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Diabetes Diet: Carb Counting

 

Carb counting is preferred by many people with diabetes because it can allow greater freedom of food choice than the dietary exchange system. As the name suggests, carbohydrate counting (also called carb counting or carb gram counting) involves computing the number of carbohydrate grams in a given meal or snack. Total carbs are tallied up on a running basis to ensure that the total doesn’t exceed a predetermined dietary goal for the meal and/or day.

An alternative form of carb counting is called carbohydrate choice or simple carb counting. With this method, every 15 grams of carbs are counted as one carbohydrate choice, with a predetermined number of choices allotted daily (as determined by an RD and based on caloric requirements). While not as precise as carb gram counting, simple carb counting may be preferred by those who like the simplicity of the dietary exchange system but crave added variety in their diet.

Both types of carb counting are useful for people with type 1 diabetes who use fast-acting insulin to cover the carb content in their meals. Carb counting allows them to calculate the right amount of insulin to counteract the corresponding blood sugar rise from their meal.

 

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All U.S. food labeling must list carbohydrate content in grams on a per serving basis according to U.S. FDA regulations. This makes the grams of carbohydrates in most packaged foods easy to determine. However, restaurant foods, take-out, and certain packaged goods don’t require nutrient labeling, so having a comprehensive reference source of foods and their carbohydrate content is important.

Reviewed by Susan Weiner, R.D., M.S., C.D.E., C.D.N. 10/08