Good blood glucose control is important if you have diabetes. To avoid symptoms of high blood glucose, you need to manage the amount of carbohydrates you take in, because they are the main source of glucose in your diet. Carb counting is a flexible meal planning technique which helps to keep blood glucose levels within your target range.
Significance of Carb Counting
Dietary carbohydrates directly affect blood glucose levels -- the more carbohydrates you eat, the higher your blood glucose level will be. If you have diabetes, you need to limit your intake of carbohydrates to prevent hyperglycemia and the dangerous side effects. Counting carbs not only controls blood glucose levels, but can also help prevent the need to increase insulin or medication doses.
Carb Counting Basics
Carb counting consists of planning meals around a specific amount of carbohydrates in a day. The focus is on carbohydrate amount and not the type of carbohydrate. A registered dietitian can help determine the correct amount, which is based on your individual caloric needs. As recommended by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, total grams of carbohydrates should be equivalent to 45 percent to 65 percent of total calories.
Meal Planning with Carb Counting
The American Diabetes Association recommends spreading out the total amount of carbohydrates among three meals and snacks so you maintain steady blood glucose levels. Because all foods, except meats and fats, contain carbohydrates, this method assumes carbohydrate foods affect the body the same way. One serving of grains, starches, fruits and dairy contain approximately 15g of carbohydrate. Non-starchy vegetables are not counted in this method since the carbohydrate content is minimal. Count carbohydrate servings at each meal and snack to make sure you do not go above your daily carbohydrate allowance. Remember one serving equals 15g of carbohydrate.
Carb Counting and Blood Glucose
Blood glucose levels are a direct result of how much food you eat, mainly carbs. Carb counting helps to prevent you from eating too many carbohydrates, which will lead to elevated blood glucose. This is important in diabetes because the body can not properly lower high glucose levels without endogenous insulin or medication.
Finding Carb Information
The Nutrition Facts Panel is on all packaged food items and contains the nutrient contents of the food. When counting carbs, pay close attention to the serving size, number of servings per package and total amount of carbohydrates per serving. The Nutrition Facts Panel lists total carbohydrate amount per serving and not per package. Make sure you don't eat the whole package and count it as one serving, unless there is only one serving per package listed. For fresh produce, estimate carbohydrate amount from food composition books or Internet resources.
