Counting
We’ve talked about portion power when you Rate Your Plate. Now we’re going to talk about portion power with a focus on carbohydrates.
Carbohydrate counting is also called by a shorter name, Carb Counting. By counting carbohydrates, or carbs, in the foods you eat, you’ll have another way to keep your blood glucose on track. All foods contain the nutrients that your body needs: carbohydrate, protein, and fat.
• Carbohydrate. Carbohydrate foods can be put into four groups:
1. Starches, such as crackers, cereal, corn, bread, rice, and tortillas
2. Fruits, such as apples, berries, cherries, mangos, and peaches
3. Milk products, such as milk, yogurt, or buttermilk
4. Sweets and desserts, such as cookies, cake, ice cream, and pastries. Some sugar-free and fat-free foods have carbohydrate, too.
• Protein. Protein foods can be put into two groups:
1. Meats, such as beef, pork, fish, or chicken
2. Meat substitutes, such as beans, cheese, eggs, or tofu
• Fat. Fats can be divided into four groups:
1. Unsaturated fats are found in canola oil, olive oil, avocado, and nuts like almonds and walnuts. They can protect your heart by lowering your blood cholesterol.
2. Saturated fats are found in high-fat meats, such as hot dogs, sausage, and in high-fat dairy products, like cheese, cream, and whole milk. They can raise your blood cholesterol level.
3. Cholesterol is found in foods from animals, such as egg yolks, liver, and high-fat meats and high-fat dairy products. Cholesterol in foods raises your blood cholesterol level.
4. Trans fats are found in baked goods made with hydrogenated oil. Trans fats can also raise your cholesterol level.
Carbs give you calories and energy. But they also raise your blood glucose more than anything else you eat. Protein and fat give you calories and energy, too, but they don’t raise your blood glucose. If you need to lose weight, though, using portion power for protein foods and fats will help you.
Most people I know are like me—they love carb foods. And many carb foods are healthy foods. Carbs provide good taste, pleasure, energy, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Even though carbs raise blood glucose more than other foods, it’s important for you to have some carbohydrates. For many reasons, then, “carbs count.” If you can get the right balance between the amount of carbs you eat and your insulin or diabetes pills, that will help keep your blood glucose in your target range.
The first thing many people ask me is: “How many carbs can I eat?” For many people, having:
• 3 or 4 carb choices at each meal and
• 1 or 2 carb choices at snacks
is about right. Then round out your lunch or dinner with:
• 1 serving of meat, fish, or poultry, about 3 ounces
• Plenty of colorful veggies, such as green beans, broccoli, red peppers, or cabbage
• Healthy fats, like canola or olive oil, nuts, seeds, or avocado
Here is a meal that has 4 carb choices (the carb choices are in bold print, so you can see them):
• 3 small corn tortillas (3 carb choices) with meat, salsa, lettuce, and chopped tomato
• 1/3 cup of rice (1 carb choice)
But what about portion sizes for carbs? Portion power with carbs helps keep your blood glucose in your target range. And by keeping your blood glucose levels in your target range, you can prevent or delay diabetes problems.
Take a look at the serving size guide below.
Earlier I mentioned that my mom has diabetes. A few years ago, after Thanksgiving, she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Mama was having severe back problems and wasn’t able to be very active. But she and my dad were still enjoying the holidays with more food, which meant more calories. As a result, her weight went up to its highest point ever. As part of a routine checkup, her doctor checked her blood glucose level. Her blood glucose indicated she might have diabetes, so her doctor checked again a week later. Her blood glucose was still too high. Mama was scared when she was diagnosed with diabetes. She was scared because her sister had died from diabetes problems. But she was also surprised. She said she never thought she would have to worry about diabetes—even though diabetes ran in her family.
Her doctor signed her up for diabetes education classes at one of the local hospitals. While she was waiting to attend the classes and see a dietitian, she wanted me to be her dietitian! She wanted to get started right away. I told her it would be hard to be her daughter and her dietitian at the same time. She needed her own dietitian. But while she was waiting to see the dietitian, we got started. She and I talked about Rate Your Plate. After rating her own dinner plate, she decided she was eating way too many carbs. Mama loves carbs like I do—like mother like daughter, they always say. She also knew she and her doctor had agreed that she’d work on losing 15 pounds. We then talked about carb counting and trying for 3 carb choices at each meal and 1 carb choice for an evening snack.
Mama wanted her carb counting to be as simple as possible. She didn’t want to be looking things up in a book all the time. Here’s what we worked out for her to count as 1 carb choice:
1/2 cup of any starchy food, such as potatoes, cooked beans, peas, or corn
1/3 cup of cooked pasta or rice
1 small piece of fruit or 1/2 cup of fruit
1 cup of milk or yogurt
1/2 cup of low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt
2 small cookies
1 handful (about 3/4 ounce) of pretzels, baked chips, or snack crackers
1 small dinner roll, tortilla, or muffin
1 piece of bread, 1 biscuit, 1/2 English muffin, 1/2 hamburger or hot dog bun, or 1/4 of a bakery bagel
1 cup of soup, such as chicken noodle, tomato, or split pea
1/2 cup of cooked cereal, such as oatmeal or grits
3/4 cup of dry ready-to-eat cereal, such as Cheerios
Any food that contains about 15 grams of total carbohydrate on the Nutrition Facts Label (see Steps in Using a Food Label to learn more about reading food labels).
Mama thought the serving sizes seemed awfully small, especially that 1/4 bagel. Then we talked about having 3 carb choices at breakfast. Three carbs
