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Carbohydrate Counting — a Tool to Help Manage Your Blood Glucose
When you have diabetes, keeping your blood glucose in a healthy range can help you feel your best
today and in the future. Carbohydrate counting — or “carb counting” — is a flexible meal-planning tool
(not a diet) that can help you understand how your food choices affect your blood glucose level.
Carbohydrate and blood glucose
Any carbohydrate food you eat (e.g., milk, fruit,
bread and pasta) is digested into glucose, which
causes your blood glucose level to increase.
However, eating some carbohydrates
throughout the day is important because they
provide energy and essential nutrients for your
body. To better manage your blood glucose,
energy levels and weight, pay attention to how
much carbohydrate you eat.
Maintaining the right balance between
carbohydrate and insulin (whether your body
produces it or you take it) helps to regulate
your blood glucose level. Determining when
and how much you eat — and whether or not
you have snacks — should be based on your
lifestyle, medications and meal-planning
goals. A registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN)
may consider the following ways for you to
use carb counting to determine the healthiest
plan for you:
•
P
ortion Control: Setting a maximum amount
of carbs for each meal within your healthy
meal plan and/or taking diabetes
medications can keep your blood glucose
from getting too high.
• Consistency: If you use diabetes medications
or insulin, it may be important to eat the same
amount of food and carbohydrate at the same
time each day. Doing this can keep your blood
glucose from getting too high or too low.
•
Flexibility: If your insulin plan includes
varying doses based on how much
carbohydrate you are eating (carb/insulin
ratio), accurate carb counting can help you
determine how much insulin to take.
Foods that contain carbohydrate:
• G
rains (e.g., breads, crackers, rice, hot and
cold cereals, tortillas and noodles)
• S tarchy vegetables (e.g., potatoes, peas,
corn, winter squash, lentils and beans)
• F ruit and juices
• M
ilk and yogurt
• S weets and desserts
Non-starchy vegetables (e.g., carrots, broccoli
and tomatoes) contain only a small amount
of carbohydrates and do not affect blood
glucose when eaten in small portions.
Carbohydrate choices and
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portion
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re considered “free.” These include sugar-free beverages, sugar substitutes, spices and seasonings.
Breads, Grains
Milk and Yogurt
Food
lists
and
Cereals
1 cup milk
1 ounce bread
Breads, Grains
Milk and Yogurt
product and Cereals
1 cup low-fat
(1 slice bread,
¼
1 ounce bread
1 cup milk,
milk or
or skim
arge bagel,
6”
product (1 slice
1 cupor
low-fat
or
low-fat
fat-free
tortilla) bread, ¼ large
skim milk, or
bagel, 6” tortilla) plain yogurt
6 ounces low-fat or
1/3 cup 1/3
cooked
rice
cup cooked rice
fat-free plain or
6
ounces
flavored
or pastaor pasta
Greek yogurt
yogurt
made with
1 cup soup
6 ounces flavored
1 cup soup
low-cal
yogurtsweetener
made with
ounce
¾ ounce¾
low-cal sweetener
unsweetened cold (these vary, check
(these vary, check
unsweetened
coldsizes label)
cereal (serving
label)
vary, check
label)
cereal (serving
sizes
½ cup
cooked
vary, check
label)
cereal
½ cup cooked
cereal
3 cups air-popped
popcorn
3 cups air-popped
popcorn
Vegetables
Sweets and
and Beans
Snack Foods
cup potato,
¾ ounce snack
1 small piece fresh ½
Vegetables
Sweets and
sweet
potato, peas,
food
(pretzels, 4fruit Fruits
and Beans
Snack
Foods
corn
crackers)
½
medium
fruit ½ cup
1 small
piece fresh
potato, sweet ¾ ounce snack food
fruit
peas, corn
4-6
(apple,
banana) potato,
½ cup
cooked (pretzels,
15
potato chips
crackers)
½
medium
fruit
½
cup
cooked
½ cup canned fruit beans, legumes
(apple, banana)
beans, legumes
8 baked1
chips,
ounce sweet
in own juice
(garbanzo,
(garbanzo,
kidney, kidney,
potato, pita
½ cup canned fruit
snack
black
beans)beans)
black
own melon
juice
13 regular chips,
1incup
(2 small sandwic
1 cup winter squash tortilla, potato
1
cup
honeydew
or
½ cup fruit juice
1 cup winter 1 ouncecookies,
5 vanilla
cantaloupe
1/3 cup cooked
sweet snack
squash
wafers)
21 TBSP
dried fruit cassava,
yam, taro
1/4 cup
(2 small sandwich
(green
cookies, 5 vanilla
1watermelon
cup raspberries 1/3 1plantain
½
cups
cooked
1 TBSP sugar or
or yellow)
wafers)
½ cup fruit juice
1 ¼ cup
vegetables (small
honey
1 ½ cups cooked
1 TBSP sugar or
2 TBSP dried fruit
strawberries
portions
of non-honey
vegetables
(small
½ cup regular ice
1 cup raspberries
portions
of
starchy vegetables
½ cup regular ice
¾ cup blackberries,nonstarchy
1 ¼ cup strawberries
cream cream
are free)
blueberries
vegetables
are free)
Fruits
1 cup blackberries
3/4 cup blueberries
The lists above provide a basic idea of the carb count in common foods. Each portion is one carbohydrate
choice (15 grams of carbohydrate). Foods with fewer than 20 calories and fewer than 5 grams of carbohydrate
Carb choices for common serving sizes
Better carb choices
are considered “free.” These include sugar-free beverages, sugar substitutes, spices and seasonings.
