Basic Carbohydrate Counting
Carbohydrates (car-bow-HIGH-drates) are nutrients in food that turn into glucose (sugar) after being digested to provide energy to the body. People with diabetes should have a moderate amount of carbohydrate at each meal, rather than avoiding them completely. Eating the right amount of carbohydrate at each meal will help to keep blood glucose in a healthy range. Below are some basic guidelines for counting and regulating the amount of carbohydrate in the diet. In general, these foods contain carbohydrates: Starchy vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, dried beans, corn, and peas Fruits: fresh, frozen, canned and juice All breads, cereals, pasta, rice and crackers Milk and yogurt Desserts and sweets Most snack foods Carbohydrates (carbs) are often counted in "servings" or "choices". One carb choice contains about 15 grams of total carbohydrate. The portions in the table below are equal to one carb choice. In general, women should have 3 to 4 carb choices at each meal and men should have 4 to 5 carb choices at each meal. Both can have 1 to 2 carb choices as an evening snack. Food Choices Equaling One Carbohydrate Choice (15 Grams of Total Carbs) Starch Fruit Milk Other Carbohydrates 1 slice bread Apple or orange the size of a tennis ball 1 cup (8 ounces) skim milk 2-inch unfrosted cake 2 slices light bread 1/2 cup grapes 6 ounces light yogurt 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce 1/3 cup pasta or rice (cooked), or baked beans 1 cup cubed melon 1 cup (8 ounces) soy milk 1/2 cup regular, light, or no-sugar-added ice cream 3/4 cup unsweetened cereal or 1/2 cup cooked cereal 1 cup berries 1/2 cup sugar-free pudding 1/2 cup corn, peas or mashed potatoes 1 small or 1/2 medium banana 3 gingersnap cookies 1/4 large or 1 small (3 ounces) baked potato 2 tablespoons raisins 5 vanilla wafers Continue reading >>
How To Count Carbs For Better Blood Sugar Control
Your doctor may have told you to “count carbs” or use something called the glycemic index to plan your meals. A healthy diet consists of a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. However, people with type 2 diabetes need to watch carbohydrates carefully. Why? Because when any food that contains carbohydrates is digested, it turns into sugar, which increases your blood-glucose level. It’s pretty basic: Eating too many carbs can raise the amount of sugar in your bloodstream and lead to complications. The key for people like you with type 2 diabetes is to eat carbs in limited amounts at each meal and when you snack. Total carbs should make up about 45 to 60 percent of your daily diet (and be spaced out throughout the day) if you have type 2 diabetes. There’s no one diet that works for everyone with type 2 diabetes — there are just too many variables: Age, weight, level of physical activity, medications, as well as daily routine and personal preference need to be taken into account. So here’s where your diabetes care team comes in: Talk to your dietitian or diabetes educator to determine the right carb-counting number for you so you’ll be able to provide your body with a steady flow of energy throughout the day, maintain a healthy weight, and manage your blood sugar. The Basics of Counting Carbs Counting carbs is an effective way to monitor your carb intake and keep sugar from building up in the blood. You can use these basic tips to help manage your carb consumption: Foods that contain carbohydrates include starches, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, beans, and sweets. Most people with type 2 diabetes should stick to eating around 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal. For foods that have nutrition labels, add up the grams of carbohydrates per serv Continue reading >>
Carb Counting If You Have Diabetes: 8 Key Steps To Know
iStock/4kodiak Because carbohydrates raise blood sugar, managing your carbs is key to managing your diabetes. One way to do it is through carbohydrate counting. Knowing how many carbs you can have throughout the day—and following those guidelines consistently every day—will set your blood sugar levels on an even keel, make you feel more energized, and help you avoid complications of diabetes. Most of the foods you eat—from milk and fruit to breads and grains—contain carbohydrates. There’s no way to avoid them, and you wouldn’t want to. Carbs serve as the main fuel source for your body. The trick is to avoid eating too many carbs in one day or at one sitting. Here are some of the best carbs for diabetics. When you eat carbs, your body breaks the food down into glucose, which enters the bloodstream. That triggers your pancreas to release the hormone insulin, which helps move the glucose into your cells for energy. The more carbohydrates you eat, the more insulin your body needs to help convert the food to energy. When you have diabetes, your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin or your body can’t use the insulin to move the glucose into the cells. Starved cells make you feel tired and sluggish. And chronically high blood sugar levels boost the production of free radicals and lower your immunity, on top of other negative effects. The key, then, is to gain better control over your blood sugar levels by learning just how many carbohydrates you should eat throughout the day. Here’s what to do. 1. Determine your activity level factor This is based on your gender and your level of physical activity. The more active you are, the more calories—and carbs—you can eat. If you’re a couch potato, rate yourself “sedentary.” If you exercise occasionally, r Continue reading >>
Carbohydrate-counting Chart For People With Diabetes
A Single-Serving Reference Guide Carbohydrates are your body’s main energy source. During digestion, sugar (simple carbohydrates) and starches (complex carbohydrates) break down into blood sugar (glucose). If you consume too much carbohydrate-rich food at one time, your blood sugar levels may rise too high, which can be problematic. Monitoring your carbohydrate intake is a key to blood sugar control, as outlined in a plan by your doctor or dietitian. Carbohydrates are found in lots of different foods. But the healthiest carbohydrate choices include whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, beans, and low-fat dairy products. The chart below shows a single serving of carbohydrate-containing foods, which equals 15 grams: Grains 1 Serving = 15 g carbs Bagel (white or whole wheat) 1/2 of a small Bread (white or whole wheat) 1 slice (1 ounce) Bun (white or whole wheat) 1/2 of a small Crackers, round butter style 6 Dry cereal, unsweetened 3/4 cup English muffin 1/2 of a small Hot cereal (oatmeal, grits, etc.) 1/2 cup cooked Macaroni, noodles, pasta or spaghetti 1/3 cup cooked Pancakes and waffles 1 (4-inch diameter) Pizza crust, thin 1/8 of a 12-inch pizza Rice (white or brown) 1/3 cup cooked Beans & Legumes 1 Serving = 15 g carbs Baked beans 1/3 cup cooked Beans (navy, black, pinto, red, etc.) 1/2 cup cooked Lentils 1/2 cup cooked Starchy Vegetables 1 Serving = 15 g carbs Baked potato (regular or sweet) 1/2 medium (4 inches long) Corn 1/2 cup cooked French fries, regular cut 10-15 fries Peas 1/2 cup cooked Winter squash (acorn, butternut, etc.) 1 cup cooked Vegetable soup 1 cup Fruits 1 Serving = 15 g carbs Apple 1 small Banana 1/2 medium Blackberries/Blueberries 3/4 cup Canned fruit (in light syrup or juice) 1/2 cup Cantaloupe 1 cup cubed Cherries 12 to 15 Grapefruit 1/2 Continue reading >>
Carbohydrate Counting & Diabetes
What is carbohydrate counting? Carbohydrate counting, also called carb counting, is a meal planning tool for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Carbohydrate counting involves keeping track of the amount of carbohydrate in the foods you eat each day. Carbohydrates are one of the main nutrients found in food and drinks. Protein and fat are the other main nutrients. Carbohydrates include sugars, starches, and fiber. Carbohydrate counting can help you control your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, levels because carbohydrates affect your blood glucose more than other nutrients. Healthy carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, are an important part of a healthy eating plan because they can provide both energy and nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, and fiber. Fiber can help you prevent constipation, lower your cholesterol levels, and control your weight. Unhealthy carbohydrates are often food and drinks with added sugars. Although unhealthy carbohydrates can also provide energy, they have little to no nutrients. More information about which carbohydrates provide nutrients for good health and which carbohydrates do not is provided in the NIDDK health topic, Diabetes Diet and Eating. The amount of carbohydrate in foods is measured in grams. To count grams of carbohydrate in foods you eat, you’ll need to know which foods contain carbohydrates learn to estimate the number of grams of carbohydrate in the foods you eat add up the number of grams of carbohydrate from each food you eat to get your total for the day Your doctor can refer you to a dietitian or diabetes educator who can help you develop a healthy eating plan based on carbohydrate counting. Which foods contain carbohydrates? Foods that contain carbohydrates include grains, such as b Continue reading >>
Counting Carbohydrates Like A Pro
Practical Tips for Accurate Counts Let’s get this straight: There is no such thing as a “pro” when it comes to carbohydrate counting. There is no master’s degree or PhD in Carbohydrate Science at any major university, nor is there a course focusing on counting carbohydrates in any dietetics or nutrition science program. And I’ve yet to meet anyone at a circus or carnival who, for a mere dollar, will “guess the carbohydrates” in your favorite food item, lest you win a valuable prize. So why would anyone with diabetes want to count carbohydrates “like a pro”? Simple. When it comes to keeping blood glucose levels in control, carbohydrate counting works better than any other system. Better than counting calories. Better than avoiding sugar. And certainly better (and simpler) than the exchange system. Carbohydrate is what raises blood glucose level abruptly after meals. Not fat or protein or vitamins or minerals. Just carbohydrate. Counting and managing the amount of carbohydrate in your diet has important benefits. If you take multiple daily injections of insulin or use an insulin pump, carbohydrate counting allows you to match doses of mealtime rapid-acting insulin to the foods you eat. This allows for almost unlimited dietary flexibility and helps to prevent post-meal highs and lows. If you control your diabetes with diet and exercise, pills, or just one or two insulin injections a day, you can also use carbohydrate counting to improve your control. Researchers at the University of Texas School of Allied Health Sciences in Galveston found that consistent carbohydrate intake (eating the same amount of carbohydrate at the same meals every day) in people with Type 2 diabetes leads to improvements in blood glucose control, whether or not a person also loses Continue reading >>
45 Top Carb-counting Tips
Tried-and-true tactics for fine-tuning your techniques and attitudes Carb counting sounds simple. After all, anyone who's passed third grade knows the basics of adding numbers. Unfortunately, counting carbohydrate grams isn't as easy as one, two, three. That's why Diabetes Forecast went to the experts for help. Who better to give tips on carb counting than the people who do it day in and day out? Read on for 45 tried-and-true carb-counting how-tos. "It's really important to work with your doctor," says Tammy Walker, 36, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes four years ago. "If you're newly diagnosed and your doctor doesn't have the experience, have your doctor refer you to a dietitian to teach you how to eat." "It's getting past that initial 'I can't do it,' " says Daniele Hargenrader, 31, who's had type 1 diabetes since she was 8. "The first days and weeks are the hardest. Anyone can change." Count total carbohydrate grams, not just the sugar grams listed on the food label, says David Frank, 41, who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a year ago. A cereal may only have 1 gram of sugar, for instance, but 21 grams of carbohydrate. "You have to look at the carbohydrates because carbohydrates break down into sugar." "The only way you can really know what your blood sugar is doing is if you have a readout. You can't guess what your blood sugar is," says Hargenrader. "And you can't guess how many carbs you need if you don't check your blood sugar." Checking before a meal and about two hours after the first bite shows you how what you eat affects your blood glucose. Intensive insulin users may do this frequently; for others, it can be helpful to do so when starting new medication or making other treatment changes. "They start to remember things," says Gabrielle Brits, whose Continue reading >>
Healthy Carbs For Diabetes
1 / 9 Making the Best Carb Choices for Diabetes "When you say 'carbohydrate,' most people think of sugar," says Meredith Nguyen, RD, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at the Methodist Charlton Medical Center Diabetes Self-Management Program in Dallas. But that's only half the story. Carbohydrates are also starches and valuable fiber, which are found in many nutrient-rich foods that should be part of a diabetes diet. Sugar is the basic building block that, depending on how it's organized, creates either starches or fiber. You need about 135 grams of carbohydrates every day, spread fairly evenly throughout your meals. Instead of trying to avoid carbs completely, practice planning your diabetes diet with everything in moderation. "There's nothing you can't have," Nguyen says. "The catch is that you might not like the portion size or frequency." Use this list of healthy carbohydrates to help you stay balanced. Continue reading >>
What Is Carb Counting?
