On packaged foods, you can find total carb grams on the Nutrition Facts label. You can also check this list or use a carb-counting app to find grams of carbs in foods and drinks. For diabetes meal planning , 1 carb serving is about 15 grams of carbs.

For example, most people would count a small baked potato as 1 serving. However, at about 30 grams of carbs, it counts as 2 carb servings. Lunch 2 slices whole wheat bread 24g 4 oz.

low-sodium turkey meat 1g 1 slice low-fat Swiss cheese 1g ½ large tomato 3g 1 TBS yellow mustard 1g ¼ cup shredded lettuce 0g 8 baby carrots 7g 6 oz. plain fat-free Greek yogurt 7g ¾ cup blueberries 15g Total carbs: 59 grams, about 4 carb servings. Dinner 6 ounces baked chicken breast 0g 1 cup brown rice 45g 1 cup steamed broccoli 12g 2 TBS margarine 0g Total carbs: 57 grams, about 4 carb servings.

Snack 1 low-fat string cheese stick 1g 2 tangerines 18g Total carbs: 19 grams, about 1 carb serving. The amount you can eat and stay in your target blood sugar range depends on your age, weight, activity level, and other factors. A dietitian or diabetes care and education specialist can help you create an eating plan that works for your unique needs and lifestyle.

You can also visit the Find a Diabetes Education Program in Your Area locator for DSMES services near you. Talk with your dietitian about the right amount of carbs for you, and be sure to update your meal plan if your needs change for example, if you get more active, you may increase how many carbs you eat.

Ask about tasty, healthy recipes that can help you stay on top of your carb intake—which will make it easier to manage your blood sugar levels, too. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to search.

Español Other Languages. Carb Counting. Español Spanish. Minus Related Pages. Added Sugar Is Hiding in Your Food.

What are the different types of carbs? There are 3 types of carbs: Sugars , such as the natural sugar in fruit and milk or the added sugar in soda and many other packaged foods.

Starches , including wheat, oats, and other grains; starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes; and dried beans, lentils, and peas. The ratio is found by dividing the number of units R by the number of carbohydrate choices that insulin dose covers.

The carbohydrate gram method offers you more precise insulin adjustments for the grams of carbohydrate that you eat. To fine-tune your adjustments using this method, it is important to weigh and measure foods, use food label information, and carbohydrate reference books.

Estimating carbohydrate to be eaten on the Exchange Lists or the carbohydrate choice method is simpler but not as accurate. See example below. Insulin adjustment based on this meal. In addition to determining the amount of insulin required for the meal, you also need to figure the amount of insulin needed to bring your BG into the target range.

Now figure the amount of insulin you would take for this meal using the method you prefer. Questions and Answers Q. How do you use your carbohydrate-to-insulin ratio to figure insulin needed for between meal and bedtime snacks? Regular insulin peaks has its maximum effect usually within hours after injection.

If you take insulin for a snack within the peak time of a previous meal injection, you can have overlapping of the injections, which could cause a low BG. If the snack comes late in the evening, you would be at greater risk for nighttime hypoglycemia.

Your Dietitian and health care team can advise you about these situations. They may suggest one or more possible actions. If your BG is low, you may be advise to not take the R insulin for the snack.

If your BG is high and it is not bedtime you may be advised to use your usual carbohydrate to insulin ratio to figure the insulin needed for the snack plus supplemental insulin needed for the BG. Most people who take intermediate acting insulin at bedtime routinely eat at bedtime snack and do not take R insulin at that time.

Can you forget about following your previous meal plan and simply adjust your insulin meal doses based on what you decide to eat each day? Opinions differ about the answer to this question. One of the advantages to using carbohydrate to insulin ratios is flexibility with food choices and portion sizes.

Your BG record may look great if you are figuring your insulin needs correctly when you make adjustments for variations in carbohydrate amounts, but you may start to gain weight.

Studies show that following a meal plan consistently is linked with improved BG control overall, which means your body gets to use more of the calories you eat. Also, be sure you are still eating healthy foods for good nutrition.

Are you including at least servings per day of vegetables and 2 fruit servings, as well as a variety of whole-grain breads, cereals, and grains? Why is your breakfast ratio different from the ratio for lunch and supper?

