Carbohydrate Counting
When you eat a healthy meal or snack, it is usually a mixture of carbohydrate, pro- tein, and fat. However, your body changes carbohydrate into glucose faster than it changes protein and fat into glucose. It is the carbohydrate that makes your blood glucose level go up.
In carbohydrate counting, you count foods that are mostly carbohydrate. These include starches (breads, cereals, pasta), fruits and fruit juices, milk, yogurt, ice cream, and sugars (honey, syrup). You do not count most vegetables, meats, or fats. These foods have very little carbohydrate in them. You can find out how much carbohydrate a food …show more content…
If you take at least three or four doses of insulin a day or use an in- sulin pump, you can learn to adjust each insulin dose to cover the amount of carbohydrate you eat. If you do not take insulin, you can learn how to space carbohydrate throughout the day to improve your blood glucose levels.
Plate Method
The plate method was designed to help you assemble healthy meals in the correct proportions and to spread the carbohydrate content of the meal evenly within each meal. Focus on filling your plate with non-starchy vegetables and having smaller portions of starchy foods and meats.
The plate method is an easy way to get started with managing your blood glu- cose levels. Plus, you don’t need any special tools: all you need is your plate. Start by drawing an imaginary line down the center of your dinner plate. On one side, cut it again so you should have 3 sections on your plate. Fill the largest section with non-starchy vegetables, such as spinach, carrots, cabbage, green beans, or broc- coli. In one of the small sections, include starchy foods, such as whole-grain breads, rice, pasta, beans, or peas. In the other small section, put your meat