Download Carbohydrate Counting

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Carbohydrate Counting
For Children with Diabetes
How does carbohydrate affect blood glucose? How much carbohydrate should I eat?
What you eat affects your blood glucose (blood
sugar) levels. Some foods cause glucose to rise, while
others have little or no effect.
Carbs are important for a healthy, balanced diet.
Your dietitian will help you decide how many carbs
are right for your age and activity level.
Carbohydrates (carbs) make your blood glucose
levels go up. Carbs are found in fruits, milk,
yogurt, breads, cereals, starchy vegetables (such
as potatoes, corn, cooked dried beans and cooked
lentils) and sweets.
Holidays, birthdays and pizza parties are okay. Just
be sure to follow your treatment plan.
Other food groups have little or no effect on blood
glucose. These include:
• Non-starchy vegetables (carrots, greens, peppers,
cucumbers, etc.)
• Most proteins (eggs, cheeses, fish, meats, chicken,
peanut butter)
• Fats (found in margarines, oils, salad dressings
and nuts).
It is important to eat a variety of foods. Eating a nocarb diet won’t make your diabetes go away.
Work with your dietitian to develop a meal plan that
fits your lifestyle and daily routine. If you have not
yet met with a dietitian, please call your care team to
set up a visit.
Your appetite will vary from day to day, so your daily
carbs will change. Try to make healthy carb choices.
In general:
• Toddlers tend to eat 2 to 3 carb units (30 to 45
grams carbohydrate) per meal. (Carb units are
sometimes called carb choices.)
• Preschoolers tend to eat 3 to 4 carb units (45 to 60
grams carbohydrate) per meal.
• School-age children tend to eat 4 to 5 carb units
(60 to 75 grams carbohydrate) per meal.
• Teens tend to eat 4 to 6 carb units (60 to 90 grams
carbohydrate) per meal.
Please call your dietitian if you have any questions
about your diet. To find out how much food equals
one carb unit, see the next page.
If you are deaf or hard of hearing, please let us know. We provide many free services including
sign language interpreters, oral interpreters, TTYs, telephone amplifiers, note takers and written materials.
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1 carb unit = 15 grams total carbohydrate. Examples:
Starches: 1 carb unit =
Fruits: 1 carb unit =
One bread slice or roll (whole wheat, rye, white or
pumpernickel)
One small fresh fruit (the size of a tennis ball),
1/2 cup mango, 1 cup papaya, 1/2 grapefruit
One 6-inch tortilla, chapati, roti or injera bread
½ cup canned fruit (packed in its own juice)
One waffle or pancake (the size of a slice of bread)
¼ cup dried fruit
3/4 to 1 cup dry, unsweetened cereal (most brands)
½ cup orange juice or apple juice
¼ large bagel
1/3 cup grape juice or fruit juice blend
½ English muffin, pita, hot dog bun, hamburger
bun or naan bread
1 cup melon or berries
½ cup cooked cereal or ¾ cup most dry cereals
2 tablespoons raisins
One small egg roll
One medium meat samosa or 1/2 vegetable samosa
One 4-inch rice or corn patty (baked)
⅓ cup cooked rice or pasta (wheat, egg or rice
noodles)
1/2 cup cooked mung bean or chow mein noodles
½ cup cooked peas, corn, sweet potato, white
potato, taro, plantains or legumes (dried beans,
peas or lentils, including dal or chole)
1 cup winter squash
1 ounce potato or tortilla chips
(about 15 medium chips)
3 cups popped popcorn
4 to 6 crackers
17 small grapes
Milk: 1 carb unit =
1 cup (8 ounces) fat-free or low-fat milk or
buttermilk
3/4 to 1 cup (6 to 8 ounces) lite yogurt
1 cup (8 ounces) plain yogurt
1 cup (8 ounces) vanilla soymilk
“Other”: 1 carb unit =
2-inch square of cake or brownie
2 small cookies
½ cup ice cream or frozen yogurt
¼ cup sherbet or sorbet
¼ cup rice pudding or kheer
1 tablespoon syrup, molasses, jam, jelly, sugar
or honey
1 tablespoon sweet-and-sour sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
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Reading Labels on Food Packages
A nutrition facts label tells you how many calories
and nutrients are in one serving of a food product.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size ½ cup (90g)
Servings Per Container 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 100 Calories from Fat 30
% Daily Value
Total Fat 3g
5%
Saturated Fat 0g
0%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 300mg
13%
Total Carbohydrate 13g
4%
Dietary Fiber 3g
12%
Sugars 3g
Protein 3g
Serving size
Check serving size carefully. This tells you
how large one serving will be. Next, look at
the servings per container to see how many
servings are in each package. Even a small
package can have more than one serving. If
you eat two servings, you will get twice the
number of calories and nutrients listed on
the label.
Calories
Both the total number of calories and the
number of calories from fat are listed. No
more than 30% of your total calories should
come from fat.
Total carbohydrate
Since carbohydrates have the greatest
effect on your blood glucose, it is
very important to track how many
carbohydrates you are eating. The
amount of carbohydrate on a food label
is always listed as “Total Carbohydrate.”
This includes the amount of
carbohydrate that comes from sugar.
Total fat
Total fat includes all the saturated,
polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and trans fats
in one serving. Try to limit saturated and trans
fats. These can raise your cholesterol.
Other ingredients
Cholesterol: You should eat no more than
200 to 300 mg of cholesterol a day.
Sodium: Limit sodium (salt) to no more than
2,300 mg per day. If you have high blood
pressure, eat no more than 1,500 mg per day.
Dietary fiber: Try to eat at least 20 to 35
grams a day.
Sugars: This number includes sugars that
occur naturally in the food and sugars that
have been added to the food.
Protein: Note the amount of protein listed
to help you stay within your daily protein
guidelines. Your dietitian will tell you how
much protein is right for you.
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For informational purposes only. Not to replace the advice of your health care provider.
Copyright © 2008 Fairview Health Services. All rights reserved. SMARTworks 520809 – REV 03/16.