Overview

Managing the amount of carbohydrate (carbs) you eat is an important part of planning healthy meals when you have diabetes. Carbs raise blood sugar more than any other nutrient. Carbs are found in foods that are important to eat every day, such as grains, starchy vegetables, fruits, and milk and yogurt. Carbs are also found in sugar-sweetened foods and drinks.

The more carbs you eat at one time, the higher your blood sugar will rise. Counting carbs can help you keep your blood sugar within your target range.

If you use insulin, counting carbs helps you match the right amount of insulin to the number of grams of carbs in a meal.

How can you care for yourself at home?

Know your daily amount of carbohydrates

Your daily amount of carbs depends on several things, such as your weight, how active you are, which diabetes medicines you take, and what your goals are for your blood sugar levels. A registered dietitian or certified diabetes educator can help you plan how many carbs to include in each meal and snack.

For most adults, a guideline for the daily amount of carbs is:

• 45 to 60 grams at each meal. That's about the same as 3 to 4 carbohydrate servings.
• 15 to 20 grams at each snack. That's about the same as 1 carbohydrate serving.

Count carbs

Counting carbs lets you know how much rapid-acting insulin to take before you eat. If you use an insulin pump, it must be programmed at meals to give you extra insulin to cover the rise in blood sugar after meals.

If you take insulin, you and your diabetes health professional will figure out your insulin-to-carb ratio together. They can help you learn how to count carbs for your specific needs.

If you do or don't take insulin:

• Look at labels on packaged foods. This can tell you how many carbs are in a serving. You can also use guides from Diabetes Canada.
• Be aware of portions, or serving sizes. If a package has two servings and you eat the whole package, you need to double the number of grams of carbohydrate listed for one serving.
• Protein, fat, and fibre do not raise blood sugar as much as carbs do. If you eat a lot of these nutrients in a meal, your blood sugar will rise more slowly than it would otherwise.

Eat from all food groups

• Eat at least three meals a day.
• Plan meals to include food from all the food groups. Follow Canada's Food Guide and choose a variety of vegetables and fruits, protein foods, and whole grain foods. Make water your drink of choice.
• Talk to your dietitian or diabetes educator about ways to add limited amounts of sweets into your meal plan.
• If you drink alcohol, talk to your doctor. It may not be recommended when you are taking certain diabetes medicines.