Your basal background insulin requirements change throughout the day. Many people with Type 1 diabetes have higher insulin needs in the earlier morning hours because of the action of certain hormones, this may mean a lower carbohydrate to insulin ratio more insulin needed to cover food in the morning compared to later in the day.

People using insulin pumps can program several basal rates, depending on their needs, and may not experience as much change in carbohydrate-to-insulin ratio as people on multiple daily injections. Check with your health care team regarding the need for possible changes in basal insulin doses or rates if on a pump.

If you all agree that your basal insulin is well adjusted, you simply may need a different carbohydrate to insulin ratio for one or more meals.

Will your carbohydrate to insulin ratio s ever change? If your current carbohydrate to insulin ratio is not helping you meet your target BG levels and you are certain that you are weighing and measuring your portions accurately; you may need to fine-tune your ratio.

Changes in body weight may change your insulin requirements, so you may need to refigure your ratio when you have weight loss or gain. Usually weight gain increases your insulin requirements. Other factors which may change your carbohydrate to insulin ratios include pregnancy, certain medications, and regular exercise.

Is there a maximum dose of insulin that you should not exceed when you are eating unusually large amounts of carbohydrate? Your RD and health care team can help you with setting limits on the occasional splurge that may require unusually large amounts of insulin.

For example, if your usual meal dose is 10 units of insulin, you may be advised to avoid the need for anything over units for that meal. You do not want to increase your risk for hypoglycemia.

Remember also the likelihood of weight gain from all those extra calories. Should you make insulin adjustments when you eat a high fat meal? If you plan to eat a meal that is much higher in fat than you usually eat, then use your usual carbohydrate to insulin ratio for the pre-meal dose of insulin.

Check your BG hours after the meal, as fat is slowly absorbed and may cause a delayed post-meal rise in your BG level. If your BG is high, add supplemental regular insulin based on guidelines provided by your health care team. Should you make insulin adjustments when you eat the high fiber meal?

For a high-fiber meal, you do not have to make adjustments in your insulin dose. If the meal you are planning to eat has 5 grams or more of fiber, subtract the grams of fiber from the grams of carbohydrate and use your usual insulin to carbohydrate ratio. Should you make insulin adjustments for unusually large portions of meat?

If you usually eat ounces of lean meat at a meal and you plan to increase that amount to 12 ounces for a special occasion, your usual insulin meal dose may not cover the delayed rise in BG that follows a high protein, high fat meal.

Check this out with your dietitian and healthy care team. You may need to do one of the following: · increase your insulin at the meal. What about alcohol? Should you take insulin to cover a beer or glass of wine?

Because alcohol tends to lower BG, you generally will not need to take additional insulin for it. Your own experience may show that mixed drinks containing sugar sweetened beverages or fruit juices or more than 1 or 2 beers may require a small amount of insulin.

Use caution when drinking alcohol. Be sure that you include a meal or snacks that provide carbohydrate and limit alcoholic beverages to just 1 or 2.

consult your dietitian and health care team about this. Your carbohydrate to insulin ratio does not seem to be working anymore. Your BG levels are running higher now. What can you do about it? First check your weighing, measuring, and food label reading skills to be sure you are figuring correctly the amount of carbohydrate foods that you are trying to match with insulin.

Check with your health care team about the need for changes in your basal insulin. What should you expect from a registered dietitian RD to learn level 3 carbohydrate counting? At level three, you and your RD will fine-tune your skills in reading patterns in your BG control and developing strategies to meet your target BGs.

The RD, with your health care team, provides vital support and encouragement to you. The RD provide problem solving ideas and additional education as new situations and challenges arise and may suggest other strategies for you to try.

There is no specific time frame for level 3. Your first visit should include minutes : · discussion of your diabetes management goals, · assessment of your knowledge and skills for intensive diabetes management, · assessment of your skill in weighing, measuring, and estimating portion sizes of carbohydrate.

Special Considerations Weight gain. Remember that although extra insulin for extra carbohydrate may work fine, the extra calories may cause weight gain.

