Counting Carbohydrates

Counting carbohydrates in your daily food intake will indeed help you to maintain a control over your blood glucose level. 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. In order to keep track of the carbs you consume, the best way is carbohydrate counting.

A quick check of your blood sugar levels prior to and after meals will keep you updated whether you are consuming more carbohydrates than your insulin can cope up with. 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. You don’t need to know about carbohydrates in all the foods and only a knowledge about foods you consume frequently would be enough. It is absolutely essential that you start counting carbohydrates in the foods that you consume most frequently and determining the amount of carbs in your usual portions. Adjustments would have to be made to your carb count if you have several servings of a particular food. Making a plan about the foods you intend to eat and choosing the foods that contain carbohydrates would help you to determine the amount of each carbs you will be consuming. 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.

Most probably, starting the counting carbohydrate method would be the hardest part. Once you know the amount of carbohydrates in a single serving of your food, it won’t 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. generally an adult consume an average of 6 pounds of meat and therefore it is recommended to reduce the intake of saturated fats such as
bacon,cream,butter and high fat meats.If you have a high intake of meat and fats, it would cause weight gain and other problems such as heart disease.Counting carbohydrates will provide you with a more flexible choice of foods to
consume and will help to regulate your blood glucose levels within the desired safe range.