Basic Carbohydrate Counting

GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is carbohydrate counting?

• Carbohydrate (kahr-boh-HI-drayt) counting is a way of planning your meals by counting the amount of carbohydrate in foods. It can help you eat the right amount of carbohydrate to keep your blood sugar levels under control. This is important if you have diabetes. People with diabetes who have near-normal blood sugar levels have a lower risk of developing certain long-term health problems. These include heart, kidney, eye, or nerve problems.
  
  
• Carbohydrate naturally increases your blood sugar level. Eating large amounts of carbohydrate at one time can raise your blood sugar to a high level. Carbohydrate is found in starches (breads, cereals, starchy vegetables, and beans), fruit, milk and sweets. Protein and fat are other nutrients that are found in foods, but these nutrients do not have the same effect as carbohydrates on your blood sugar. To keep track of your blood sugar levels, test your blood sugar regularly. Ask your caregiver about how and when to test your blood sugar.

What meal plan is right for me?

• A dietitian or caregiver will help you develop a healthy meal plan that works best for you. The dietitian or caregiver will tell you how much carbohydrate you should eat or drink during each meal and snack. Your meal plan will be based on several types of information. This information may include your age, weight, usual food intake, physical activity level, blood sugar levels, and diabetes medicine. Once you know how much carbohydrate you should eat, you can decide what type of carbohydrate you want to eat.
  
  
• You will need to know what foods contain carbohydrate and how much carbohydrate they contain. Keep track of the amount of carbohydrate in meals and snacks in order to follow your meal plan. Carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet. Do not avoid carbohydrates or skip meals. If you do not eat enough carbohydrate or you skip meals, your blood sugar may fall to a low level. A healthy diet is made up of a variety of healthy foods from all the food groups.

What foods contain carbohydrate? Below is a list of some of the foods that contain carbohydrate. There are many other foods that contain carbohydrate. Ask your caregiver for more information about the amount of carbohydrate found in other foods.

Breads: Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 grams (g) of carbohydrate .

• One-ounce slice of bread.
  
  
• One ounce of a bagel (equal to about one-fourth of a bagel from a bagel shop or bakery).
  
  
• One four-inch pancake (about one-fourth of an inch thick).
  
  
• One six-inch flour or corn tortilla.

Cereals and grains: Serving sizes of ready-to-eat cereals vary. Look at the serving size and the total carbohydrate amount listed on the food label. Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 g of carbohydrate .

• Three-fourths of a cup of dry, unsweetened, ready-to-eat cereal or one-fourth cup of low-fat granola. (Serving sizes of ready-to-eat cereals vary. Look at the serving size and the total carbohydrate amount listed on the food label.)
  
  
• One-half cup of cooked cereal or oatmeal.
  
  
• One-third cup of rice or pasta.

Starchy vegetables: Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 g of carbohydrate .

• One-half cup of corn, green peas, sweet potatoes, or mashed potatoes.
  
  
• One-fourth of a large baked potato.
  
  
• One cup of winter squash (acorn, pumpkin).

Beans, peas or lentils: Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 g of carbohydrate .

• One-half cup of beans and peas (garbanzo, pinto, kidney, white, split, black-eyed).
  
  
• Two-third cup of lima beans.
  
  
• One-half cup of lentils.

Crackers and snacks: Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 g of carbohydrate .

• Three graham cracker squares or eight animal crackers.
  
  
• Six saltine-type crackers.
  
  
• Three cups of popcorn.
  
  
• Three-fourths of an ounce of pretzels.

Fruit: Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 g of carbohydrate .

• One small (four ounce) fresh fruit. Weigh fresh fruit at grocery store. Large pieces of fruit usually weigh more than four ounces and count as more than one serving.
  
  
• One-half cup of canned or fresh fruit.
  
  
• One-half cup (four ounces) of unsweetened fruit juice.
  
  
• One-fourth cup of dried fruit.

Desserts or sugary foods: Each serving of food listed below contains about 15 g of carbohydrate .

• One two-inch square of an unfrosted brownie.
  
  
• Two small cookies.
  
  
• One-half cup of sugar-free, fat-free ice cream.

Milk and yogurt: Foods from the milk and yogurt group contain about 12 g of carbohydrate per serving.

• One cup of milk.
  
  
• Three-fourths of a cup of plain, non-fat yogurt.
  
  
• One cup of fat-free, flavored yogurt sweetened with artificial sweetener.

Non-starchy vegetables: Each serving contains about five grams of carbohydrate .

• One-half cup of cooked vegetables or one cup of raw vegetables. Some of these vegetables include beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, mushrooms, tomatoes, and zucchini.
  
