In order to control your blood glucose, counting carbohydrates in your food intake will certainly help you attain that control. More than any other nutrient, carbohydrates can raise your blood glucose level because the carbohydrates in your food are broken down by the body into glucose to use for energy. Healthy foods such as grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat milk are also carbohydrates that provide energy, minerals, vitamins and fiber. Your blood sugar level can climb to an unhealthy level if more carbohydrates are taken in than the body can use. Counting carbohydrates is the ideal way to keep track of how many carbs you eat.
Checking your blood sugar levels before and after meals will keep you informed if you are eating too many carbohydrates compared to your insulin level. It is easy to learn the basics of counting carbohydrates in a short time by first knowing which foods have carbs and how much they contain. It isnt necessary to know about the carbohydrates in all the foods but only in the foods you eat frequently. Counting carbohydrates in the foods that you eat most and determining how many carbs are in your usual portions is a definite start. You will have to make adjustments in your carb count if you eat multiple servings of a particular food. Writing down everything you plan to eat and picking out the foods that have carbs is a way to measure how much of each carbs you will be eating. Once you familiarize yourself with counting carbohydrates, check your blood sugar levels before and after meals which will give you an estimate if the foods you eat match with the amount of insulin your body makes.
Starting out is probably the hardest part about learning to count carbohydrates. Once you know the amount of carbohydrates in a single serving of your food, it wont be so overwhelming. Those who use counting carbohydrates still have to follow a healthy meal plan.
It is essential to keep in mind of the other types of food you eat as well, set aside from counting the carbohydrates. Adults usually eat 6 ounces of meat so it might be advisable to limit the saturated fats that are eaten like bacon, cream, butter and high fat meats. Weight gain and other problems such as heart disease can be cause if too many servings of meats and fats are eaten. Counting carbohydrates gives you more flexibility in the choice of foods you eat and will help you maintain your blood glucose levels within the target range.