The RD revisits the basic carbohydrate counting approach with Gino and asks him to work with a carbohydrate budget at each meal and to keep records.

At his return visit, Gino is pleased with his glycemic control but again concerned that if he eats too much carbohydrate, his glycemic control will suffer. During that discussion, the RD reviews the ADA advanced carbohydrate counting pamphlet 2 with him and also reviews how to rework the insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio,how to use the basal-bolus insulin therapy concept, and how to use an insulin sensitivity factor to determine correction doses of insulin.

All this information empowers Gino, and he is willing to implement these carbohydrate counting techniques, not only to be able to enjoy eating carbohydrate foods,but also to maintain optimal glycemic control.

Carbohydrate counting is a meal-planning approach and not a specific diet. It places emphasis on the total amount of carbohydrate consumed, rather than on the source or type of carbohydrate consumed. It assumes that, for purposes of controlling blood glucose, a carbohydrate is a carbohydrate is a carbohydrate.

This approach promotes consistency of carbohydrate intake at specific times of the day and for specific meals. All people with diabetes can use carbohydrate counting as a meal-planning option.

In assessing a person who is interested in learning about carbohydrate counting, it is helpful to discuss the person's diabetes treatment goals,readiness and motivation to learn the system, education level, ability to perform basic math, conception of portion control, and willingness to do blood glucose monitoring before and after meals while learning the system.

Two levels of carbohydrate counting have been defined: basic and advanced. Mastery of the basic understanding of carbohydrate counting includes understanding the relationship among food, physical activity, and blood glucose levels.

Advanced carbohydrate counting includes understanding pattern management and how to use insulin-to-carbohydrate ratios. Basic carbohydrate counting helps patients get started with the carbohydrate counting system. Carbohydrate foods are identified as starches,fruit, milk, and desserts.

Emphasis is placed on consistency in the timing,type, and amount of carbohydrate-containing foods consumed. Early on,discussion of portion sizes is also key to understanding the concept of what a serving of carbohydrate is. Carbohydrates are measured in grams and may be referred to in grams or servings.

One carbohydrate serving is equal to 15 g of carbohydrate. So what does a carbohydrate serving look like? Table 1 lists some samples. Tools that can be helpful to patients as they become familiar with carbohydrate counting include measuring cups and spoons, food scales, food package labels, carbohydrate counting books, and the food exchange list books.

Table 2 shows a typical carbohydrate counting meal plan for people who are learning the system and trying to establish carbohydrate budgets for meals and snacks. Using Nutrition Facts panels from packaged food labels can help with carbohydrate counting Figure 1.

Educators can review sample labels with patients to teach the information listed in Table 3. Carbohydrate Counting Skills That Can Be Taught Using Nutrition Facts Panels of Packaged Foods.

When people are learning to decipher Nutrition Facts panels, the question always arises about whether sugar alcohols are carbohydrate or not.

Sugar alcohols are neither sugar nor alcohol. They tend to have a laxative side effect. People who are counting carbohydrates should count as carbohydrate only half of the total grams of sugar alcohols listed on the Nutrition Facts panel.

For people who have mastered basic carbohydrate counting and wish to move on to a more advanced carbohydrate counting level e. Additional helpful skills include knowing how to calculate a bolus insulin dose using insulin-to-carbohydrate ratios, how to calculate an insulin sensitivity factor for use in the correction or supplementation of insulin doses when glucose levels are too high or too low before meals, and how to make adjustments for special situations.

Various approaches and methods exist for determining insulin-to-carbohydrate ratios. A general guideline, at least for patients with type 1 diabetes, is that most people need about half of their total daily dose of insulin for basal background insulin and half for bolus doses to cover meals.

In type 2 diabetes, the basal and bolus needs can vary substantially from person to person. Bolus insulin doses can be calculated from the insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio based on the total grams of carbohydrate or the total number of g carbohydrate servings to be consumed.

Carbohydrate counting is not an automatic solution to the problem of weight management or to maintaining a balance of healthy food choices. Most people do not enjoy weighing and measuring foods, and the extra work of maintaining food intake records initially and on an ongoing basis can be burdensome.

