Understanding Carbohydrates

Starch, fruit, milk, and starchy vegetables contain carbohydrate. Cheese, steak, chicken, and fish are types of protein, while olive oil and butter are types of fat.

All of the answers are correct. However the best answer is "All of the above". Both sugar and starch are carbohydrates. Starch is broken down into individual sugar units in the intestines. The individual sugar units are small enough to be transported across the intestinal wall into the blood stream.

Fruit juice will rapidly raise your blood sugar because it has a lot of sugar and is a liquid, and liquids are more rapidly absorbed than solids. A bagel will raise the blood sugar - but only slowly, because it takes a while for the starch to be digested into sugar and absorbed. A diet soda has no carbohydrate and will not raise your blood sugar.

Because mozzarella cheese has no carbohydrate and tomatoes have only a very small amount of carbohydrate, they will not (or only minimally) raise your blood sugar. A burrito, however, will raise your blood sugar as there is carbohydrate in the tortilla, rice and beans. Potato and leek soup will also raise your blood sugar as potatoes are a starch.

About half (45-65%) of your calories each day come from carbohydrates. This is the case whether you have diabetes or do not have diabetes. The exact amount of carbohydrates you need each day depends on your calorie goals, activity level and personal preferences. Your registered dietitian can help choose a carbohydrate goal and daily meal plan that keeps your food, medication and physical activity in mind.

The best way to meet your blood sugar goals after meals is to spread your carbohydrates evenly over 3 meals a day, eat more complex rather than simple carbohydrates as complex carbohydrates will be more slowly digested, and stay within your carbohydrate allotment. How you distribute carbohydrate throughout the day can make a difference in your blood sugar. Regular sodas contain carbohydrate, and liquid carbohydrates digest faster than solids, so they raise the blood sugar quickly. Since non-starchy vegetables are low in calories, low in carbohydrate, and high in fiber, they can help you feel full and more satisfied with your meal, but do not lead to high blood sugar and weight gain.

All three choices are benefits of carbohydrate counting. However the best answer is "All of the above". Counting carbohydrates gives you a better awareness of your eating habits, which helps to control your blood sugar, keep you in balance with your medications, and manage your body weight.

Look at serving size and grams of total carbohydrate, fiber*, and sugar alcohol** per serving to make sure you are counting your carbohydrates correctly. Calories will not give you information on the amount of carbohydrate in the food, and the grams of sugar are already included in the total carbohydrate amount. *Fiber carbohydrate is not digested and needs to be subtracted from the total carbohydrate **Sugar alcohol is only partially digested and absorbed. Only half the grams of carbohydrate should be counted.

The grams of total carbohydrate listed on a food label are based on one serving size. The serving size listed on this label is 1 cup. Since you are eating 1½ cups, you are eating one and a half servings. Multiply 1½ x 22 grams, and you get 33 grams of total carbohydrate.

One carbohydrate exchange equals 15 grams of carbohydrate.

When you look up rice in the exchange book, it tells you that ⅓ cup of cooked rice equals 15 grams of carbohydrate.

Each food item listed above equals 1 carbohydrate exchange. That's a total of 3 exchanges, or 45 grams of carbohydrate.

If you are weighing a whole fruit (with core, seeds, peel, and rind), use the fruit FACTOR for whole fruit. If you are weighing sliced fruit (for edible portion), use the fruit FACTOR for sliced fruit. The FACTOR for whole bananas (with peel) is 3.75. Multiply 10 oz x 3.75 and you get 38 grams of carbohydrate.

Research has shown that people with diabetes can enjoy sugar and sugar-containing foods, in the context of a balanced meal that includes fat and protein. When similar amounts of sucrose (or table sugar) and starch were consumed as part of a meal, studies showed similar effects on the blood sugar levels. Just like other carbohydrate foods, count the grams of carbohydrate in your sweets, and be sure to stay within your carbohydrate budget for the meal or snack. Sweets or desserts will need to replace another carbohydrate choice in order to meet your blood sugar and body weight goals.

When counting carbohydrates for products made with sugar alcohols, subtract ½ of the grams of sugar alcohol listed on the food label from the total grams of carbohydrate. Sugar alcohols are a reduced-calorie sweetener, and have about ½ the calories of regular sugar and other carbohydrates. However, they are still a form of carbohydrate, and they still affect your blood sugar levels.

Because sugar alcohols are harder for the body to digest, the effect on blood sugar levels is less than sugar. When counting carbohydrates for products made with sugar alcohols, you need to subtract half of the grams of sugar alcohol listed on the food label from the total grams of carbohydrate. You do not subtract all of the grams of sugar alcohol. By subtracting half of the grams of sugar alcohol listed on the food label from the total grams of carbohydrate, you get 21 grams of carbohydrate (25 minus 4 grams).

All three choices are considered benefits of using artificial sweeteners or products that are made with artificial sweeteners. However, the best answer is "All of the above".