Meal Cafb can help you Herbal sleep aids healthy Carbb Carb counting strategy when Energy boosting lifestyle meals are set, you are less likely to grab takeout or give in to unhealthy cravings. Nutrition resources. Nutrition labels can be pretty easy to follow, but only if you know what the size of your servings are! How carb counting can help your blood glucose control depends on your treatment regimen and whether or not your body makes insulin.

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Joslin Diabetes Center-Carbohydrate Counting

Carb counting strategy -

Carbohydrates, or carbs, are naturally found in certain foods. For example, grains, sweets, starches, legumes and dairy all contain different amounts of carbs. When foods and drinks with carbs are digested, the carbs break down into glucose to fuel our cells, and the body's blood glucose, or blood sugar, level rises.

In people without diabetes, blood sugar levels rise after eating but the body's insulin response keeps levels from rising too high. If you have diabetes, the process doesn't work as designed.

How carb counting can help your blood glucose control depends on your treatment regimen and whether or not your body makes insulin. Carb counting at its most basic level involves counting the number of grams of carbohydrate in a meal and matching that to your dose of insulin.

If you take mealtime insulin , that means first accounting for each carbohydrate gram you eat and dosing mealtime insulin based on that count. 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.

Tracking your food intake and your blood sugar before and about hours after your meals for a few days can provide useful information for you and your diabetes care team to see how different meals impact your blood glucose so you can determine the right amount of carbs for you.

You can find how many carbs foods have by reading food labels. For example, the U. You may also take additional insulin if your blood sugar is higher than your target when eating. Salad dressing, yogurt, bread, spaghetti sauce. Sugars are added to many foods during processing, and added sugars mean added carbs.

Carbs are measured in grams. 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.

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