There are several types of diets that a diabetic can follow. One of the most popular is the Carbohydrate Counting Diet aslo known as the carb-control diabetic diet. Under the carbohydrate counting diet, food is classified into three: carbohydrates, protein and fat. As the name of the diet suggests, we only count the amount of carbohydrate that we take in. Why? Because a carbohydrate turns to sugar when broken down, and as we all know, sugar intake needs to be closely monitored if you are diabetic.

Your dietician will be able to provide you with the specifics, but generally, there will be a recommended amount of carbohydrates or carbs that can be consumed in a day. This can be measured by weight or using a unit called “exchange”. How do we determine the amount of carbohydrate in the food we eat? We check the “Nutrition Facts” found at the back of the labels of food packages. The recommended amount of carbohydrates needs to be spaced out within your meals in a day to ensure that blood glucose levels remain stable. It also ensures that we have enough energy to get us through our daily activities.

One of the good things about the carbohydrate counting diet is that it does not exclude any type of food. Carbohydrates are generally found in fruits, starch, and milk, which comprise a big part of our daily meals. They only vary in carbohydrate content but all these items may be consumed. No food falls into the forbidden category. Even sugar can be consumed, just as long as it is in moderation.

The recommended range for carbohydrates is between forty to sixty percent of our daily caloric intake. A diabetic can actually decide how he will consume the allocated amount of carbohydrates in his meals. He may opt to have a small bag of potato chips over two slices of bread as a snack and it will not make much difference in terms of carbohydrate count. However, the potato chips will be less filling, and so he will experience hunger pangs earlier than if he had chosen to eat bread instead. Remember that meals have to be evenly spaced out to ensure that blood glucose levels do not spike or dip within the course of a day.

The carb control diabetes diet is good news for diabetics. When followed properly, it can ensure that blood glucose levels are kept stable. It can also enable the diabetic to give himself a treat every once in a while.

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