Carb Counting - recording the carbs in every meal, snack and drink you have - can help you match activity levels and medications to the foods you eat. Many people with diabetes simplify their blood sugar management by counting carbohydrates, which can also help them:
- Stay healthy longer.
- Feel better and improve their quality of life.
- Prevent or delay complications of diabetes such as kidney disease, eye disease, heart disease and stroke.
If you take insulin with a meal, the carbohydrate content is calculated so that your insulin dose matches the carbohydrate content of your food and drink. You may also be given extra insulin if your blood sugar is higher than your target level when you eat.
What are the different types of carbohydrates?
There are 3 types of carbohydrates:- Sugar, such as natural sugars found in fruit and milk or added sugars found in soda and many other packaged foods.
- Starches, including wheat, oats, and other grains; starchy vegetables, such as corn and potatoes; and dried beans, lentils, and peas.
- Fiber, a type of plant food that is not digested but helps you stay healthy.
Sugar and starch increase blood sugar, but fiber does not.
How are carbohydrates measured?
Carbohydrates are measured in grams. On packaged foods, you can find total carbohydrate grams on the Nutritional Facts label.
For a diabetic meal plan, there are approximately 15 grams of carbohydrates per 1 serving. It's not always what you think of food. For example, most people would consider a small baked potato to be 1 serving. However, with about 30 grams of carbs, it counts as 2 servings of carbs.
How many carbohydrates should I eat?
There is no “one size fits all” answer. It's different for everyone because everyone's body is different. The amount you can eat and stay within your target blood sugar range depends on your age, weight, activity level and other factors.
On average, people with diabetes should aim to get about half of their calories from carbohydrates. This means that if you typically eat about 1,800 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight, you will have about 800 to 900 calories in carbohydrates. At 4 calories per gram, you need 200-225 carbohydrates a day. Try to eat about the same amount of carbs at each meal to keep your blood sugar levels up throughout the day (you don't have to do this if you use an insulin pump or have multiple injections per day - you'll need fast-acting or fast-acting mealtime insulin to match the amount of carbohydrates you eat).
This sample menu contains approximately 1,800 calories and 200 grams of carbohydrates:
Breakfast
½ cup oatmeal (28g)
1 cup low-fat milk (13g)
2/3 medium banana (20g)
¼ cup chopped Walnuts (4g)
Total carbs: 65g
Lunch
2 slices of whole wheat bread (24g)
4 oz. Low-sodium turkey meat (1 g)
1 slice low-fat Swiss cheese (1 g)
½ large tomato (3 g)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard (1 g)
¼ cup shredded lettuce (0g)
8 baby carrots (7g)
6 oz plain fat-free Greek yogurt (7g)
¾ cup blueberries (15g)
Total carbs: 59g
Dinner
6 oz grilled chicken breast (0g)
1 cup brown rice (45g)
1 cup steamed broccoli (12g)
2 TBS margarine (0g)
>Total carbohydrates: 57g
Snacks
1 low-fat cheese stick (1g)
2 oranges (18g)
Total carbohydrates: 19g
