Using the Carb Counting Method to Manage Your Diabetes

In order to manage your diabetes effectively you must have an eating plan that works for you. There are two standard methods, the exchange system which has been around for years and the carb counting method which has become the most popular in recent years. The exchange system can be confusing and relatively difficult to calculate. This system for meal planning is based on the amount of calories, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that foods contain and is broken down into six lists: starch, fruit, milk, vegetables, meat or meat substitutes, and fat. The carb counting method concentrates on carbohydrates which have the greatest effect on your blood glucose levels and in my opinion is the easiest to understand and implement. The catch for anyone who is trying to control their blood glucose level is knowing how many carbohydrates you can eat while maintaining a healthy blood glucose level. This is why it is so important to get counseling from a dietician who can help you develop a meal plan. One size does not fit all.

Your individual meal plan will be based on a number of factors which include your gender, weight, activity level, and individual food preferences. The system works around carb servings. One carb serving equals 15 grams of carbohydrates which includes starches, fruits, milk, starchy vegetables and sweets. Most people start out with three to five carb servings a meal which equals 45-60 carbs; once again, this will depend on the individual. I myself can only manage two to three carb servings per meal which amounts to 30-45 grams. Also included in your meal plan should be three to six ounces of protein, five or more servings of vegetables and fruit, and one to two servings of fat. This will provide you with the essential nutrients you body needs.

If you take insulin, carbohydrate counting is essential to knowing how much insulin to take. You count the carbohydrates in a meal you are about to eat, and then adjust the amount of insulin you take. When you do this you are attempting to do what a healthy pancreas does by releasing just the right amount of insulin to cover the carbohydrates you eat. How much insulin you need to balance out a given amount of carbohydrate is determined by your carbohydrate-to-insulin ratio. Your diabetes health care team can help you determine your own individual carbohydrate-to-insulin ratio.

If you have Type 2 diabetes, counting and recording your carbohydrates is just as important because carbohydrates have the biggest effect on your blood glucose levels. Once you start counting carbs, it won't be long before you know which foods cause your blood glucose levels to spike and which foods you can eat plentifully without a harmful rise in blood your sugar levels.

It is important to read labels on prepared foods to find the amount of carbs they contain. For example, a jar of store bought spaghetti sauce might contain a lot of hidden sugar, something most people would not think to look for as an ingredient. Food processers often use added sugars to enhance flavors and increase shelf life. Some common forms of hidden sugar in processed foods come from the addition of corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, honey and molasses. So it is wise to read the labels on foods and compare brands. You will notice different brands can have remarkable differences in their ingredient list. It is also helpful to have a good carb counting book or chart that will provide you with the carb counts of commonly eaten foods. There are also many web sites available to you with tons of information. The Leeds Teaching Hospitals web site from England has a great page at, http://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/sites/diabetes/food/CarbohydrateCountingRef.php

Once you have determined how many carbohydrate servings you can have per day the next most important thing to understand and implement is portion control. As much as we would like it to be so, a serving of food does not equal the amount of food we can fit onto our plates. It is very important, especially in the beginning, to measure and weigh your portions so you know what you are putting on your plate. For example, there are about 15 gramsof carbohydratein: 1 small piece of fresh fruit (4 oz), 1/2 cup of canned or frozen fruit, 1 slice of bread (1 oz), 1/2 cup of oatmeal ,1/3 cup of pasta or rice ,1/2 cup of black beans or starchy vegetable ,1/4 of a large baked potato (3 oz) ,2/3 cup of plain fat-free yogurt or sweetened with sugar substitutes ,2 inch square brownie or cake without frosting ,1/2 cup ice cream or sherbet ,1 Tbsp syrup, jam, jelly, sugar or honey , and 1 cup of soup. It may seem like too much effort but once you get the hang of it you’ll be amazed at how easily you can do it.

There is also another tool many people are using called the Glycemic Index which standardizes how quickly foods are digested and enter the bloodstream as glucose. The faster a food is digested the sharper a rise in your glucose level. I will be spending more time with the Glycemic Index in my next article, but in a nut shell, highly processed or refined foods have a greater effect on blood sugar levels than less refined whole grain foods and fresh fruits and vegetables, regardless of the number of grams of carbohydrate they contain. It is important to understand that carbohydrates are not bad for you, your body requires them to be healthy. There are good carbs and bad carbs. Eat a variety of whole grains, legumes and other healthy carbs and limit the so called " bad carbs" which consist of highly processed foods like white flour and processed sugars and sweets.

For more information and advice on eating healthy and living well with diabetes try this web page from the American Diabetes Association, 

http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/my-food-advisor/?utm_source=WWW&utm_medium=DropDownFF&utm_content=MFA&utm_campaign=CON