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Carb Counting

Depending on the type of insulin you are on, you may have to plan your meals and snacks so you are eating around the time your insulin peaks. This is so you don't have too much insulin and not enough glucose in your blood (hypoglycemia).

Knowing how to balance how much you eat and how much insulin you take will take some getting used to. Many people with diabetes count carbs to know how much food they need to cover their insulin injection.

With carb counting, you have to figure out the number of carbs in all the foods you're eating at each meal and snack and then add them all up. Then you have to take enough insulin to "cover" your carbs. Work with your D-team to figure out how much insulin you need to "cover" your carbs.

It sounds complicated but you'll know it like the back of your hand in no time.

How to count carbs

Don't worry, you don't have sit down and memorize a list of foods or how many carbs each contain. The great thing is sooner or later, you'll just know how many carbs are in your favorite foods because you eat them often. There are all kinds of books and tools out there to help you count the carbs of foods.

Once you know how many carbs a food has, then you have to figure out how much of the food you're going to eat. Nutrition labels are great because all the information you need to figure out the carbs are right there.

Figure out the carbs for chili

Figuring out carbs takes a little math.
First you need to know the facts.

1. What's the serving size?
2. What's the total carbohydrate? Hint: You can get this information straight from a nutrition label.

Then you need to figure out how much you're going to eat.

1. Decide how much you think you'll eat.
2. Multiply how much you think you'll eat by the total carbohydrate.

Here's an example

What's the serving size?	1 Cup
What's the total carbohydrate per serving?	22 g
How much do you think you'll eat?	11/2 cups
How many carbs is that?	33 g of carbs

So now you know that if you eat 1 1/2 cups of chili, you'll be eating 33 g of carbs. BUT don't forget to add the carbs of your condiments, your side dishes, and anything else you plan to eat with your chili.

Carb Counting Formula: Total carbs per serving X Amount you plan to eat = Total carbs

The added bonus about carb counting is that you'll become really good at math!

Carbs and homemade food

The easiest thing to do for simple foods that don't have nutrition labels is to separate out your ingredients. For example, for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich you should ask:

• How many carbs are in 2 slices of bread?
• How many carbs are in a serving of peanut butter?
• How much peanut butter do you use?
• How many carbs are in a serving of jelly?
• How much jelly do you use?

Now add it all up!

For foods like lasagna, or casseroles that are harder to separate out, there are books that will give you the carb count of typical homemade foods. There are also cookbooks and software programs that tell you how many carbs are in the foods you cook at home.