You will use what's known as an insulin-to-carb ratio to calculate how much insulin you should take in order to manage your blood sugars after eating. This advanced form of carb counting is recommended for people on intensive insulin therapy by shots or pump, such as those with type 1 and some people with type 2. While people with type 2 diabetes who don't take mealtime insulin may not need detailed carb counting to keep their blood sugars in line, some prefer to do it.
Still others use the Diabetes Plate Method to eat a reasonable portion of carb-containing foods at each meal by limiting whole grains, starchy vegetables, fruits or dairy to a quarter of the plate. As for the ideal number of carbs per meal, there's no magic number. How much carbohydrate each person needs is in large part determined by your body size and activity level. Appetite and hunger also play a role. This service, when provided by a dietitian, is known as medical nutrition therapy. Diabetes self-management education DSME sessions also may include creating an eating plan.
During the sessions, you'll determine your carb needs and how to divide your carbs among your meals and snacks. Everybody's insulin response is going to be different, and we don't want to make the diet more restrictive than it needs to be to manage blood sugars. Find a diabetes education program. The American Diabetes Association used to recommend that people eat at least grams of carbs per day, but changed their position in , saying that low-carb diets are a promising way to manage diabetes.
One way to do that is by following a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet , which is generally defined as eating no more than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. When the body lacks carbs, you have less glucose in the blood for energy.
To survive, your body enters a state called ketosis , where the body produce ketones that allow it to use fat as an alternate source of energy in place of glucose. People on the ketogenic diet eat mainly meat, shellfish, eggs, nuts, salad, vegetables, and cheese. The key is to consume more fat than carbs so your body uses ketones for energy, which does not spike blood glucose levels. The diet has had impressive results in research trials and in patients, says William Yancy , associate professor of medicine and director of the Duke Diet and Fitness Center at Duke University.
You can see from several studies that people's blood sugar improves to the point that they can cut back on their medicines. That's really rewarding to the individual. It's empowering for our patients," he says. Smith says at least a third of her patients with diabetes aim to take in fewer than grams of carbohydrates per day.
However, it may be tough for some people to follow such a restrictive diet long-term. Calories come from three nutrients: carbohydrate, protein and fat, which are also known as macronutrients.
Alcohol also has calories. In contrast, vitamins and minerals are micronutrients and don't have any calories. The foods we eat are made up of varying amounts of carbohydrates, protein and fat. For example, a potato is mostly carbohydrate with a small amount of protein. Top it with sour cream and you've added calories from fat. A piece of skinless chicken breast-like the one in the recipe for Chicken Burrito Bowls above-contains mostly protein, a small amount of fat and no carbohydrate.
How the chicken is prepared can add other nutrients and calories. For example, breading chicken will add more carbohydrates; frying it will add more fat. Don't Miss: Healthy Carbs for Diabetes. There are three types of carbohydrates: sugar, starch and fiber. If you're counting carbohydrates, you want to pay attention to the Total Carbohydrates on the nutrition label, which is the sum of all three types. You probably already know that there are carbohydrates in a slice of bread or a bowl of pasta.
But here are some other foods that mostly derive calories from carbohydrates some also contain protein and fat. You might be wondering why your care team is so concerned about carb counting, and why it's important to space out the carbs you eat over the day.
Here's why: When you eat foods with carbohydrates, the carbohydrate is broken down into glucose sugar , which enters your bloodstream, raising the amount of sugar in your blood. This signals the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin then takes the sugar from your blood to your cells to be used for energy.
Subsequently, the amount of sugar in your blood comes down. The next time you eat, this process happens again. If you have diabetes, your body doesn't use insulin properly, making it hard for your body to regulate the amount of sugar in your bloodstream. Because carbohydrates cause your blood sugar to rise, controlling your intake of carbohydrates helps control your blood sugar as well. But here's a little tip: While there are three types of carbohydrates-sugar, fiber and starch-they are not all digested the same.
Nonstarchy vegetables contain mostly fiber and little to no sugar, so they don't raise your blood sugar very high and therefore, not as much insulin needs to be released. So pile those nonstarchy vegetables on your plate! In contrast, fruit juice, soda and refined grains e. The glycemic index further explains the effect that different foods have on your blood sugar level, but eating a healthy, low-carb, vegetable-packed diet is a good place to start.
While it might seem as though drastically reducing or eliminating carbohydrates from your diet would be a good idea if you have diabetes, it's not a realistic-or healthy-goal. Carbs are your body's preferred source of energy. Unlike protein and fat, which are digested more slowly, carbohydrates provide quickly available energy.
Fruits, vegetables and whole grains, which are all carbohydrates, also provide essential calories energy , vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are important for good health. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains is associated with maintaining a healthy weight, having a healthy heart, reducing risk of cancer, keeping blood pressure and blood sugar levels healthy and living longer.
Plus, fruits, vegetables and whole grains are also full of fiber, which is the indigestible part of plant foods. Most fiber is passed through the intestines and not digested. Carbohydrate counting is a skill that can help you plan your diet to manage type 2 diabetes and control your blood sugar. This technique helps you determine the amount of sugar and starch carbohydrate in the foods you eat so you can spread carbohydrate throughout the day, preventing high blood sugar after meals.
Carbohydrate counting gives you the flexibility to eat what you want and increases your sense of control and confidence in managing your diabetes.
Your daily amount depends on several things—your weight, how active you are, what diabetes medicines you take, and what your goals are for your blood sugar levels. A registered dietitian or certified diabetes educator can help you plan how much carbohydrate to include in each meal and snack.
Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: E. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. British Columbia Specific Information Carbohydrate carb counting involves planning out the amount of carbs that you eat each day to help manage your blood glucose level.
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