The carbohydrate counting diet was designed to help diabetics keep their blood sugar levels under control. Since carbohydrates are responsible for raising the levels of glucose in the bloodstream, eating the same amount of carbohydrates at each meal helps diabetics to get better control of their blood sugar levels. Starting a carbohydrate-counting diet can seem overwhelming until you learn a few simple tricks to help turn this diet into a healthy part of your daily life.
Consult a Nutritionist or Dietician
Before starting on any diet, consult your physician or nutritionist. Not only will they determine the right daily calorie intake for you, but they will also determine the proper amount of carbohydrates and will take into account any other health risks or factors. Unless there are mitigating factors, your daily carbohydrate intake will most likely be in the range of 40 to 60 percent of your daily caloric intake, or 480 to 720 calories per day for someone on a 1,200 calorie per day diet.
Learn Your Exchanges
Fruits, bread, dairy and starches contain varying amount of carbohydrates that can make the carb counting process difficult. Define servings of carbohydrates, rather than trying to count individual grams to simplify the process. KidsHealth from Nemours defines one serving as an amount of food that contains roughly 15g of of carbohydrates. Vegetables contain 5g of carbohydrates per serving, and should not be counted unless you eat more than one serving per meal.
Become familiar with the values of foods that you eat often. For instance, one dinner roll, 1 cup of raspberries, 1 oz of milk chocolate with almonds and one taco each count as one serving of carbohydrates.
Stick With Low Glycemic Foods
The glycemic index rates carbohydrates by how quickly they are absorbed by the body and how high a spike they cause in blood sugar levels. The index uses glucose as the starting point with a GI rating of 100. Foods with a GI rating of 55 or less are considered low GI-rated foods that will help to keep blood sugar levels stable. When planning your carbohydrates, try to select foods that have a lower rating on the glycemic index.
One buttermilk waffle, for example and one slice of whole grain bread are each considered one serving of carbohydrates. The whole grain bread has a low GI rating of 50, while the waffle is rated high at 76. While the carbohydrate contents of both foods are roughly the same, the body will react to each of them very differently.
Avoid Empty Calories
Foods with a high sugar content tend to contain more carbohydrates concentrated in a smaller volume. A 12-oz can of Coca-Cola is equivalent to three servings of carbohydrates and contains little or no nutritional value. A 1/2-cup serving of potato salad along with a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich are also considered three servings of carbohydrates, but have significantly more nutritional value and will help you to feel full.
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