Carbohydrate counting is a type of diet usually used by people who have diabetes, to help them with blood glucose control. Carbohydrates are found in many foods, such as grains, starches, fruit, dairy, beans, soy, baked goods, candy, vegetables and many processed foods, and can raise blood glucose. Foods that do not have carbohydrates include meat, fish, poultry, eggs and fats like margarine, butter and oils.
Food Label and Carbohydrates
Reading food labels is an effective way to count carbohydrates, since no additional materials are needed. The first step is to check what the serving size is and then what the total carbohydrates are for that serving. Sugars and fiber are included in the total carbohydrate amount, so they do not need to be counted separately.
Carbohydrate Reference Books
Reference books are available that contain calorie and carbohydrate information for many different food items. Using a food reference book can make carbohydrate counting easier, especially when eating foods that may not have a food label or when at a restaurant that does not list any nutrition information in its menu. You can find these books in bookstores, libraries and online. Many food reference books are small and easy to carry with you.
Carbohydrate Counting Technology
Online calorie and carbohydrate counting programs are available, and some can be downloaded to your computer. Livestrong.com offers the MyPlate program, where food eaten can be entered into the program, and the carbohydrate information is calculated. Carbohydrate counting programs are also available for download onto personal cell phones. Check your cell phone company's program or apps store to see what carbohydrate counting software is available for download.
Carbohydrate-Controlled Diets
Diets that restrict carbohydrates usually recommend that you limit the amount of carbohydrates you eat each day. Usually these low-carbohydrate diets' books explain what the diet is and teach you how to read labels to determine how many carbohydrates are in the foods. Some low-carbohydrate diets have easy-to-use reference guides for carbohydrate content or programs available online.
Meal-Delivery Programs
Meal-delivery programs have gained popularity because they are easy to use and help you to meet calorie goals. These programs are available for purchase and usually provide three meals a day and snacks to meet a certain calorie goal. They are popular for weight loss and can also help with following a healthy diet. The programs not only provide food, but also the daily calorie and carbohydrate information for the meals and snacks. Meal-delivery programs can easily be found online, and some are advertised in local newspapers.
Carbohydrate Exchange Diet
When following a carbohydrate exchange diet, instead of counting the total amount of carbohydrates in foods, you use a carbohydrate exchange system. One carbohydrate exchange is equal to 15 g of carbohydrates. Usually, a health care provider determines how many carbohydrate exchanges you can have at each meal.
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