serving of these types of foods contain a lot of carbohydrate. Cake and cookies also contain a lot of calories and fat. So you’ll want to limit them to special occasions and indulge in small portions, in addition to counting the carbs in your overall carb counting records.
Tips for Eating Fewer Sweets
• Choose a few favorite desserts and decide how often to eat them.
• Satisfy your sweet tooth with a bite or two of your favorite sweet rather than eating the whole thing.
• If you have a difficult time eating smaller portions or how often you eat sweets, it is best not to bring large portions of sweets into your home. You might only order dessert at restaurants or just purchase a small quantity at a time.
• Split a dessert with a dining companion in a restaurant. Ask for several forks or spoons to share the treat.
• Take advantage of smaller portions—kiddie, small, or regular—at ice cream shops or in the supermarket.
Easy Ways to Eat Less Sugar
• Instead of regular soda, go for diet soda, seltzer water, or, even better, water.
• When you order or buy iced tea, make sure it is unsweetened or sweetened with a low-calorie sweetener.
• When you buy fruit drinks or flavored seltzers, read the Nutrition Facts label. Make sure the calories, carbohydrate, and sugars are near zero. In general, it’s better to drink water and eat fresh fruit.
• Trade canned fruit packed in heavy syrup for fruit packed in its own juice or light syrup.
• Use low-calorie sweeteners instead of sugar.
• Use low- or no-sugar jelly or jam instead of regular.
Fiber and Blood Glucose
As explained earlier, fiber is a type of carbohydrate. There are hundres of different types of fibers in our foods. Depending on which type you eat, fiber can affect blood glucose differently than other carbohydrates. Some fibers can slow down the absorption of glucose, resulting in lower rises in blood glucose after eating. Some fibers are also helpful for weight loss because they make you feel full and satisfied. Fiber has no calories. Fiber is an essential part of a healthy eating plan.
Easy Tips to Fit in Fiber
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines foods with more than 5 grams of dietary fiber per serving as “excellent” sources, whereas foods that provide between 2.5 and 4.9 grams per serving are considered “good” sources.
Look for these items and check the Nutrition Facts label to see how much fiber a food contains.
• whole-grain cereals, breads, and crackers
• whole grains, such as barley, bulgur, and buckwheat
• beans and peas—these types of foods, called legumes, are great sources of fiber
• fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber, such as acorn and butternut squash, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, berries, plum, prunes, and apples
• nuts and seeds
What Is the Glycemic Index and Should I Use It with Carb Counting?
The glycemic index (GI) is a list of foods that details how various foods affect blood glucose levels. It was developed in the early 1980s by researchers who studied how quickly or slowly various carbohydrate-containing foods raised blood glucose—bread, corn, pasta, beans, fruit, and others. The GI research helped show that not all carbohydrates raise blood glucose levels the same amount. They showed, for instance, that potatoes raised blood glucose more quickly than fruit and that legumes raised blood glucose quite slowly.
This is valuable information, but it can be difficult for people with diabetes to use the GI for blood glucose control. That’s because the GI only evaluates one food at a time. Most people eat several foods in a meal, and some are high in carbohydrate and others are high in protein or fat. The combination of foods in a meal is what determines the effect on blood glucose. In addition, a number of other factors affect how quickly foods raise blood glucose, such as:
• How much blood glucose–lowering medication you take and the type of medication you take
• The fiber content of the foods you eat
• The ripeness of the fruit or vegetable you eat
• Whether the food is cooked or raw
• How quickly or slowly you eat
• The level of blood glucose before a meal (when the starting point is low, blood glucose rises faster after a meal)
• The time of your last dose of diabetes medication and the time you eat
Although the GI may not account for all of this, it can be another tool in your meal planning toolbox. As you progress with carb counting, you may develop your own personal GI. Your records may show that the carbohydrate in certain foods affects your blood glucose more than others. This information can help you fine-tune your blood glucose management.
Chapter 2:
Basic Carb Counting
In This Chapter, You’ll Learn:
• How to count carbohydrate
• How much carbohydrate to eat
• If you’re ready for carb counting
There are two levels of carb counting: basic and advanced. Everyone starts at the basic level, so that’s where we’ll start, too. Later on, you may find that you want or need to progress to the advanced techniques. We’ll cover those methods in Chapter 11. For now, let’s focus on the basics to get you started.
The focus of basic carb counting is to eat about the same amount of carbohydrate at the same times each day in order to keep your blood glucose levels in your target ranges. The first step is to learn how to count the amount of carbohydrate in different foods.
Two Ways to Count
There are two ways to count carbohydrates: counting grams of carbohydrate and counting carbohydrate servings. Counting carb servings is easier and is usually a close enough estimate for basic carb counting. But there may be times when you need to count grams, so it is best to be aware of both methods.
Remember the Number 15
If you’re counting carb servings, the general rule is that 15 grams of carbohydrate equals one carb serving. The size of the serving will vary depending on the type of food. For example, one carb serving equals
• 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes
• 1 ounce of dry cereal, or
• 1 slice of bread
All of these servings contain 15 grams of carbohydrate. This also means that if you eat more than the serving size of the food, you will need to count more
