How to count carbohydrates: 5 tips to keep you on track

carb counting

Counting carbohydrates (carbs) is important to do at meal and snack times to calculate the amount of insulin you'll need. Carbs are the one thing that can really affect your blood sugar and throw us into a tailspin, whether you have too many or not enough to match your insulin dose. Carb counting seems simple enough, but sometimes it can be a little tricky. Here are 5 tips from our clinical team to help keep you on track.

 

1. Read Nutrition Labels
 

Most food items have nutrition labels on their packaging, showing the total carbohydrate count per serving. Be sure to look at the serving size, too. Certain packaged foods may contain more servings than you think. If you are eating out, call the restaurant ahead of time, check out their website, or ask for their menu nutrition facts when you arrive. More and more restaurants are publically providing this information. Again, be sure to look at the serving size, as a plate of food or an order of pizza may be more than one serving size.

 

2. Reference Books, Websites, and/or Apps
 

What happens if the food you're eating doesn't come with a nutrition label? How will you know how many carbs you're eating? There's an app for that, as well as websites and books! There are a variety of helpful smartphone/tablet apps, websites, and books out there that can make it very simple and almost painless to count your carbs.

 

3. Keep a Food Journal
 

Put together a food journal for many of the foods and meals you normally eat, and their carb count per your typical serving. This can be a journal or notebook, an online database, or a smartphone/tablet app. Start by writing down the foods and beverages you typically eat for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. Then, think about the portions sizes you usually eat, and look up the carb count for those portions. If you don't know the portion size you usually eat, just measure the food and take note of the portion size next time you eat it. Next, combine the individual foods into meals, and add up the total carb count for each meal. Over time, you'll get a better sense of how many carbs are in certain foods you eat, and how they affect your blood glucose levels.

 

4. Make Use of Measuring Cups
 

You can evaluate your portion size by measuring your food with a measuring cup. If a serving size is one cup, measure one cup, and you can be sure that's how much you're eating. If you want half of the serving, and a serving is one cup, then measure half cup and divide the total carbohydrate count for one serving in half. Don't have a measuring cup available? An alternative to measuring cups is using your hands to estimate portions. Your fist is about one cup, the palm of your hand or a deck of cards is about three ounces, your thumb is about one ounce or one tablespoon, the tip of your thumb is about one teaspoon, and a handful is about a half cup. Remember, this is just an estimate and depends on the size of your hand, so you may want to verify these measurements for your specific hand size.

 

5. Utilize Food Scales
 

Fresh produce such as apples, potatoes, and other starchy vegetables come in a wide range of sizes, often times, without a nutrition label. The difference between a small and large piece of fruit can easily be 15 grams or more. Weigh pieces of produce, either at the grocery store or at home with a kitchen scale, and look up the carb count based on the weight. If a scale is not available, estimate the diameter of the fruit or vegetable. Calorie King provides nutrition facts based on fruit and vegetable size, too. What if you don't have a ruler or talent for eyeballing size? No problem. You probably have a "good enough" ruler in your pocket: a dollar bill or an iPhone. A dollar bill is six inches by two and a half inches, and an iPhone is 4.5 inches long, so you can use either of these to get a rough estimate of the fruit or vegetable you need to measure. 

Want to learn more about counting carbohydrates? Visit the myLearning Counting Carbohydrates course that walks you through the basics of estimating carbohydrates and reading food labels. 

What tips do you have for carb counting? How has counting carbs worked for you? Do you find it cumbersome or difficult? Do you take in other dietary factors when calculating insulin doses? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

 

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Submitted by Denise Diuglas (not verified) on

In reply to by Commenter (not verified)

I use all of these carb counting tips. Must get a copy of Calorie King.

Submitted by Robert Davis (not verified) on

In reply to by Denise Diuglas (not verified)

I use them as well

Submitted by Sara Tilleskjor (not verified) on

In reply to by Robert Davis (not verified)

Denise and Robert, thanks for sharing! Glad you both find these carb counting tips useful, too. We’d love to hear any other tips you’d like to share with us!

Submitted by Sara Tilleskjor (not verified) on

In reply to by Commenter (not verified)

Thank you for sharing your carb counting tips with us, John. Happy to hear you've found an app that works well for you, and has helped you achieve your optimal BDI and BMI. That is a great accomplishment! Keep up the good work!

