Low carb, low sugar?

Question: I have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes and a friend told me I should eat low carb and no sugar.  What is considered to be low carb and low sugar in specific numbers?

Answer: Any carbohydrate that we eat turns to glucose (a form of sugar) in the body, which is then used for fuel.  Therefore, whether you are eating an item with 5g sugar and 7g carbohydrates or an item with 7g carbohydrate and 0g sugar, you are giving your body the same amount of sugar.  It is not necessary to avoid items with sugar in them, you just want to be aware that when you consume any carbohydrate it turns to glucose and has an affect on your blood sugar. 

It is important that you do not cut carbs out of your diet, but rather try to keep your carbohydrate intake consistent throughout the day (relatively the same amount of carb with breakfast as with lunch and dinner).  The number of carbs which should be consumed varies for each person, but when looking at the nutrition facts label you may want to choose items that lower to give you a bigger allowance.  Items with less than 5g carb may be a good cutoff; what is most important is that you balance each meal, whether that means eating one large carb item or multiple low carb items.