Carbohydrate Counting Diet

Carbohydrates a very big impact on blood glucose levels as they are converted to sugar
by the body in the process of turning the food into energy.  Too many carbohydrate
servings can increase blood sugar levels.  It is important for a diabetic to control the
number of carbohydrates that are eaten at each meal and balance the carbohydrates with
protein while limiting fat intake.

In this type of meal plan foods are grouped into three different categories:  carbohydrates,
proteins, and fats.  The majority of foods that you eat contain carbohydrates and this will
be the largest food group.  Foods in this group include:

*    Grains – breads, crackers, rice, cereal, pasta
*    Dairy – milk, yogurt
*    Vegetables that are considered starchy – corn, peas, and potatoes
*    The rest of the vegetable family
*    Fruit, including fruit juices
*    Desserts and other treats – chosen in limited amounts

This diet will require you to measure your foods for serving sizes and read food labels to
determine how many servings are carbohydrates it should be counted as.  It is standard to
consider 15 grams of carbohydrates as one serving.  For instance, if you are having
crackers as a snack and are allowed one serving of carbohydrates you would look at the
food label to figure out how many crackers you can have.  If the serving size is 20
crackers and that equals 30 grams of carbohydrates, for a diabetic that would be
considered two servings.  In this example, you would half the serving size and eat 10
crackers to equal 15 grams of carbohydrates.

After some time and experience you will become adept at counting carbohydrates and
knowing what foods work well with your blood glucose levels and what ones don’t.  No
two diabetics respond the same way to every food, you will need to learn what your own
ideal diabetic diet is.