Testing blood glucose levels before and after meals can also be difficult, but it is necessary to precisely identify the appropriate dose of treatment usually insulin needed to return glucose to normal levels. The increased flexibility in terms of types and timing of foods that carbohydrate counting affords can also make weight management a challenge.

Patients may be tempted to take more liberties with their eating, given the greater flexibility this management approach provides in controlling blood glucose. This is an issue that should be raised with patients before they begin using the carbohydrate counting approach. Patients also need to be counseled that high-fat meals can cause a delay in gastric emptying and therefore in food absorption.

It may take a little more maths at the start but can make it easier for your insulin dosing. For example, one portion equals 10g of carbs and your insulin-to-carb ratio is , or one unit per portion. Your snack has 20g of carbs two portions , which neatly works out to 2 units of insulin.

Your diabetes healthcare team can help you to find out which method works best for you, as well as helping your sort out of your insulin-to-carb ratio.

In the meantime, be patient with yourself — learning to carb count can be challenging! Carbohydrates In Portions or Exchanges This method measures carbohydrates in portions, exchanges, or equivalents. Final Thoughts Your diabetes healthcare team can help you to find out which method works best for you, as well as helping your sort out of your insulin-to-carb ratio.

References Deeb A, Al Hajeri A, Alhmoudi I, Nagelkerke N. Accurate Carbohydrate Counting Is an Important Determinant of Postprandial Glycemia in Children and Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes on Insulin Pump Therapy.

Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology. Vaz E, Pofirio G, Nunes H, Nunes-Nogueira, V. Effectiveness and safety of carbohydrate counting in the management of adult patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The references in this article are listed below. Lifestyle Management: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes— Diabetes Care.

About the author. Cyrus Khambatta, PhD is a New York Times bestselling co-author of Mastering Diabetes: The Revolutionary Method to Reverse Insulin Resistance Permanently in Type 1, Type 1.

He is the co-founder of Mastering Diabetes and Amla Green , and is an internationally recognized nutrition and fitness coach who has been living with type 1 diabetes since He co-created the Mastering Diabetes Method to reverse insulin resistance in all forms of diabetes, and has helped more than 10, people improve their metabolic health using low-fat, plant-based, whole-food nutrition, intermittent fasting, and exercise.

Cyrus earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in , then earned a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in He is the co-author of many peer-reviewed scientific publications.

He is the co-host of the annual Mastering Diabetes Online Summit , a featured speaker at the Plant-Based Nutrition and Healthcare Conference PBNHC , the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Conference ACLM , Plant Stock , the Torrance Memorial Medical Center , and has been featured on The Doctors, NPR , KQED , Forks Over Knives , Healthline , Fast Company , Diet Fiction , and the wildly popular podcasts the Rich Roll Podcast , Plant Proof , MindBodyGreen , and Nutrition Rounds.

Scientific Publications: Sarver, Jordan, Cyrus Khambatta, Robby Barbaro, Bhakti Chavan, and David Drozek. Sierra, and Robert Vigersky. Bruss, John C. Price, Cyrus F. Khambatta, William E. Holmes, Marc Colangelo, Marcy Dalidd, et al. Khambatta, Kelvin W. Li, Matthew D. Bruss, Mahalakshmi Shankaran, Marcy Dalidd, Nicholas A.

Floreani, et al. Thompson, Ishita Aggarwal, Cyrus F. Khambatta, and Marc K. Endocrinology and Metabolism , no. Khambatta, Maxwell A. Ruby, Ishita Aggarwal, and Marc K. Daily Carb Intake for Diabetics to Control Blood Sugar. Article written and reviewed by Cyrus Khambatta, PhD.

Published March 31, Are You Eating Too Many or Too Few Carbohydrates? Table of Contents Blood Sugar Levels and Carb Intake: Why It Matters. So What Does All This Mean? How Many Carbs Per Day for a Diabetic. Type 2 Diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes.

The Truth About Carbohydrates and Weight Loss. Low-Carb Diets Paleo Diet, Ketogenic Diet. Which Diet Works Best for People with Diabetes? Carbs for Diabetics. Good Carbs for Diabetics.