Consistent Carbohydrate Diet

There are a plethora of diet plans for a variety of health purposes and medical conditions. The consistent carbohydrate diet is unique because it does not count calories or ban any particular food or food group. It involves carefully controlled portions of one specific nutrient, the carbohydrate.

Uses

A consistent carbohydrate diet is useful for anyone who requires strict control of blood glucose. Those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes have impaired production or function of insulin, a hormone necessary to store digested carbohydrate. They are at risk for high or low blood sugar and often require medication or insulin injections in addition to a controlled diet. Gestational diabetes, reactive hyperglycemia and postprandial hypoglycemia are also conditions that result in abnormal glucose levels.

Rationale

A consistent carbohydrate diet is based on the principle that consistency in the amount and timing of ingestion of carbohydrates can help maintain a level blood glucose. In the past, people often believed that sugar was the culprit for high blood glucose, which resulted in many "sugar free" and "diabetic" products. Now, the experts agree that it is total carbohydrates that need to be controlled to achieve optimal blood glucose.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are components of food that provide energy for the body. Carbohydrates are found in fruit and fruit juices; grains such as breads, cereals, pasta and rice; starchy vegetables such as peas, corn, potatoes and lentils; dairy products such as milk, yogurt and ice cream; sweets and desserts; and table sugar, honey, molasses and syrup. Non-starchy vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots and lettuce contain few carbohydrates. Foods that do not contain carbohydrates include meat, poultry, fish and oils.

Carbohydrate Counting

The first step toward following a consistent carbohydrate diet is learning carbohydrate counting. Carbohydrates are measured in grams. For meal planning, you can either count grams of carbohydrates or number of carbohydrate choices. One carbohydrate choice is equal to 15 g. The nutrition facts label details the grams of carbohydrate per serving that a food contains. For foods without a label readily available, there are books, pamphlets and websites that list the grams of carbohydrates or the number of carbohydrate choices for common foods.

Considerations

It is important to note that the American Diabetes Association says that sugar alcohols cause minimal insulin response. Therefore, in products with more than 5 g of sugar alcohols, half the grams of sugar alcohol should be subtracted from the total carbohydrates. Also, in food items that contain more than 5 g of fiber per serving, the total grams of fiber should be subtracted from the total carbohydrates.

Sample Meal Plan

An example of one day on a consistent carbohydrate diet might look like this. Breakfast: 1 1/2 cups toasted oat cereal, one banana, 4 oz. milk, one scrambled egg and one slice of toast, for a total of 60 g carbohydrates. Lunch: two slices of bread, 3 oz. ham, 1 tsp. mayonnaise, 1 cup vegetable soup and one small orange, for a total of 60 g carbohydrates. Snack: two rice cakes and 1 oz. cheese, for a total of 15 g carbohydrates. Dinner: 1 cup cooked rice, 1 cup cooked carrots, 4 oz. chicken and 1 cup salad, for a total of 60 g carbohydrates. Snack: one apple and 1 tbsp. peanut butter, for a total of 15 g carbohydrates.