It’s not enough to watch how much sugar you eat. All carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars that affect your blood sugar. That doesn’t mean avoid all carbohydrates, but they do need to be managed.
Sources of Carbohydrate:
– Breads, cereals, crackers
– Rice, pasta, grains
– Fruit, fruit juice
– Sugar, honey, flour
– Milk, yogurt
– Starchy vegetables (potatoes, peas, corn)
A “carbohydrate choice” is a portion of food that has 15 grams of carbohydrate.
Most women need around 3-4 carbohydrate choices per meal (or 45-60g of carbohydrate). Most men need around 4-5 carbohydrate choices per meal (or 60-75g of carbohydrate per meal. Try to keep snacks to 1-2 carbohydrate choices (15-30g of carbohydrate.)
Balance out your meal:
– 3-5 servings of carbohydrate (2-3 of them starches, 1 small piece of fruit and/or 1 c of milk)
– 1/2- 1 c of veggie vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, etc)
– 1-3oz of meat, poultry, fish or cheese
– 0-1 tsp of fat (trans fat free margarine or dressing)
– Eat at least 3 meals 4-5 hours apart.
– Avoid overeating at meals. Eat just until comfortably full.
– Drink water or diet drinks. Don’t use all your carbohydrate choices on sweetened drinks.
Check your food labels to help you track carbs: