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Basic Carb Counting

To maintain good blood glucose levels, people with diabetes often use carb counting to plan their meals.

By Sheena Chihak, R.D.; Reviewed by Hope S. Warshaw, R.D., CDE, BC-ADM, 2011

After you eat food that contains carbohydrate, it breaks down into glucose and enters the bloodstream. This is why your blood glucose, or blood sugar, rises after eating most sources of carbohydrate.

Why Count Carbs?
"The purpose of basic carb counting is to more consistently control the amount of glucose going into the bloodstream to stabilize blood sugar levels," says Michelle Bravo, R.D, LDN, CDE, director of diabetes education at the Diabetes Center at Mercy in Baltimore. Carb counting ranges from basic to advanced. Everyone starts with basic carb counting, no matter how long they've had diabetes or what their ultimate carb counting goal is.

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