1 regular sandwich = 2 carb choices, or
Carbohydrate
for common
about
30 grams ofchoices
carbohydrates
serving sizes
1 6” sub sandwich = 3 carb choices, or about
• 1
regular sandwich = 2 carbohydrate choices
45 grams
of carbohydrates
or about
30 grams of carbohydrates
1 cup
rice or pasta
=
• 1
cooked
6” sub sandwich
= 3 carbohydrate
choices
3 carborchoices,
about
45 grams of
about 45or
grams
of carbohydrates
carbohydrates
• 1
cup cooked rice or pasta = 3 carbohydrate
choices
or about 45
grams
carbohydrates
1 medium
(average)
apple
orofbanana
=
• 1
choices
medium or
(average)
or banana =
2 carb
aboutapple
30 grams
2 carbohydrate choices or about 30 grams
of carbohydrates
of carbohydrates
All carbs are not alike. Choose better carb choices,
Better
such ascarbohydrate
whole grainschoices
and less-processed foods.
Carbohydrate counting is important, but the type
• Select whole grain bread, whole grain pasta an
of carbohydrate also is important for both blood
brown rice over white (refined) varieties.
glucose and overall health. All carbohydrates are
not
same. Choose
better
carbohydrate
choices,grains,
• the
Experiment
with
many
types of whole
suchincluding
as whole grains
andoatmeal,
less-processed
foods.
barley,
quinoa
and bulgur.
• O
pt for beans and other legumes.
• Go for whole fruits instead of fruit juice or suga
• S elect
whole grain bread, whole grain pasta and
foods.
brown rice over white (refined) varieties.
• Opt for beans and other legumes.
• E xperiment with many types of whole grains,
•including
Select barley,
a variety
of vegetables
as cauliflow
oatmeal,
quinoa andsuch
bulgur.
and spinach
(most
vegetables a
• G
otomato,
for wholecarrots
fruits instead
of fruit juice
or sugary
foods.
great choices).
• S elect a variety of vegetables such as cauliflower,
tomato, carrots and spinach (most vegetables
are great choices).
How much to eat?
How much to eat?
Women
For Weight Maintenance
Many women need about
Women
3-4 carbohydrate choices
Many women
need
(45-60
grams) at
eachabout
meal
3-4 carbohydrate choices
(45-60 grams) at each meal
Breakfast
1 slice (1 ounce)
Breakfast
whole grain toast
1 slice (1 ounce)
1 carbohydrate
1
teaspoon
choice
whole
grainlight
toastmargarine
1
omelet
with
spinach
1 egg
teaspoon
light
margarine
and mushrooms
1 egg omelet with spinach
1 small orange
and mushrooms
Men
Many men need about
Men
4-5 carbohydrate choices
Manygrams)
men need
about
(60-75
at each
meal
4-5 carbohydrate choices
(60-75 grams) at each meal
Breakfast
1 small orange
Breakfast
1
1 cup
smallcooked
orangeoatmeal
made with water
1 cup cooked oatmeal
1
cup fat-free
milk
made
with water
1 carbohydrate
choice
2
nuts
1 tablespoons
cup fat-free milk
1 carbohydrate
choice
1 small orange
1 carbohydrate
choice
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons nuts
6 ounces low-fat
plain Greek yogurt
Lunch
1 carbohydrate
choice
2 tablespoons raisins
1 carbohydrate
choice
Lunch
1 cup brown rice
Lunch
Lunch
1 sandwich with
1whole
smallgrain
fruit bread
2 carbohydrate
choices
1
small
1-2
cupsfruit
veggies
1 carbohydrate
choice
1-2 cups veggies
Dinner
0-1 carbohydrate
choice
1 piece of chicken
Dinner
1
squash
1 cup
piecewinter
of chicken
1 small
fruit squash
cup winter
1 -2 cups broccoli
1 small fruit
1 large green salad
1
cups
broccoli
1 -2
cup
fat-free
skim milk
1 large green salad
2 carbohydrate
choices
1 carbohydrate
choice
1 carbohydrate
choice
0-1 carbohydrate
choice
carbohydrate
1 cup fat-free skim milk 1choice
1-2
cups
chicken
1 cup
brown
rice
and veggie stir fry
1-2 cups chicken
1
small
fruitstir fry
and
veggie
3 carbohydrate
choices
1 small fruit
Dinner
1 cup pasta
Dinner
½
cup pasta
red sauce with meat
1 cup
1 carbohydrate
choice
6
½ounces
cup redlow-fat
sauce with meat
plain Greek yogurt
6 ounces low-fat
plain
Greek
yogurt
1 large
green
salad
1 carbohydrate
choice
1 large green salad
0-1 carbohydrate
choice
3 carbohydrate
choices
1 carbohydrate
choice
My Individual Carbohydrate Goals
Time
Carbohydrate
choices or grams
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Snack
TOTAL
Healthy eating is about more than just counting carbohydrates. It is important to eat
balanced meals with an emphasis on vegetables and fruits.
Eat a variety of foods. For most people these include:
• a t least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables
• a t least 3 servings of whole grains or legumes (beans)
• 2
–3 servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy
• Adequate protein and healthy fats
Protein foods (including meat, poultry and fish) and fats do not directly affect blood
glucose and can help you feel satisfied, although they do add calories. To keep your heart
healthy, choose healthy fats (like those found in nuts, seeds and fish) in appropriate
portions. With all of the food you eat, remember that portion control is important.
© 2014 Diabetes Care and Education Dietetic Practice Group. Permission to reproduce for non-profit
educational purposes granted through 2017.
For a referral to a registered dietitian and for additional food and nutrition information, visit the
Diabetes Care and Education Practice Group at www.dce.org or the Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics at www.eatright.org, or 1-800-877-1600.