By the dLife Editors Carbohydrate counting is a method of meal planning that involves calculating the amount of carbs you eat at each meal and snack. Keeping track of your daily carbs can help you keep your blood sugar in your target range. That’s because carbs—which include sugars, starches, and fiber—affect your blood sugar more than protein or fat. Your body breaks carbohydrates down into glucose, which enters the bloodstream, raising your blood sugar levels. Balancing your carb intake with physical activity (and diabetes medications, if you take any) can help keep your blood sugar as close to normal as possible, which lowers your risk of diabetes-related complications. Simply counting the grams of carbs in the food you eat is the most popular and accurate method of carbohydrate counting. Older methods of keeping track of your carb intake include: The carb choice system. One “carb choice” is about 15 grams of carbs. Examples of foods that contain about 15 grams of carbs include one slice of bread; 1/3 cup of pasta or rice; 1 small fresh whole fruit; and 1/2 cup of starchy vegetables. A food with 30 grams of carbs would be considered two carb choices. The dietary exchange lists system. Each exchange list groups together foods that contain approximately the same amount of carbs, protein, fat, and calories—and therefore have about the same effect on your blood sugar. Any item on a specific food list can be exchanged with any other item on that list. For example, you could have 1/2 cup of beans or 1/3 cup of cooked pasta for your starch choice. The amount of carbs you should eat a day depends upon a variety of factors, including your age, weight, level of physical activity, medications, and blood sugar targets. Tips for Counting Carbs The first step in carb c Continue reading >>
Carbohydrate Counting 101
Carbohydrate Counting 101 There are several different ways people with diabetes can manage their food intake to keep their blood glucose (sugar) within their target range and one such method is 'carbohydrate counting'. Carbohydrate, or carb counting is a method of calculating grams of carbohydrate consumed at meals and snacks. Foods that contain carb have the greatest effect on blood glucose compared to foods that contain protein or fat. Before starting any new treatment or meal plan, you should always consult with your diabetes care professional. What are the benefits of counting carbs? ·Counting carbohydrates is a good solution for many people with diabetes. Once you learn how to count carbs, you’ll find it easier to fit a wide variety of foods into your meal plan, including combination foods such as those in frozen dinners. For example, by checking the grams of total carbohydrate on the Nutrition Facts label on a frozen dinner, you can figure out how to fit the dinner into your carb allotment for a particular meal. Many people find carb counting to be much easier than using a more traditional exchange meal plan. ·Another benefit of counting carbohydrates is that it can bring tighter control over your glucose readings. Being as precise as possible with your carb intake and medication will help you better manage your blood glucose after meals. ·Lastly, if you take mealtime insulin, counting carbohydrates allows you to decide how much carb you want to eat at a meal, rather than having to eat a certain amount of carbohydrates, even if you do not want to. Who can use carbohydrate counting? Carbohydrate counting can be used by anyone with diabetes, not just people taking insulin. This method is also useful for people who are using more intensive methods of adjusting i Continue reading >>
Counting Carbohydrates
To best control your blood sugar: Do not skip meals. Counting calories might be something you’ve already done at one time or another in your life. Counting carbohydrates may be something new to you. So why is counting carbohydrates so important when you have diabetes? Counting carbohydrates: Keeps you in control of your blood sugar Keeps you in balance with with your medication or insulin dose Keeps you in control of food portions to manage your body weight How much carbohydrate do I need each day? Carbohydrates are measured in units called grams. Grams are a measure of weight. The total grams or amount of carbohydrate you need each day depends on your calorie goals, activity level and personal preferences. Carbohydrates generally provide 45-65% of your daily calories. For most people with type 1 diabetes, this ranges from 150-250 grams of carbohydrate a day. How you distribute this carbohydrate throughout the day can also make a difference in your blood sugar. To best control your blood sugar: Eat three meals a day, roughly 4-6 hours apart. Do not skip meals. Try to consistently eat the same amount of carbohydrate at each meal. Your registered dietitian can help you choose a carbohydrate goal and daily meal plan that keeps your food, medication and physical activity in mind. How much carbohydrate is found in the foods I eat? There are many resources you can use to count carbohydrates: The American Diabetes Association Exchange Lists for Meal Planning: Choose Your Foods lists grams of carbohydrate per exchange serving size. In this system, one carbohydrate exchange serving equals 15 grams of carbohydrate. Carbohydrate counting and food composition books are available. These resources can also be found online. Some cookbooks are available that provide nutrition informa Continue reading >>
