If you're one of the 23.6 million American adults that have diabetes, then carbohydrates are an important part of your meal plans. According to the American Diabetes Association, 7.8 percent of the American population has either type I or type II diabetes. Fortunately, diabetes researchers have come a long way in developing methods to help you manage your disease. One of the best ways is to learn how to count carbohydrates to stabilize your blood glucose levels.
Determining Your Goals
When you're first diagnosed with diabetes, your physician and registered dietitian will tell you how many carbohydrates you're allowed to eat per day, based on the severity of your disease and how quickly you need to bring down your blood glucose levels. Each carbohydrate you eat is rated by the number of grams of carbs, compared to others. A good place to begin is by eating no more than 50 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal.
Breakfast Carbohydrates
A typical American breakfast can consist of relatively few carbs or it can be quite high. Foods like bacon and eggs contain few carbohydrates, but other foods like pancakes and French toast can contain as many as 14 grams of carbs for sourdough bread or as few as 8 grams for whole wheat bread. Other popular breakfast foods with their carbohydrate count in parenthesis include bananas (21.1 grams), cantaloupe (3 grams), raisins (31 grams) or peaches (8.9 grams).
Lunch Carbohydrates
If you eat a traditional American lunch, chances are you're eating a sandwich that's made with two pieces of bread. Depending on the type of bread, it can be relatively high in carbs. For instance, one slice of sourdough bread contains 14 grams of carbohydrates. Rye bread contains 13.7 grams, white bread contains 12.2 and wheat bread contains 8 grams. Multiply each by two for each sandwich. If you're eating out, keep in mind that one large order of french fries contains over 70 grams of carbohydrates.
Dinner Carbohydrates
Dinner can often be a mixture of fats and proteins as well as carbohydrates. That works to your benefit because the fats and proteins will help to offset the carbohydrates, so you can eat items that are traditionally higher in carbs without being concerned your blood glucose levels spiking. Some common carbohydrates eaten at the dinner table include potatoes (14 grams), sweet potatoes (22 grams), lentil beans (22 grams), kidney beans (14 grams), broccoli (1.7 grams), corn (14.1 grams), peas (6.5 grams) and spinach (0.2 grams). All are grams per half cup.
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