Carb counting can help control blood glucose
Carbohydrates are the main nutrient in foods that give you energy and affect your blood glucose level. When you have diabetes, you need to keep track of the carbohydrates you eat in order to gain and keep control of your blood glucose.
Carbohydrate counting is a great way to add flexibility and variety to your food choices.
When counting carbohydrates, remember these guidelines:
Good sources of carbohydrates include breads/starches, fruits and milk. Here are examples of one carbohydrate choice from each group:
- starch/bread – one slice of bread, one roll, ¾ cup dry cereal
- fruit – ½ banana, ½ cup real fruit juice, one medium apple or pear
- milk – 1 cup milk, 1 cup plain yogurt.
Remember
Do not avoid carbohydrate foods. They should make up 50 to 60 percent of your food plan.
One carbohydrate choice equals 15 grams of carbohydrate. For most people with diabetes, a healthy meal plan has three to five (45 to 75 grams) carbohydrate choices at a meal and one to two (15 to 30 grams) carbohydrate choices for snacks.
When reading a food label, look for the "serving size" and "total carbohydrate" numbers. You will need these for calculating carbs.
For example, one serving of cheese pizza has 44 grams of total carbohydrate. When divided by 15 (the number of grams that make one carb choice), the 44 grams equal three carbohydrate choices.
Carbohydrate choice chart
You can use this chart to help calculate the number of carbohydrate choices in your meal plan.
| Grams of carbohydrate |
Number of carb choices |
| 0 to 5 |
0 |
| 6 to 10 |
1/2 |
| 11 to 20 |
1 |
| 21 to 25 |
1 1/2 |
| 26 to 35 |
2 |
| 36 to 40 |
2 1/2 |
| 41 to 50 |
3 |
| 51 to 55 |
3 1/2 |
| 56 to 65 |
4 |
| 66 to 70 |
4 1/2 |
| 71 to 80 |
5 |
Dialog home page
 Examples of one carbohydrate choice (15 grams)
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Source: Allina Patient Education, Basic Skills for Living with Diabetes, dia-ahc-90196
First published: 09/10/2003
Last updated: 04/27/2009
Reviewed by: Mary Frederick, RN, MS, CDE, diabetes program manager, Allina Medical Clinic - Diabetes Education; Dawn McCarter, RN, BSN, CDE, diabetes program coordinator, Allina Medical Clinic - Diabetes Education
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