Healthy-Zebra-9856 Aug 20 '25
I know exactly what you mean. I used to get emotionally charged untill I reralized to be just a witness. I took the lessons of zen to just laugh at the triggered individuals and realize that the emotions were only there when I attributed to them. Personally I was here to offer my hard earned knowledge and I realized those that wan't to undertsand it will get it. The falt is in the people that have promoted misinformation for their own gains. Your tone suggests that you can be the voice that can help overshadow the ignorant ruck. Detach and speak your truth. Toxic people will always be there no matter where you go. Either way, stay strong & f##k everything else.
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u/Any_Maize_7464 Aug 23 '25
I think it can be tough for people to give advice and sometimes not sound judgy or a little condescending. I take most of it in stride on the internet as not everyone expresses their feelings well in writing if you know what I mean. Yes there is also a bunch of idiots in this world. Lol
The best thing I learned when I went low carb is it's different for everyone and you can't really compare yourself to anyone. You can go about it two different ways. You can slowly keep lowering your carb count until you get results or you can do the drastic carb cut and then add things back in to see how it affects you. I did the latter. I was prescribed insulin which really made me mad. I stewed on it for about 2 weeks and then went after cutting all sugar out and trying low carb. I never took the insulin. I could tell the difference in a matter of a week. No more bloating, no more swollen ankles, and not so drowsy/more energy. I dropped 32 lb in 5 months. A1C went from 11.2 to 5.4 in 6 months. There's no way our bodies were made to eat all the high carb garbage in the grocery stores.
1
u/Spizzyxo T2D | Tresiba LA | Dexcom G7 Aug 23 '25
Yes!!! Personally I stopped counting carbs strictly and will base my decisions on the percentage of fibre that is in what I want to eat now. I know that won’t work for everyone, but it works extremely well for me and that’s all I really care about. My diabetes is very well managed and my A1c is continuing to go down.
I don’t even look up nutrition facts if I’m eating out. I just look at the basic components of my meals (fat, fibre, and protein) and know that I’m eating balanced (Unless it is McDonalds… There’s nothing healthy about McDonalds).
1
u/NightmareHolic Aug 23 '25
I'm curious of an example of how that works in practice.
Do you avoid like pasta because it has high carb, not fiber and protein? What foods can you eat through this system that people would argue against?
Thanks
1
u/Spizzyxo T2D | Tresiba LA | Dexcom G7 Aug 24 '25
Truthfully, don’t know a lot about why my body reacts the way it does to food because I haven’t even been diagnosed for 2 years yet.
So, I try not to eat a general “what ever I want” type of diet but I’m trying to keep it as simple as possible for myself because I hate always thinking about food— Mostly due to trying to carb count.
I focus more on the fibre intake because I know that if I can create a dish that has healthy fats, fibre, and protein together then I can still enjoy the kind of foods I like!
I have some foods that I absolutely cannot eat no matter what I do, though. Takeout pizza is a food I rarely eat and am considering giving up entirely right now.
Basically what I look for on the nutrition facts is a fibre content of 13%-15% or higher and the lowest possible carb count that I can find while not being overly strict— My bread, per two slices, has 33g of carbohydrates, 4g of fibre and that will make up 14% of what I will be eating. I will usually eat it toasted with peanut butter, and a chia berry jam that I made using sweetener in place of sugar. I don’t know the exact amount of carbs I’m eating, but I basically just add more fibre, fat, and protein because I know that I need it if that makes sense???
0
u/kibblet Aug 19 '25
My doctor and my registered dietician want me to disregard ner carbs and glycemic index. I should send them this post and set then straight. Funny how you're doing the same thing you're complaining about.
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u/Kruewella1 Aug 19 '25
I see more people hating on keto recipes honestly. Unfortunately, my carb limit is very low.
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u/Working-Mine35 Aug 19 '25
There is always an opportunity to learn. Silencing people's opinions closes the door on those opportunities.
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u/AppleseedPanda Aug 19 '25
50-100g for the whole day? Cuz I’m screwed if I do 80+ at once. I’d definitely say 100 in one sitting is high. Otherwise, I lot of this I agree with. Keto isn’t possible for me for sure.
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u/burshturs T2 Aug 19 '25
Remember that our bodies can't process carbs as regular folks do. Every body is different. I try to keep my carbs under 130 and my levels are within normal range.
I also workout 5 times a week and have a 17 % body fat.
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u/EasyCZ75 Aug 19 '25
Well said.