Carb Counting For Diabetes Made Easy
For people with diabetes, carb counting is an important way to make sure your blood glucose levels stay in your target range. While the amount of carbs you should eat depends on many things, such as how much you exercise and any medications you take, the recommended limit is 130 grams per day, distributed evenly between meals. To help you stay on track, here are 15 common foods that contain around 15 grams of carbs. Continue reading >>
Carbohydrate-counting Chart For People With Diabetes
Carbohydrate-Counting Chart for People with Diabetes Carbohydrates are your bodys main energy source. During digestion, sugar (simple carbohydrates) and starches (complex carbohydrates) break down into blood sugar (glucose). If you consume too much carbohydrate-rich food at one time, your blood sugar levels may rise too high, which can be problematic. Monitoring your carbohydrate intake is a key to blood sugar control, as outlined in a plan by your doctor or dietitian. Carbohydrates are found in lots of different foods. But the healthiest carbohydrate choices include whole grains , vegetables, fruits, legumes, beans, and low-fat dairy products. The chart below shows a single serving of carbohydrate-containing foods, which equals 15 grams: For more information about eating with Type 2 diabetes, click here . For more specific information or help, talk to your health care provider. The American Diabetes Association's National Call Center also offers live advice from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday at 1-800-DIABETES or 1-800-342-2383. This article has been reviewed and approved by Amy Poetker, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. Super article...now if only there were a simple diabetic exchange counter we could use easily here. I dont want to leave SparkPeople, but I also dont want to have to track in two separate places. I know, I know; its all just tracking. But I was just given a diabetic-type exchange chart and I cant stand the thought of having to flip back and forth between chart and logging in foods here. Why hasnt this been done already? (Not expecting an answer here, I know. I will be copying and mailing emailing this to the friendly folks at SparkPeople for feedback.) Continue reading >>
How To Count Carbs In 10 Common Foods
What are carbohydrates? Carbohydrates are sugar-based molecules found in many foods, from cookies to cantaloupes. If you have diabetes, planning your carb intake—and sticking to the plan—is critical to keep blood sugar on an even keel and to cut your risk of diabetes-related problems like heart disease and stroke. Whether or not you have diabetes, you should aim to get about half your calories from complex carbohydrates (which are high in fiber), 20-25% from protein, and no more than 30% from fat, says Lalita Kaul, PhD, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. How to read a food label The Nutrition Facts label lists the total amount of carbohydrates per serving, including carbs from fiber, sugar, and sugar alcohols. (If you're counting carbs in your diet, be aware that 15 grams of carbohydrates count as one serving.) Sugar alcohols are often used in sugar-free foods, although they still deliver calories and carbs. Sugar alcohols and fiber don't affect blood sugar as much as other carbs, because they're not completely absorbed. If food contains sugar alcohol or 5 or more grams of fiber, you can subtract half of the grams of these ingredients from the number of total carbs. (See more details at the American Diabetes Association and University of California, San Francisco.) How many carbs per day? If you eat 2,000 calories a day, you should consume about 250 grams of complex carbohydrates per day. A good starting place for people with diabetes is to have roughly 45 to 60 grams of carbs per meal and 15 to 30 grams for snacks. While snacks are key for people with diabetes who use insulin or pills that increase insulin production (otherwise, they run the risk of low blood sugar), they aren’t essential for non-insulin users. The goal for anyone with diab Continue reading >>
Carbohydrate Counting And Diabetes
Foods that contain carbohydrate are an important source of fuel for your body. Glucose is used by the body’s cell for energy. This makes the amount of carbohydrates you ingest an important consideration. Carbohydrate counting can help you manage your diabetes. Read more in our carbohydrate counting and diabetes factsheet. Continue reading >>
