Diabetes is a condition in which the blood glucose levels become dangerously high. Diabetes may result in a number of health problems, including retinal damage, atherosclerosis and a weakened immune system. Many diabetics can try to keep their blood sugar levels down by following a careful diet, also known as a diabetes diet. One of the tenets of this diet is consuming only moderate amounts of carbohydrates, including sugars, to help control blood glucose levels. As a result, people following a diabetic diet must be mindful of the amount of sugar and other carbohydrates they consume every day.
Step 1
Determine the number of carbohydrate servings you may consume each day. This amount depends on your total daily caloric intake. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders offers three basic diet plans; select your diet plan according to your gender, size and activity level, and whether you plan to lose weight or maintain your current weight. The three diet plans are broken down into three daily caloric intake ranges: 1,200 to 1,600 calories per day, 1,600 to 2,000 per day, and 2,000 to 2,400 per day. With the lowest-calorie plan you are allowed six daily starches, whereas with the 1,600-to-2,000-calorie plan you are allotted eight starches each day. The plan highest in daily calories, with 2,000 to 2,400 calories, recommends 10 starches per day.
Step 2
Calculate the number of starch servings you may eat in your diet plan. If you fall in the 1,200-to-1,600-calorie range, you may eat six starches daily; if you are on the 1,600-to-2,000-calorie diet, you may consume eight starches. In the 2,000-to-2,400-calorie plan, you may have a total of 10 starches a day.
Step 3
Calculate the amount of non-sugar carbohydrates you want to consume per day. Although it is never a good idea for diabetics to eat large quantities of sugar, the total daily intake of carbohydrates affects blood glucose levels more than the type of carbohydrates, according to the American Diabetes Association. As a result, if you want to calculate how many grams of sugar you are permitted to eat, you first need to determine how many grams of other carbohydrates you consume each day.
Step 4
Divide the total grams of non-sugar carbohydrates by 15 and subtract this number from the total number of starch servings permitted by your diet plan; 15 grams of carbohydrates is approximately one serving of starch, the website EndocrineWeb explains. For example, if you are on the 1,600-to-2,000-calorie diet and you consume 90 g of non-sugar carbohydrates, you have consumed six of your eight allotted servings of starch.
Step 5
Multiply the remaining starch servings you are allowed by 15 to get your total grams of sugar allowed. For example, if you have two remaining starch servings, you may have up to 30 g of sugar.
