Article written by Catherine Conan, dietitian

Contrary to popular belief, carbohydrates should represent an important part of the diet of diabetics because they are the most important source of energy for the body. They should represent 50 to 55% of the total energy intake or approximately 180 to 200 g per day, to be adapted according to age, weight, height and physical activity.

Carbohydrates ingested during meals are converted into glucose, the main fuel for the brain and muscles, thus causing the secretion of insulin by the pancreas in people without diabetes. The pancreas then has the essential role of getting glucose into the cells in order to normalize blood sugar levels (blood sugar levels). But in people with diabetes, the lack of insulin or the resistance of pancreatic cells to insulin, causes blood sugar to be increased. Hence the interest of distributing carbohydrates well over the meals of the day in order to avoid peaks of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia.

There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex.

Simple carbohydrates are represented mainly by:

• sucrose or refined white sugar;
• lactose found in milk and some dairy products;
• the fructose in fruits.

Complex carbohydrates are made up of several simple carbohydrate molecules and are converted into glucose during digestion. They are found in bread, pasta, rice, cereals, certain fresh vegetables or even dried vegetables. The fibers, contained in fruits, vegetables or whole grains, which are part of carbohydrates, have no impact on blood sugar.