If you have diabetes, your physician probably already has told you how important it is for you to follow a balanced diet with the correct amount of carbohydrates, fat and protein each day. But translating those numbers into figures that work in real-world food situations can represent a tricky problem, and may result in mistakes on your part. However, if you become proficient at counting carbs and know exactly how many you need each day, you can gain better control over your condition and potentially improve your health.
Carb Basics
Carbohydrates, which provide quick energy and valuable nutrients, should make up the bulk of your diet whether or not you're diabetic. For diabetics, carbs should represent between 45 and 65 percent of your total daily calorie intake, according to the University of California-San Francisco. A person who consumes 2,000 calories a day should try to eat 1,100 to 1,300 of those calories as carbohydrates. Because there are 4 calories in every 1 g of carbohydrate, that translates into a total of about 275 to 325 g of carbs each day.
Counting Carbs
You might find it simpler to count the carbs in your diet if you consider most normal serving sizes of carb-containing foods to have about 15 g of carbs. For example, an 8 oz. glass of milk or one slice of bread each contain about 15 g of carbs. In addition, 1/3 cup of pasta or rice, or 1/2 cup of potatoes, beans or squash each also include about 15 g of carbs. If you get between 18 and 22 servings per day with 15 g of carbs in each serving, you'll reach your carbohydrate total easily, without too many complicated calculations.
Choices of Carbs
Your choices of carbohydrate sources matter if you have diabetes -- you should steer clear of sugar and white flour-based products while emphasizing fiber-filled carbohydrate choices, such as beans, whole wheat and other whole grains, vegetables and fruit. You should eat at least four servings of vegetables each day, plus as much fruit as you want, advises the American Diabetes Association. Try to get 25 g of fiber per day, as well, as it can help you manage your blood sugar and may reduce your risk of other medical conditions, such as colon cancer. If you choose only whole grains and eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, you should reach that fiber goal easily.
Considerations
Remember that most foods, with the exception of plain meat and pure fats such as olive oil and butter, contain some carbohydrates. Count "hidden" carbs in your total, such as the jam you spread on your toast in the morning or the cookies you grabbed on the way out the door; both represent one carb serving. In addition, there's help available if counting carbs to manage your diabetes starts to overwhelm you -- ask your physician for a referral to a dietitian, who should be able to help you make sense of your new dietary restrictions.
References
- University of California at San Francisco: Counting Carbohydrates
- American Dietetic Association: Carbohydrate Counting for People with Diabetes
- American Diabetes Association; Diabetes Research Summary -- Carbohydrate and Fiber Recommendations for People With Diabetes; 2004
- Joslin Diabetes Center: Carbohydrate Counting 101
