Counting Carbohydrates
Counting carbohydrates can help you manage your blood sugar levels. It's simpler than it might sound!
The carbohydrates in foods cause your blood sugar to rise. In general, the more carbohydrates you eat at a meal or snack, the higher your blood sugar will go. So, it's important not to each too much carbohydrate at one time.
At the same time, if you use insulin or other antidiabetic medications, going too long without eating can cause your blood sugar to dip dangerously low. For best blood sugar control, you'll want to be fairly consistent about the amount of carbohydrates in your meals and snacks.
How many carbohydrates are right for you?
The amount of carbohydrates that is right for you depends on your size, whether or not you need to lose weight, and any medications you might be taking. Your health care team, including your doctor and/or diabetes educator should be able to advise you about how many grams of carbohydrates your meals and snacks should contain.
For example, you might be advised to aim for a total of 250 grams of carbohydrates a day, and to include about 50 grams at each meal and 30 grams at each snack.
Which foods contain carbohydrates?
- starchy foods like bread, cereal, rice, and crackers
- fruit and juice
- milk and yogurt
- dried beans like pinto beans and soy products like veggie burgers
- sweets and snack foods like sodas, juice drinks, cake, cookies, candy, and chips
- starchy vegetables like corn and potatoes
Other vegetables contain carbohydrates, as well, but in much lower amounts.
You can find out how much carbohydrate a serving of a food contains by looking it up here on Nutrition Data. You can also look at the Nutrition Facts label of packaged foods. Remember to pay attention to the serving size!
Here are some other food servings that contain about 15 grams of carbohydrates:
- 1 small piece of fresh fruit
- 1/2 cup of canned or frozen fruit
- 1 slice of bread
- 1 (6 inch) tortilla
- 1/2 cup of oatmeal
- 1/3 cup of pasta or rice
- 4-6 crackers
- 1/2 English muffin or hamburger bun
- 1/2 cup of black beans or starchy vegetable
- 1/4 of a large baked potato
- 2/3 cup of plain fat-free yogurt or sweetened with sugar substitutes
- 1 Tbsp syrup, jam, jelly, sugar or honey
- 1/2 cup of casserole
- 1 cup of soup
Next step: Search for foods that are low in carbohydrates
Related content: Tracking and analyze what you eat
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