Carb Commando - Carbohydrate Counting

What You Need To Know About Carbohydrate Counting

Here is what we have to say about carbohydrate counting. Diabetics have strict diet guidelines they have to follow to control their diabetes. They either feel deprived because they can't have what they want or guilty for eating what they want then suffering the consequences. But carbohydrate counting may be a way to get around all that.

Carbohydrate Counting and Diabetes

When you have diabetes and you're going to try carbohydrate counting, get all the facts first. In fact, you should consult with your doctor before you make any serious dietary changes and you're diabetic. This page will merely give you an overview of how carbohydrate counting works for diabetics.

The way to control blood glucose levels when you're counting carbohydrates is through the total amount of carbs in a meal. Let's say you have pasta for dinner tonight, and tomorrow you have a piece of cake and some milk with a meal. As long as the two meals have close to the same amount of carbs, it probably won't affect how much insulin you need.

How do you know if they have the same amount of carbs? Through the eating of a good carbohydrate selection. It's like Rachel Ray's show on the Food Network called "$40 A Day." If you haven't seen the show, she gets $40 a day to spend eating out in different parts of the country. Each episode is in a different city. But she cannot exceed her budget of $40 a day, so she has to watch her spending. Think of your carbohydrate counting in this way if it makes it easier.

How to Count Your Carbs

First, you have to ask your doctor about this method and find out the appropriate number of carbs you should have each day. Then you can keep track in a journal. To find out how many carbs are in a food, read the labels. With the low carb dieting craze, this is easier than ever. There are even menus at restaurants that have low carb dishes. Some even have the carb count right on the menu. But some foods don't have labels, so what's a person to do then?

There are actually a lot of other carb counting resources. You can buy books that have the carb counts for all foods, or you can go online and find websites that have the same information. Some of these websites are interactive too, so you can keep track of your carbs online. Then there are devices you can buy to keep track of your carbohydrate intake, including a carbohydrate counter for your PDA. Pretty high tech stuff!

Carbohydrate counting is an alternative to using your carbohydrate to insulin ratio. When you're on a restricted diet, having options is a good thing. You may prefer not to look into carbohydrate counting any further, or you may think it will make your life easier. Again, if you're diabetic, don't make drastic dietary changes without discussing it with your doctor.

Related Resources: