Complete Guide to Carb Counting. Hope S. Warshaw

the absorption of glucose, resulting in lower rises in blood glucose after eating. Some fibers are also helpful for weight loss because they make you feel full and satisfied. Fiber has no calories. Fiber is an essential part of a healthy eating plan.

      Easy Tips to Fit in Fiber

       The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines foods with more than 5 grams of dietary fiber per serving as “excellent” sources, whereas foods that provide between 2.5 and 4.9 grams per serving are considered “good” sources.

      Look for these items and check the Nutrition Facts label to see how much fiber a food contains.

      • whole-grain cereals, breads, and crackers

      • whole grains, such as barley, bulgur, and buckwheat

      • beans and peas—these types of foods, called legumes, are great sources of fiber

      • fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber, such as acorn and butternut squash, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, berries, plum, prunes, and apples

      • nuts and seeds

      What Is the Glycemic Index and Should I Use It with Carb Counting?

      The glycemic index (GI) is a list of foods that details how various foods affect blood glucose levels. It was developed in the early 1980s by researchers who studied how quickly or slowly various carbohydrate-containing foods raised blood glucose—bread, corn, pasta, beans, fruit, and others. The GI research helped show that not all carbohydrates raise blood glucose levels the same amount. They showed, for instance, that potatoes raised blood glucose more quickly than fruit and that legumes raised blood glucose quite slowly.

      This is valuable information, but it can be difficult for people with diabetes to use the GI for blood glucose control. That’s because the GI only evaluates one food at a time. Most people eat several foods in a meal, and some are high in carbohydrate and others are high in protein or fat. The combination of foods in a meal is what determines the effect on blood glucose. In addition, a number of other factors affect how quickly foods raise blood glucose, such as:

      • How much blood glucose–lowering medication you take and the type of medication you take

      • The fiber content of the foods you eat

      • The ripeness of the fruit or vegetable you eat

      • Whether the food is cooked or raw

      • How quickly or slowly you eat

      • The level of blood glucose before a meal (when the starting point is low, blood glucose rises faster after a meal)

      • The time of your last dose of diabetes medication and the time you eat

      Although the GI may not account for all of this, it can be another tool in your meal planning toolbox. As you progress with carb counting, you may develop your own personal GI. Your records may show that the carbohydrate in certain foods affects your blood glucose more than others. This information can help you fine-tune your blood glucose management.

      Chapter 2:

      Basic Carb Counting

      In This Chapter, You’ll Learn:

      • How to count carbohydrate

      • How much carbohydrate to eat

      • If you’re ready for carb counting

      There are two levels of carb counting: basic and advanced. Everyone starts at the basic level, so that’s where we’ll start, too. Later on, you may find that you want or need to progress to the advanced techniques. We’ll cover those methods in Chapter 11. For now, let’s focus on the basics to get you started.

      The focus of basic carb counting is to eat about the same amount of carbohydrate at the same times each day in order to keep your blood glucose levels in your target ranges. The first step is to learn how to count the amount of carbohydrate in different foods.

      Two Ways to Count

      There are two ways to count carbohydrates: counting grams of carbohydrate and counting carbohydrate servings. Counting carb servings is easier and is usually a close enough estimate for basic carb counting. But there may be times when you need to count grams, so it is best to be aware of both methods.

      Remember the Number 15

      If you’re counting carb servings, the general rule is that 15 grams of carbohydrate equals one carb serving. The size of the serving will vary depending on the type of food. For example, one carb serving equals

      • 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes

      • 1 ounce of dry cereal, or

      • 1 slice of bread

      All of these servings contain 15 grams of carbohydrate. This also means that if you eat more than the serving size of the food, you will need to count more than one serving of carb.

      Table 1-1 in Chapter 1 shows examples of common food servings that contain 15 grams of carbohydrate. However, in the real world, not all servings contain exactly 15 grams of carbohydrate. The number will vary from serving to serving, from food to food. There are lots of resources out there to help you figure out grams of carb and serving sizes. As a starting point, refer to Table 2-1, below. For a more detailed list, see Appendix 1, which lists many commonly eaten foods with the exact number of grams of carbohydrate per serving. As we go on, we’ll learn how to find the carbohydrate content on a packaged foods’ Nutrition Facts label. There’s also a list of books and websites in Appendix 2 that may be helpful.

      What are grams of carbohydrate?

      Don’t confuse gram weight on the serving size of a Nutrition Facts label with carbohydrate grams. Answer these True/False questions to check your knowledge of grams.

      1. True False A gram is a unit of weight in the metric system.

      2. True False Carbohydrate is measured in grams (g).

      3. True False When you weigh something that is 1 ounce (oz), the metric conversion is 30 g.

      4. True False The weight of a food portion will tell you how many grams of carbohydrate are in it.

      Answers: 1. true; 2. true; 3. true; 4. false. The number of grams of carbohydrate, protein, and fat in a food is not the same as the weight of the food itself. For example, a medium (4 oz) apple may weigh 120 grams (there are 30 grams in an ounce), but the amount of carbohydrate in it is about 15 grams. A medium (6 oz) potato weighs 180 grams (30 grams × 6 oz), but the amount of carbohydrate in it is about 30 grams. However, there are now food scales available that can be programmed to give you a pretty close estimate to the nutrients contained in the food you weigh.

      How Much Carbohydrate Should I Eat?

      There is no set amount of carbohydrate that is right for everyone. The amount of carbohydrate you need to eat at your meals and snacks should be based on several factors:

      • Your height and weight

      • Your usual eating habits and daily schedule

      • The foods you like to eat

      • Your amount of physical activity

      • Your health status and diabetes goals

      • The diabetes medications you take and the times that you take them

      • Your blood glucose monitoring results

      • The results of your blood lipid (fat in the bloodstream)