Carbohydrates (carbs) is the name of the group of food and drinks that our body turns into glucose in the bloodstream.
An important part of managing your diabetes is knowing what food contains carbs and how much is in the food you eat. This is called carb counting, which is an important skill that can help you work out your insulin doses for each meal.
If you’ve been newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, learning about carbs and carb counting can make you feel more confident about mealtimes and your insulin doses.
Read, listen to or download our Carb counting and glycaemic index fact sheets.
Read or download our Carb counting and glycaemic index quick guides.
Go to our Carb counting online modules or download the Carb counting app.
Carbs are found in all kinds of foods and drinks, like bread, pasta, fruits, and vegetables.
When you eat or drink carbs, they’re broken down into glucose.
Glucose enters the bloodstream.
Insulin moves the glucose from the bloodstream into the body’s cells.
Glucose is used for energy.
There’s a lot of misinformation about carbs that you may have heard. We don’t always hear the good things about carbs. The truth is that carbs are an important part of a nutritious and enjoyable eating pattern. They’re good for diabetes management too.
Carbs turn into glucose, and glucose is our body’s preferred source of fuel. Carbs provide fuel for our body’s cells and our brain.
Most carbs are high in dietary fibre. Fibre is the part of food our body doesn’t absorb. Fibre is great for good gut health and helps slow down the absorption of glucose.
The fibre from carbs, like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes helps keep our stomach and gut bugs happy and healthy.
Carbs are rich in the vitamins and minerals we need for good health.
Knowing the amount of carbs in your food and drinks will help you adjust your rapid-acting insulin dose at meal and snack times. This will give you some flexibility in your eating pattern and food and drink choices.
The good news is that carb counting pays off on a day-to-day basis and in the long term too. You will most likely see less frequent blood glucose rises after meals (i.e. over 10.0 mmol/L two hours after a meal) and reduce your risk of getting health problems from diabetes in the future.
There are many foods that contain carbs. But an easy way to identify if a food is a carb is to check if it contains sugar and starches.
Sugar includes the sugar in fruit (fructose) and milk or yoghurt (lactose) or the added sugar in soft drinks, lollies, cakes biscuits and other sweet and packaged foods.
We all need variety of healthy foods from each of the five food groups each day. The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating describes the five groups of food that we need to eat from each day to maintain good health.
These are:
Each of these five food groups contains carbs.
Go to Dietitians Australia or go to healthdirect to find a dietitian in your local area.
Call the NDSS Helpline 1800 637 700 and ask to speak to a dietitian.
Carbs are found in all types of bread, cereal and grains. This includes pasta, rice, noodles, biscuits, crackers, crisp-breads.
The vegetables with the most carbs that will impact your blood glucose levels are potato, sweet potato, taro, corn. These vegetables contain carbs no matter how you cook them. Even potato crisps contain carbs. You will also see a slow rise in your blood glucose levels with legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans and pulses. There are lots of vegetables (fresh or frozen) that contain little or no carbs. They include your green leaf vegetables, salads or non-starchy vegetables. They’re a great way to bulk up and add nutrients to your meals.
All fruits contains carbs, including fresh fruit, tinned fruit, dried fruit, and fruit juice. Some fruit is very low in carb, for example berries, so only larger serves will impact your blood glucose levels.
Milks including full fat, reduced fat and skim milk all contain carbs. Food made from milk also contains carbs. There are exception – cheese and cream don’t contain carbs even though they’re made from milk. The lactose is fermented off during the making of these foods. They do, however, contain high amounts of saturated fat which will impact other important aspects of your health such as a healthy heart and maintaining your weight in a healthy range.
Protein foods have very little carbs, provided you’re not having large servings in a meal. Some people find high protein and high fat meals raise their blood glucose levels. Legumes can be a protein source if you prefer to not eat animal sources of protein.
These foods are different to the ones found in the five foods groups. They’re usually sweetened with added sugar and have no nutritional value compared to the naturally sweetened foods like the ones you find in fruit and dairy foods.
How much carb you need to eat depends on many factors. For example your age, physical activity level and food preferences. It’s good to include carbs at every meal, but be mindful of serving sizes.
Go to the Eating and drinking module to find out more on how to decide what the best serving size is for you. Talk to a dietitian for support on working our how much carb is right for you.
You may already be familiar with carb counting. It’s an important tool for managing your blood glucose levels.
What is carb counting? Carb counting helps you know how much carb is in your meals and snacks, so you know how to adjust the dose of your rapid-acting insulin. This will help you to keep your blood glucose levels within your target range.
You may have heard of the glycaemic index (GI) and wondered how it fits into eating well for type 1 diabetes.
Not all carbs are the same in the way they affect your blood glucose levels. The GI measures how quickly or slowly a food raises blood glucose levels.
Some carb foods affect blood glucose levels quickly (high GI), and some act slowly (low GI). Choosing low GI carbs can provide you with more stable blood glucose levels.
The great news about low GI foods is they will make you feel fuller for longer, while giving you energy throughout the day. Just remember, if you find a low GI food you love, it doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you like because the amount also affects your blood glucose levels.
Try to include healthy low GI carbs at each meal.
You can swap some high GI carbs in a meal with low GI options to lower the overall GI of the meal. Speak to a dietitian about lowering the overall GI of your meals and snacks.
Visit www.glycemicindex.com to use the database to check the GI of foods you enjoy and to find low GI alternatives. With knowledge, you’ll become confident in choosing the best foods for you.
Read, listen to or download our Carb counting fact sheets. and glycaemic index fact sheets.
Read or download our Carb counting and glycaemic index quick guides.
You can watch the Healthy cooking video series for more information and tips to help you cook healthier meals.
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