Carbohydrate (carb) counting is a way to keep track of the number of carbs you eat at each meal. Carbs from your food get digested and absorbed as a sugar known as glucose. Counting them helps you to be aware of how food will affect your blood glucose. This is important if you need to manage your blood sugar levels.
Carb counting is helpful if you take insulin shots. It helps you to balance food intake with insulin. The more carbs you eat, the higher your blood sugar will be, and the more insulin you will need. Always ask your doctor before adjusting insulin doses on your own.
When you eat carbs, your body turns them into glucose. The foods that raise blood glucose the most are the ones that have carbs. Foods like starches, milk, fruit, and sweets are carbs.
Carbs can be simple or complex:
| Types of Carb | Healthy Choices | Foods to Limit or Avoid |
|---|---|---|
|
Simple |
|
|
|
Complex |
|
Refined starches like white flour, white flour products, and white rice. |
All carbs have similar effects on your blood glucose. Because of this, carbs can be exchanged with each other. Foods are considered a carb servings. One carb serving is equal to 15 grams of carbs. This is about the amount of carbs in one slice of bread, ¾ cup dry, unsweetened cereal, ½ cup of pasta, 1 cup of milk, or 1 small piece of fresh fruit. You may trade one grain serving for 1 fruit or 1 milk serving.
This table lists foods that have about 15 grams of carbs per serving.
| Group | Serving Size and Type |
|---|---|
|
Fruits |
|
|
Starchy veggies like potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, green peas, or green lima beans |
|
|
Grains |
|
|
Protein |
|
|
Dairy |
|
|
Other |
1 medium sugar cookie |
Meats and fats contain little or no carbs, while nonstarchy veggies contain only five grams per serving. One serving equals one cup raw veggies or ½ cup cooked. Examples of nonstarchy veggies are:
Many sources give carb count lists. In addition, most packaged foods have labels with the amount.
Most people with diabetes should eat between 45% to 65% of their calories as carbs. The balance can come from fat and protein.
There are four calories in every gram of carb. So, for example, if you are on a 2,000 calorie diet with 50% of your calories coming from carbs, you can have a total of 16 servings of carbs per day.
|
Calculating Carb Servings |
|---|
|
50% of calories from carbs = 1,000 calories |
|
1,000 calories divided by 4 calories per gram of carb= 250 grams |
|
250 grams divided by 15 grams carb per serving = 16.66 servings |
You should space out your carbohydrate servings into at least three meals per day with a snack in between. This will keep your blood sugar steady. Plus, the more fiber the source of carbs contains, the better the effect on your blood sugar.
This table shows different ways that these 16 carb servings could be distributed. Keep in mind the more evenly spaced they are, the better:
|
Breakfast |
4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
|
AM Snack |
0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
|
Lunch |
5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
|
PM Snack |
0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
|
Dinner |
5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
|
Evening Snack |
2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
|
TOTAL CARBS |
16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
A dietitian can help you learn how to count carbs and come up with a meal plan that is right for you. The dietitian will look at things like how well you are managing your diabetes, how active you are, how much you weigh, and how old you are.
Learn which types of foods have carbs and the amount per serving. There are many online tools to help you count carbs and plan meals.
When you shop, remember to read food labels. This will tell you the portion size and the total carb amount.
To help you count, use measuring cups and spoons, as well as a food scale. An apple weighing 4 ounces has about 15 grams of carbs.
Use a worksheet to keep track of your meals, drinks, and snacks. Share this information with your dietitian so your progress can be checked. Carbohydrate counting programs can also help you stick to your meal plan.
Not all foods contain carbs! A six ounce serving of ground beef doesn't have carbs, but has over 500 calories. One teaspoon of corn oil also doesn't have carbs, but has 40 calories.
With this in mind, choose your proteins and fats wisely. If you eat them too much, you may go over your target calorie level and gain weight. Foods that are high in fat and cholesterol should also be limited to lower your risk of heart disease.
Fiber is a carb. But, because the body can't break it down, it does not affect blood sugar. If you eat many high-fiber foods, you may want to talk to a dietitian about label reading to learn how to subtract the dietary fiber grams from the total carb grams. This gives you a more accurate estimate of the carbs that will affect your blood sugar.
Eat a variety of healthy foods everyday by choosing:
The US Department of Agriculture’s Choose My Plate website offers more tips, like:
Are you wondering what it would be like to eat a carb-friendly dinner? Here is just one example, but keep in mind that a dietitian can help make a meal plan just for you.
| Food |
Carbs |
|---|---|
| Small raw apple |
15 |
| Chicken, baked, 6 ounces |
0 |
| Pasta, 1/2 cup |
18 |
| Zucchini, cooked 1/2 cup |
5 |
| Bread, 1 slice |
15 |
| Non-fat milk, 1 cup |
15 |
| Total Amount of Carbs |
68 |
American Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.org
Choose My Plate—US Department of Agriculture
http://www.choosemyplate.gov
Canadian Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.ca
Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca
Carbohydrate counting with chronic kidney disease. National Kidney Foundation website. Available at: http://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/carbcount.cfm. Accessed September 25, 2020.
Dietary considerations for patients with type 2 diabetes. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T270045/Dietary-considerations-for-patients-with-type-2-diabetes. Accessed September 25, 2020.
Dietary guidelines for Americans 2010. US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services. Available at: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf. Accessed September 25, 2020.
Understanding carbohydrates. American Diabetes Association website. Available at: http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/understanding-carbohydrates. Accessed September 25, 2020.
Last reviewed September 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Monica Zangwill, MD, MPH Last Updated: 9/25/2020