Submitted by John Conrod (not verified) on

In reply to by Commenter (not verified)

I use the free SparkPeople Diet Planner for PC and Android. The Diet Planner is Diabetes-friendly, and includes almost 100,000 foods with full nutrient content as well as tracking daily input by meal. The SparkPeople web site has special features and programs for any type Diabetes, and other medical condition to help with practical goal setting, tracking, motivation, exercise, BMI, BDI, and many more features. I have used the app and site for over five years and am now on a weight maintenance program after reaching my optimal BDI and BMI.

Submitted by Etienne (not verified) on

In reply to by Commenter (not verified)

Counting carbs is very important, but I would like to see your thoughts on high-fat foods and the longer-term effects on blood sugars, like 8 to 16 hours after the meal. I seem to have not only the expected slower BG rise with the higher fat intake, but also an extended period of elevated BG readings, like well into the next morning after a culprit dinner.

Submitted by Sara Tilleskjor (not verified) on

In reply to by Etienne (not verified)

Good question, Etienne. I recommend talking with your healthcare team about your dietary requirements, as they can give you the best advice to meet your individual needs. In a MiniMed insulin pump there is a setting called the Dual Wave bolus which delivers a combination of an immediate Normal bolus followed by a Square Wave bolus. The Square Wave portion is delivered evenly over a period of time. A Dual Wave bolus is useful for meals with both rapidly and slowly absorbed carbohydrates. The Dual Wave option meets both immediate and extended insulin needs. Learn more here: http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/customer-support/device-settings-and-f…

Submitted by Kristen (not verified) on

In reply to by Commenter (not verified)

This is great information as I start my journey using the minimum 530G. Thank you!

Submitted by LOOP Blog Editorial on

In reply to by Kristen (not verified)

Glad you found this article helpful, Kristen! Congrats on starting the MiniMed 530G system. Keep us posted along your journey, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything.

Submitted by Robert Alves (not verified) on

In reply to by Commenter (not verified)

how do I access your online carb counting class I need help I think I am entering too much on the food screen on the pump help please

Submitted by LOOP Blog Editorial on

In reply to by Robert Alves (not verified)

Hi Robert. You can take our online carb counting class, the Basics of Insulin Pump Therapy, on myLearning. Use your store login to access: https://medtronicdiabetes.secure.force.com/store/mylearning. You can use this food database for free online that may help: http://bit.ly/164HR6p. They also have free apps available on both iTunes and the Android Market. I also recommend talking with your healthcare team, as they can help give you additional tips for how to count carbs. Feel free to also ask the community this on our timeline in a comment to find some more tips. Hope this helps!

Submitted by Amanda gornowich (not verified) on

In reply to by Commenter (not verified)

I have been working out and counting my carbs and lost 15lbs in 7 weeks I was never really heavy until I had my daughter abbagail and now I'm trying to lose the belly fat.

Submitted by Beverly (not verified) on

In reply to by Commenter (not verified)

When entering carbs in the pump, do you enter ner carbs? Carbs - fiber?

Submitted by Karrie Hawbaker (not verified) on

In reply to by Beverly (not verified)

Beverly, this is a good conversation to have with your healthcare provider. They can provide the best information for you based on your specific needs.

Submitted by Patti Wiley (not verified) on

In reply to by Commenter (not verified)

I faithfully enter my carbs, using bolus wizard. High sugars require injections. Very limited carb readings at my physician visits...why. how to fix pump???

Submitted by Karrie Hawbaker (not verified) on

In reply to by Patti Wiley (not verified)

Patti, I'm sorry to hear you are having trouble. This is a good conversation to have with our 24-Hour HelpLine. Please give them a call at your convenience at 800.646.4633, option 1. They'd be happy to help.

Submitted by William Cardona (not verified) on

In reply to by Commenter (not verified)

I am currently on an Animas Pump but have to change over to Medtronic due to Animas getting out of the pump business. I love the feature they have of a food list so that it makes it convenient for you to get a more accurate carbs count to bolus. Medtonic does not have this feature so it will make it more difficult to count carbs. Will they ever incorporate this into their pumps? Would be a nice feature.

Submitted by Karrie Hawbaker (not verified) on

In reply to by William Cardona (not verified)

It's a great suggestion, William! While I can't make any promises, I've shared this with our development team for future consideration. Thanks for sharing.

Submitted by Steve Barrow (not verified) on

In reply to by Commenter (not verified)

Please send me tips


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