Carbohydrates are the food group that is mainly responsible for raising blood-glucose level. Even though the body can make glucose from the protein and fat, but it takes time, and it cannot cause blood-glucose spikes.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are available in three forms; they are - sugars, starches and fiber. Carbohydrates are found in Grains (breads, pasta, and cereals), fruits, vegetables, root crops (potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams), beer, wine & some hard liquor, desserts & candies, most milk products (except cheese) and other foods, like sucrose, fructose, maltose.
Healthy diet should contain nutrient rich complex carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, no-fat or low-fat milk and yogurt. That is choosing the diet high in vitamins, minerals, fibers, and proteins in proportion to its calorie content.
Simple carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates (monosaccharide and disaccharides) are easily broken down and dumped glucose into the blood stream causes blood-glucose spikes.
Some of the food items that contain simple sugars include table sugar, corn syrup, some fruit juice, candy, common soda, honey, milk, yoghurt, jam, chocolate, biscuit, and food items made of white flour.
Complex carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates (oligosaccharides and polysaccharides) require time to break down and slowly release glucose into the bloodstream. Thus, there is a study a slow blood-glucose rise, which is good for a diabetic.
Some of the food items that contain complex sugars include: Bagel, Barley, Beans, Bran, Brown Bread, Brown Rice, Buckwheat, Cassava, Cornmeal, Granary Bread, High Fiber Breakfast Cereals, Lentils, Macaroni, Maize, Muesli, Oatcakes, Oatmeal, Pasta, Peas, Porridge Oats, Potatoes, Shredded Wheat, Spaghetti, Whole Meal bread, Whole-grain Cereals and Yam.
Carbohydrates Metabolism
Once the digestion process starts by break down carbohydrates into glucose and release it into the blood streams. The available blood-glucose is either use for energy or stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles, or there is no energy requirement then glucose is converted and stored in the body as fats.
All the above-said glucose metabolism requires insulin; people with diabetes cannot produce enough insulin or not sensitive to insulin, and thus they need to maintain their blood-glucose level with medications or insulin or lifestyle changes.
Carb counting
The standard approximate carbohydrate requirement per day is 165 grams (Break fast 45 grams, Lunch 45 grams, dinner 60 grams and snack 15 grams; total 165 grams).
To familiarize the basic of carbohydrate counting includes understanding the relationship between food, physical activity, and blood-glucose levels. Next step in carbohydrate counting is the understanding the relationship between insulin or other medication and carbohydrate.
Carbohydrates are measures in grams and may commonly be referred by servings or exchange. One carbohydrate serving or exchange is equal to 15 g of carbohydrate.
One serving of carbohydrate
you should select and distribute among different types of carbohydrates groups.
| Food type | one serving or exchange |
| Starch foods | 1 slices of bread, 1/3 cup of cooked pasta, 3/4 cup of dry cereal, or 4–6 crackers. |
| Fruits & vegetables | 1 small piece of fruit, 1 ½ vegetables (cooked or salad), or 1/2 cup of fruit juice. |
| Milk & milk products | 1 cup of nonfat (skim) milk, 1 ¼ cup of full-fat soy milk, or 3/4 cup of yogurt. |
| Desserts | 2 small cookies or 1/2 cup of ice cream. |
Carbohydrate grams to serving or exchange conversion
| Carbohydrate | Serving or exchange |
| 0–5 grams | considered as zero serving. |
| 6-10 grams | considered as ½ serving. |
| 11-20 grams | considered as 1 serving. |
| 21-25 grams | considered as 1 ½ serving. |
| 26-35 grams | considered as 2 serving. |
Like any other new skill, counting carbohydrates will take some weeks to master the art. At the start, it will be difficult to weigh and measure foods. As time passes, the eye & mind trained to measure exactly both serving sizes and weights, whether eating at home or out.
How do you eat your diabetic diet?
- Choose appropriate size of diet not too large.
- break down diet size (quantity) and spread evenly throughout the day.
- low in fat, particular emphasis is on saturated fat.
- prefer high-fiber carbohydrate foods such as whole-grain breads and cereals, dried beans, lentils, starchy vegetables and fruits.