The American Diabetes Association reports that more than 8 percent of the U.S. population has diabetes. Carbohydrate counting is a method used by some diabetics to manage blood sugar results and medication. Insulin-dependent diabetics can plan their meals based on a set number of carbohydrates and break it into carbohydrate choices instead of counting individual carbohydrate grams.
Explanation
Carbohydrate choice is the term applied to a 15 g serving of carbohydrates. Every 15 g serving is a single carbohydrate choice. Newly diagnosed diabetics may be provided with a guideline to eat a set number of carbohydrate choices at a meal. For example, if your diabetic nutritionist tells you to eat three carbohydrate choices at each meal, plan on 45 g of carbohydrates.
Carbohydrate Choice Ranges
Carbohydrate servings up to 5 g are considered "free" choices, provided you restrict your diet to two of these choices per day. Servings of 6 to 10 g are classified as half of a carbohydrate choice, with servings of 11 to 20 g of carbohydrates as a single carbohydrate choice.
Calculations
Particularly when you manage your carbohydrates for medical reasons, proper calculation is crucial. To determine the number of carbohydrate choices, start with the serving size information. Look at the nutrition label to identify the serving size. Read the total carbohydrates, then look for dietary fiber. If there are less than 5 g of fiber, retain the carbohydrate count. If the food contains 5 g or more of dietary fiber, subtract the fiber grams from the carbohydrates. Divide the total by 15 to obtain carbohydrate choices.
Examples
A slice of bread that contains 17 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fiber is one carbohydrate choice. A serving of brown rice with 48 g of carbohydrates and 7 g of dietary fiber would equal 3 carbohydrate choices at 41 g of digestible carbohydrates. Single carbohydrate snacks include one-half of an English muffin, a small piece of fruit, half a cup of potato or a package of 100-calorie snacks.
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