In my nutrition class, an entire chapter is devoted to carbohydrates. Dreadful, but life-sustaining carbohydrates. Of course, the class goes into much greater detail than the familiarity that I have with carbs, but I still feel knowledgeable in the area.

One piece of information did strike me as very interesting and a little concerning. Someone (I believe the government) recommended that everyone consume at least 130 grams of carbohydrates per day in order to merely give the brain enough energy to survive. Apparently, 45% to 65% of my daily caloric intake should be from carbohydrates.

My pump average on carbohydrates is currently 117 (over the last 31 days). Now this does not include any carbs for lows or any "free carbs" like vegetables or small amounts of fruit. One hundred and seventeen is close to the suggested 130 to support my brain. But it's nowhere near 45% to 65% of my daily caloric intake.

Typically, I consume 1800 to 2000 calories a day. This would mean that at least 900 to 1000 calories should be from carbohydrates. At four kilocalories per gram, this would be 225 to 250 grams of carbs per day.

So according to whomever (the government), I need to almost double my consumed carb amount in order to function. However, even consuming 125 or more grams of carbs per day puts my blood sugars in the next bracket (I get averages like 160 instead of 140). Not to mention that those excess carbs add excess pounds to my weight. I have to say that I'm not willing to take this risk.

Who makes up these things anyway? Does anyone else think that diabetics (and other groups of diseases) should have their own recommended amounts unrelated to the general population? We make calorie adjustments for the overweight/obese, so why not make a new dietary guideline for diabetics?