Transcript Carbohydrate Counting 101

Carbohydrate Counting
Linda St. Clair, MS, RD, LD, CDE
Office of Child Nutrition
WV Department of Education
I have diabetes. What should I eat?
• Balance your plate
• Exchange Plan
• Carbohydrate counting
Choose MyPlate
PROS
• Simple to use
• Visual
• Balanced
CONS
• Uses estimates
• Combination foods are
difficult
Exchange Lists
• Controls all aspects of diet
• Requires a list of foods and their portion size
• Combination/packaged foods are difficult
Carbohydrate Counting
• Focuses on the main
nutrient that raises
blood sugar
• No “good/bad” foods
• Uses readily available
information from food
labels or lists
• Most accurate of all
methods
No Matter Which Plan is Chosen…
• Keep food intake consistent from day to day
• Choose whole grains half the time
• Choose whole fruits and vegetables most of
the time
• Choose lean proteins
• Choose low-fat dairy products
• Limit fats, salt and sugars
• Limit sugary beverages; choose water
Know which foods contain carbohydrate
• Grains (breads, crackers, rice, hot and cold
cereals, pasta, tortillas
• Starchy vegetables (potatoes, peas, corn,
winter squash, legumes/beans
• Fruits and juices
• Milk and yogurt
• Sweets and desserts
Keys to accurately estimating carbs
• Recordkeeping
• Portion size
• Using food labels
correctly
• Allowing for added
carbohydrates
How to keep a food diary
• Write down everything
• Recording foods before they are eaten is best
• If not, as soon as possible (not at the end of
the day)
• Be honest
• Use the information to help make better
choices the next time
Barriers to keeping a food diary
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Takes too much time
Too difficult
Forget
Not convenient
Don’t know the carb content
•Ignorance is bliss
Estimating Portion Sizes
• Make it easy to
visualize
• Use measuring
cups/spoons
correctly
• Use common
items as
references
Using food labels
Serving Size
Total
Carbohydrates
Added Carbohydrates
• Chicken breast, batter
dipped = 13 gm carb
• Chicken breast, roasted
with no breading = 0 gm
carb
Resources for Accurate Carbohydrate Counting
• Food labels
• Computerized nutrient analysis
• Recipes
• Websites/booklets
Nutrient Analysis
Free Resources
Great websites
• Calorie King – www.calorieking.com
• The USDA National Nutrient Database http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search
• MyFoodAdvisor –
http://tracker.diabetes.org/explore/
• USDA Supertracker –
https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/default.as
• MyFitnessPal – http://myfitnesspal.com/mobile
Special Dietary Needs
“Accommodating Children
with Special Dietary Needs
in the School Nutrition
Programs”
USDA Guidance for School
Food Service Staff
Diabetes Teams at School
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Student with diabetes
Parents of student with diabetes
School Nurse
Cafeteria Manager
Foodservice Director
Teacher
Principal
Others?
Who Does What?
• Every situation is
different
• Team approach is
always best
• Use every resource at
your disposal
REMEMBER – it’s about
the student’s needs!
QUESTIONS!
Linda St. Clair, MS, RD, LD, CDE
[email protected]
304-558-3396