Diabetes mellitus is a worldwide health problem. According to "Nutrition Therapy and Pathophysiology," an estimated 20 million Americans have diabetes. Diabetes is a diverse group of disorders that share the primary symptom of high blood glucose resulting from defective insulin production, insulin action or both. Part of the treatment for diabetes is to follow a diabetic diet. Many diabetics count the carbohydrates they eat in order to regulate their blood glucose.
Carbohydrate Counting
Foods with carbohydrates include bread, crackers, cereals, pasta, potatoes, sweets, fruit, fruit juice, milk and yogurt. Each serving of a food with carbohydrates contains approximately 15 g of carbohydrates. An average person should have three to five servings of carbohydrates per meal, and up to two servings of carbohydrates per snack. Speak with a dietitian to determine the amount of carbohydrates that is right for you.
Breakfast
Breakfast should provide you with three to five servings of carbohydrates, which is equivalent to 45 to 75 g of carbohydrates. An example breakfast meal that provides four servings of carbohydrates includes 1 small banana, 3/4-cup cornflakes, 1 cup fat-free milk and 1 slice of whole-wheat bread. Other acceptable breakfast items include 1/4 of a large bagel, 1/2-cup cooked cereal, 4 ozs. fruit juice and 1/2 cup of dried fruit.
Lunch and Mid-Day Snacks
Lunch should also provide three to five servings of carbohydrates. If you make a sandwich, you could include 2 ozs. of lean meat, 2 slices of whole wheat bread, raw vegetables such as lettuce and tomato, 1 cup fat-free milk and 1 small apple. Both the meat and raw vegetables do not contain carbohydrates and therefore do not need to be counted. Snacks ideas that provide two servings of carbohydrates include 1/4 cup of canned apricots with 3/4 ozs. unsalted mini-pretzels. Another option is 6 ozs. of low-fat yogurt with a sugar-free sweetener with 2 tbsp. of unsalted nuts.
Dinner
Dinner should provide three to five carbohydrate servings. An example of a dinner meal could include 3 ozs. of lean roast beef, a salad with raw vegetables and 1/2 cup of green beans. Those items do not contain carbohydrates. You can add one-half of a large baked potato which provides two carbohydrate servings. One small wheat dinner roll and 1 cup of melon balls provides an additional two servings, totaling four carbohydrate servings for the meal.
References
- "Nutrition Therapy and Pathophysiology"; Marcia Nelms, et al.; 2007.
- "American Dietetic Association's Nutrition Care Manual"; Carbohydrate Counting for People With Diabetes; 2009
- American Diabetes Association: Carbohydrate Counting
