Ready, Set, Start Counting! Carbohydrate Counting a Tool to Help Manage Your Blood Glucose When you have diabetes, keeping your blood glucose in a healthy range can help you feel your best today and in the future. Carbohydrate counting or carb counting is a flexible meal-planning tool (not a diet) that can help you understand how your food s affect your blood glucose level. Carbohydrate and blood glucose Any carbohydrate food you eat (e.g., milk, fruit, bread and pasta) is digested into glucose, which causes your blood glucose level to increase. However, eating some carbohydrates throughout the day is important because they provide energy and essential nutrients for your body. To better manage your blood glucose, energy levels and weight, pay attention to how much carbohydrate you eat. Maintaining the right balance between carbohydrate and insulin (whether your body produces it or you take it) helps to regulate your blood glucose level. Determining when and how much you eat and whether or not you have snacks should be based on your lifestyle, medications and meal-planning goals. A registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) may consider the following ways for you to use carb counting to determine the healthiest plan for you: Setting a maximum amount of carbs for each meal within your healthy meal plan and/or taking diabetes medications can keep your blood glucose from getting too high. If you use diabetes medications or insulin, it may be important to eat the same amount of food and carbohydrate at the same time each day. Doing this can keep your blood glucose from getting too high or too low. If your insulin plan includes varying doses based on how much carbohydrate you are eating (carb/insulin ratio), accurate carb counting can help you determine how much insulin to take. Grains (e.g., breads, crackers, rice, hot and cold cereals, tortillas and noodles) Starchy vegetables (e.g., potatoes, peas, corn, winter squash, lentils and beans) Fruit and juices Milk and yogurt Sweets and desserts Non-starchy vegetables (e.g., carrots, broccoli and tomatoes) contain only a small amount of carbohydrates and do not affect blood glucose when eaten in small portions.
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Breads, Grains and Cereals ounce bread roduct slice bread, ¼ rge bagel, 6 ortilla) /3 cup cooked rice r pastaor pasta cup soup Breads, Grains and Cereals 1 ounce bread product (1 slice bread, ¼ large bagel, 6 tortilla) 1/3 cup cooked rice 1 cup soup ¾ ounce unsweetened cold cereal (serving sizes vary, check label) ounce nsweetened cold ereal (serving sizes ary, check ½ cup label) cooked cereal cup cooked cereal 3 cups air-popped cups air-popped popcorn opcorn Milk and Yogurt 1 cup milk Milk and Yogurt 1 cup low-fat or skim 1 cup milk, or low-fat 1 cup or low-fat fat-free or skim milk, or plain yogurt 6 ounces low-fat or fat-free plain or 6 ounces flavored Greek yogurt yogurt made with 6 ounces flavored low-cal yogurt sweetener made with (these low-cal vary, sweetener check (these vary, check label) label) Vegetables Fruits and Beans 1 small piece fresh ½ cup potato, Vegetables fruit Fruits sweet and Beans potato, peas, ½ medium fruit corn 1 small piece fresh ½ cup potato, sweet (apple, fruit banana) potato, peas, corn ½ cup cooked ½ cup medium canned fruit fruit ½ cup cooked beans, legumes (apple, banana) beans, legumes in own juice (garbanzo, kidney, kidney, ½ cup canned fruit black 1 in cup own melon juice black beans) beans) 1 cup honeydew or cantaloupe ½ cup fruit juice 2 TBSP dried fruit 1 1/4 cup 1 watermelon cup raspberries ½ cup fruit juice 1 ¼ cup strawberries 2 TBSP dried fruit 1 cup raspberries ¾ cup blackberries, 1 ¼ cup strawberries blueberries 1 cup blackberries 3/4 cup blueberries 1 cup winter squash 1 cup winter squash 1/3 cup cooked cassava, yam, taro 1/3 plantain (green or yellow) 1 ½ cups cooked vegetables (small portions of nonstarchy vegetables are free) 1 ½ cups cooked vegetables (small portions of nonstarchy vegetables are free) Sweets and Foods ¾ ounce snack food (pretzels, 4- crackers) Sweets and Foods ¾ ounce snack food (pretzels, 4-6 crackers) 8 baked chips, potato, pita 15 potato chips 1 ounce sweet snack (2 small sandwic cookies, 5 vanilla wafers) 13 regular chips, tortilla, potato 1 ounce sweet snack (2 small sandwich cookies, 5 vanilla wafers) 1 TBSP sugar or honey 1 TBSP sugar or honey ½ cup regular ice cream ½ cup regular ice cream The lists above provide a basic idea of the carb count in common foods. Each portion is one carbohydrate (15 grams of carbohydrate). Foods with fewer than 20 calories and fewer than 5 grams of carbohydrate Better carb s are considered free. These include sugar-free beverages, sugar substitutes, spices and seasonings. arb s for common serving sizes 1 regular sandwich = 2 carb s, or about Carbohydrate 30 grams of s carbohydrates for common serving sizes 1 6 sub sandwich = 3 carb s, or about 1 regular sandwich = 2 carbohydrate s 45 grams of carbohydrates or about 30 grams of carbohydrates 1 cup cooked rice or pasta = 3 carb or s, about 45 or grams about of carbohydrates 45 grams of carbohydrates 1 6 sub sandwich = 3 carbohydrate s 1 cup cooked rice or pasta = 3 carbohydrate s or about 45 grams of carbohydrates 1 medium (average) apple or banana = 2 carb 1 s medium or (average) about apple 30 grams or banana = of carbohydrates 2 carbohydrate s or about 30 grams of carbohydrates All carbs are not alike. Choose better carb s, Better such as carbohydrate whole grains s and less-processed foods. Carbohydrate counting is important, but the type of carbohydrate also is important for both blood glucose and overall health. All carbohydrates are not the same. Choose better carbohydrate s, such as whole grains and less-processed foods. Select whole grain bread, whole grain pasta an brown rice over white (refined) varieties. Experiment with many types of whole grains, including barley, oatmeal, quinoa and bulgur. Opt for beans and other legumes. Go for whole fruits instead of fruit juice or suga foods. Select whole grain bread, whole grain pasta and brown rice over white (refined) varieties. Opt for beans and other legumes. Experiment with many types of whole grains, including Select barley, a variety oatmeal, of vegetables quinoa and such bulgur. as cauliflow tomato, carrots and spinach (most vegetables a foods. great s). Go for whole fruits instead of fruit juice or sugary Select a variety of vegetables such as cauliflower, tomato, carrots and spinach (most vegetables are great s).
How much to eat? How much to eat? Women Men Many women need about Many men need about Women Men 3-4 carbohydrate s 4-5 carbohydrate s (45-60 Many women grams) at need each about meal 3-4 carbohydrate s (45-60 grams) at each meal (60-75 Many grams) men need at each about meal 4-5 carbohydrate s (60-75 grams) at each meal 1 slice (1 ounce) whole grain toast 1 small orange 1 slice (1 ounce) 1 small cup cooked orangeoatmeal whole 1 teaspoon grain light toastmargarine made with water 1 cup cooked oatmeal 1 teaspoon egg omelet light with margarine spinach made 1 cup fat-free with water milk and mushrooms egg omelet with spinach 1 small orange and mushrooms 12 cup tablespoons fat-free milk nuts 1 small orange 2 tablespoons raisins tablespoons nuts 6 ounces low-fat plain Greek yogurt 2 tablespoons raisins 2 carbohydrate s 1 cup brown rice 1 sandwich with 2 carbohydrate 11-2 cup cups brown chicken 1 rice whole small grain fruit bread s and veggie stir fry 1-2 cups chicken 1 small fruit 1-2 cups veggies and 1 small veggie fruitstir fry 1-2 cups veggies 0-1 small fruit 1 piece of chicken 1 cup pasta 1 piece cup winter of chicken squash 1 ½ cup pasta red sauce with meat 1 cup small winter fruit squash ½ 6 ounces cup red low-fat sauce with meat 1-2 cups broccoli plain Greek yogurt small fruit 6 ounces low-fat 1 large green salad -2 cups broccoli plain Greek yogurt 1 cup fat-free skim milk 0-1 large green salad 1 large green salad 1 cup fat-free skim milk 1 large green salad 3 carbohydrate s 0-3 carbohydrate s
My Individual Carbohydrate Goals TOTAL Time Carbohydrate s or grams Healthy eating is about more than just counting carbohydrates. It is important to eat balanced meals with an emphasis on vegetables and fruits. Eat a variety of foods. For most people these include: at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables at least 3 servings of whole grains or legumes (beans) 2 3 servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy Adequate protein and healthy fats Protein foods (including meat, poultry and fish) and fats do not directly affect blood glucose and can help you feel satisfied, although they do add calories. To keep your heart healthy, choose healthy fats (like those found in nuts, seeds and fish) in appropriate portions. With all of the food you eat, remember that portion control is important. 2014 Diabetes Care and Education Dietetic Practice Group. Permission to reproduce for non-profit educational purposes granted through 2017. For a referral to a registered dietitian and for additional food and nutrition information, visit the Diabetes Care and Education Practice Group at www.dce.org or the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at www.eatright.org, or 1-800-877-1600.