Inspiration And Expert Advice: Expert Columns

Carb Counting Those Challenging Foods

By Lara Rondinelli RD, LDN, CDE

You may have no problem counting carbohydrates in your morning bowl of oatmeal, turkey sandwich or apple; but walk into a restaurant and order the chicken stir-fry and you have no idea how much carbohydrate you are eating. Some foods are definitely more challenging than others when it comes to estimating their carbohydrate content. Despite good attempts at estimating carbohydrate counts for various foods, many people often underestimate or overestimate carbohydrates and this can lead to high or low blood sugar levels.

Carbohydrate (carb) counting can be very helpful in dosing rapid-acting insulin with meals, controlling blood sugar levels, and aiding in weight loss. The grams of total carbohydrate are listed on the nutrition facts food label and people are taught to read labels and check grams of total carbohydrate. Carb counting is fairly simple when foods have a food label, but it can be more challenging when eating out or eating mixed dishes, such as casseroles. A registered dietitian or certified diabetes educator can help you learn carb counting in detail, but here are some tips to help you improve your carb counting skills for those most difficult foods.

• When ordering pasta or rice at a restaurant it may be difficult to estimate exactly how much you are eating. The very first task when you start carb counting is to measure all the food you eat at home. One cup of cooked pasta or rice contains 45 grams of total carbohydrate. After you measure out this portion size a few times, you will see what it looks like on your plate and this will help you estimate portion sizes when eating out. You will soon realize that you are probably receiving 3 or more cups of cooked pasta when eating at many restaurants. It may be difficult to estimate how much carbohydrate is in the chicken stir-fry if the rice is mixed in with chicken and vegetables. It may be helpful to have the rice served on the side and separate from the chicken and vegetables.
  
  
• It may be difficult to estimate the carb content of meals that contain a variety of foods such as casseroles, lasagna, and chili. In general 1 cup of a casserole dish, such as tuna noodle casserole, can contain between 25-30 grams of total carbohydrate. One cup of chili contains approximately 25 grams carbohydrate, but you need to know what 1-cup of chili looks like in a bowl. A small chili from Wendy’s is 1 cup (8 ounces) and contains 23.4 grams total carbohydrate. Lasagna can be a tricky food to estimate the carbs. The most important factor when dealing with lasagna is to determine the portion size, which can be very challenging to estimate. For example a medium (13 ounces) piece of lasagna may contain 35 grams of total carbohydrate and a larger (4” x 4.5”) piece of lasagna from the Olive Garden restaurant contains 54 grams total carbohydrate. A basic kitchen scale can be purchased to determine the weight of foods. You may also find that lasagna and some foods are better eaten at home when you can weigh the amount you are receiving.

Carb counting takes practice, measuring, record keeping and good resources. Here are some resources that can help with carb counting everyday foods and restaurant meals.

• Website - www.calorieking.com
• The Calorieking, Calorie, Fat and Carbohydrate Counter
• The Diabetes, Carbohydrate and Fat Gram Guide

Beef and Cheese Skillet Casserole

Makes: 7 servings
Serving Size: 1 cup

2 cups rotini pasta, uncooked
1 pound 90% lean ground beef
1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute
2/3 cup shredded, reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, cook ground beef until beginning to brown, about 8-9 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
3. Add remaining ingredients except cheese and pasta and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 6-7 minutes or until beginning to thicken. Fold in cheese and toss with pasta.

Nutrition Information: 243Calories, 8g Total Fat, 4g Saturated Fat, 47mg Cholesterol, 504 mg Sodium, 25g Total Carbohydrate, 2g Dietary Fiber, 6g Sugars, 19g Protein

Copyright © American Diabetes Association from Healthy Calendar Diabetic Cooking. Reprinted with permission from The American Diabetes Association. To order this book, please call 1-800-232-6733 or order online at http://store.diabetes.org/.