Are you in the Philippines??
Yes, i live in Manila. Been here 20 years now. i am visiting Japan at Christmas, on company trip.
I know this question was for another poster who already replied, but I want to give you a different perspective. I do not eat low-carb and have no interest in that. My control (HbA1c = 5.7 at conception; 5.3 at the two times it was checked since then; generally never higher than 6.3 in my decade of T1D) is achieved in other ways. I love variety in food too much and cooking and researching new cuisines is truly an important hobby for me. So I do eat all the things you list, but my main focus is to minimize processed foods and focus on REAL whole ingredients (i.e., the substitutes that are typically in packaged low-carb food are worse in my view than just having a tiny piece of dessert Iāve made).
But I AM mindful of the amount carbs I eat and naturally find staying under 100g/day to be better for my overall health, not just BG levels. Furthermore, I try not to eat more than 40g (60 is an indulgence which I allow myself too for special meals, but not all the time) for a single meal.
I have noticed there is definitely a threshold around that level (though it might differ from person to person, like everything about T1D) that makes the normal I:C ratios I use insufficient if I eat more carb at once. I am sure there is medical literature that names this and describes it with more precision, but for my practical purposes all I need to know is that if I will be eating 60 grams, I better up the basals and do some hours-long square bolusing, adding more total insulin than a mere bolus wizard calculation would suggest. Otherwise a post-prandial spike is guaranteed.
The other factor to add to the fine balance we are all after is activity. I donāt do anything crazy, but I do make the time to move around (walk around the neighborhood with my husband after dinner; yoga classes on the weekend; 30-60 mins even on a low level on the elliptical at home after a higher-carb meal, etc.) 3-5 times/week. If I slack on this, I also see a small but clear increase in my average BG levels. So think whether you incorporate activity (and time it strategically for AFTER meals) in a way that helps to bring your BG to desirable ranges.
All of this was my approach before I became pregnant and also remains the case now (I am 31weeks). The past month I have actually gone up to about 125g/day on average, being in the third trimester and needing to eat a little more overall. The additional carbs are usually āspentā on fruit rather than anything else.
And, as I believe I already said in an earlier post to you too, I have had to keep adjusting all my pump settings frequently throughout the pregnancy so far. So hopefully this is something youāre comfortable with or, if not, that you can get help with from a medical professional.
Bottom line, we all need to find what works best for us individually and also remain adaptable when something doesnāt work. Best of luck in figuring out your own best regimen!
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Thank you! I appreciate the details you provided.
Living low carb isnāt really an option for me either. I would call myself a āfoodieā- I definitely love to cook and try new things. And I love to bake desserts, but I always share them so I donāt end up eating it all!
Also, living in Asia, our diet is so dependent on rice and noodles, and thatās the cheaper way to live, which is the bottom line at this point in our lives.
But Iām trying to adjust my diet to eating 5-6 smaller meals (less carbs at a time) per day.
Oh, but how I do love my carbs!