  
• One-half cup of vegetable juice.

How do I use carbohydrate counting to plan meals? You can count the amount of carbohydrate in food by counting the number of servings you plan to eat. You can also use food labels to count the amount of carbohydrate in food.

• Counting carbohydrate amounts using servings sizes: Become familiar with serving sizes by measuring your foods with measuring cups, measuring spoons, and a scale. Measuring foods will help you become familiar with what the serving sizes in the above food list look like. This will be helpful when eating away from home.
  
  
  • A serving of any carbohydrate food (starches, fruit, milk and sweets) will count as 15 grams of carbohydrate. Round up the amount of carbohydrates in milk to 15 g to make counting easier. Count the carbohydrates in non-starchy vegetables only if you eat three servings per meal. Three servings of non-starchy vegetables are equal to 15 g. If you eat only one or two servings, do not count these carbohydrates in the total amount.
    
    
    • Pasta dinner example: Your meal plan allows you to have 60 g of carbohydrate for dinner. To figure out the amount of carbohydrate for this meal, multiply the number of servings you plan to eat by 15 grams of carbohydrate per serving. You plan to eat one cup of pasta. According to the food list above, one cup of pasta is equal to 3 servings of carbohydrate. The total amount of carbohydrate in this amount of pasta would be about 45 g . Based on your meal plan, you would be able to eat one more serving of carbohydrate food (15 g), such as a slice of bread, or half of a cup of peas.
      
      
    
    
  
  
• Counting carbohydrate amounts using food labels: You can also find the total amount of carbohydrate in foods by reading the food label. The food label will tell you the serving size of the food and the "total carbohydrate amount" in each serving. Find the serving size on the food label and then decide how many servings you will eat. Multiply the number of servings you plan to eat by the "total carbohydrate amount".
  
  
  • Granola bar snack example: Your meal plan allows you to have 30 g of carbohydrate for a snack. To figure out the amount of carbohydrate for this snack, multiply the number of servings you plan to eat by the "total carbohydrate amount" listed on the food label. You plan to eat the whole package of granola bars, which contains two bars. According to the food label, the serving size of food in this package is one bar. Each serving (one bar) contains 25 grams of carbohydrate ("total carbohydrate amount" listed on food label). The total amount of carbohydrate in this package of granola bars would be 50 g. Based on your meal plan, you should eat only one bar.
    
    

What other important diet guidelines should I follow?

• Fat: Ask your dietitian how much fat you should eat each day. As part of a healthy diet, you should limit the amount of fat you eat each day. Choose low-fat protein foods such as poultry (turkey or chicken) without the skin, fish, lean cuts of meat, and beans. Choose low-fat dairy foods such as one percent low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese and yogurt. People with high blood fat levels (such as high cholesterol) may need to count fat grams in their diet.
  
  
• Protein: Ask your dietitian how much protein you should eat each day. The amount of protein you need depends on your age, weight and physical activity level. You may have to eat a certain amount of protein if your kidneys are not working normally.
  
  
• Sugar: You may occasionally include sugar and sweets as part of your meal plan. Count sugar and sweets as part of the amount of carbohydrate that you can have within your meal plan. Limit sugar and sweets because they are usually also high in calories, fat and cholesterol. Try eating smaller portions of sweets by sharing a dessert or asking for a child-size portion at a restaurant.
  
  
• Sodium: For adults with high blood pressure, limiting sodium (found in table salt) in your diet may help to lower blood pressure. Your dietitian may suggest that you limit sodium in your diet if you have high blood pressure. Foods high in sodium include salt, soy sauce, processed meats (bologna, hot dogs), snack foods (potato chips) and soups.

What is my carbohydrate counting meal plan?

Breakfast:

• Carbohydrate servings: ____
  
  
• Carbohydrate grams: ____

Morning snack:

• Carbohydrate servings: ____
  
  
• Carbohydrate grams: ____

Lunch:

• Carbohydrate servings: ____
  
  
• Carbohydrate grams: ____

Afternoon snack:

• Carbohydrate servings: ____
  
  
• Carbohydrate grams: ____

Dinner:

• Carbohydrate servings: ____
  
  
• Carbohydrate grams: ____

Evening snack:

• Carbohydrate servings: ____
  
  
• Carbohydrate grams: ____

Risks: Not making changes suggested by your dietitian or caregiver may cause your blood sugar levels to be too high or too low. Having near-normal blood sugar levels can decrease your risk for developing certain long-term health problems. These include heart, kidney, eye, or nerve problems.

Call ____ if:

• You have high blood sugar during a certain time of day, or almost all of the time.
  
  
• You often have low blood sugar.

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your diet. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

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