Healthy Eating

Maintaining Balance

To hit your blood glucose targets you'll need to make sure that your calorie and carbohydrate intake is balanced with your medication and physical activity. Eat too much and your blood glucose will go up. Skip meals, and your blood glucose will fall.

Q Do you know how quickly blood glucose starts to rise after eating carbohydrates?
right

Your blood glucose goes up as your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose and absorbs them. This happens within 15 minutes of eating carbohydrates, causing your blood glucose to rises

Wrong

Your blood glucose goes up as your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose and absorbs them. This happens within 15 minutes of eating carbohydrates, causing your blood glucose to rise

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates supply most of the glucose your body uses for energy. There are carbohydrates in:

  • Vegetables, fruits, beans
  • Cereals, grains and rice
  • Pasta and breads
  • Milk and dairy products
  • Sugar

Carb Counting

Your dietician should recommend the number of carbohydrates you eat. In general, it will be the same as or similar to guidelines for people without diabetes. However, it is important to spread them out during the day rather than save them up for one large meal which will cause blood sugar to spike.

The following is a general guideline:

  •  
    3 Meals
    1-2 snacks
  • Women
    45-60 grams
    15 grams
  • Men
    60-75 grams
    15-30 grams

One sample meal for women includes 1 cup of brown rice along with lean protein like skinless chicken breast and leafy green vegetables (about 60 grams of carbs).

One sample snack for men is 3 whole-wheat crackers (Triscuits) with 2 tbsp natural peanut butter (about 16 grams of carbs) or 1 small pear and a small handful (12) almonds (about 16 grams of carbs).

If you stick to your targets for carbs for each meal, eat at the right time and balance this with medication and exercise, your blood glucose WILL fall within your target range.

This information was reproduced from the "Complete Guide to Diabetes" with the permission of the American Diabetes Association.

It is a comprehensive book and recommended by the American Diabetes Association for those people that want to learn more about diabetes.

Click on the image to go to the American Diabetes Association bookstore.

Note: Care4life has no commercial interest in any of the books or resources it recommends.