Carb Counter Diets

Carbohydrate describes a group of foods that break down easily into glucose, or blood sugar for energy. This group includes fiber, starches, and sugars. Approximately 40 to 60 percent of a person's daily food intake should consist of carbohydrates. Carb counting is an approach to dieting that monitors carbohydrate intake to ensure proper balance with the body's other needs.

Distinction

• It is easy to confuse carbohydrate counting with some popular low-carbohydrate diets such as the Zone Diet, the Atkins Diet, or the South Beach Diet, but this approach differs in one critical aspect. Each of these popular diets are actual diets that depend upon strict adherence to a system of preplanned meals. Carb counting is not a diet. It is the act of counting the actual number of carbohydrates consumed per meal.

Purpose/Benefits

• The purpose of counting carbohydrates is to monitor the dieter's blood glucose level. This can be of great importance to someone with particular health concerns, especially diabetes. Carb counting allows those who are diabetic to better match insulin at meals with food choices, leads to more flexible menus, and helps with overall management of diabetes. For those who are not diabetic, carb counting is a healthy approach to weight management.

Drawbacks

• The American Diabetes Association cautions those considering counting carbs, especially diabetes patients, to consider other dietary factors that may affect blood glucose level or timing of insulin before beginning. Food measurement must be precise in order for carb counting to be a useful tool, but it can become tedious. In order to establish accurate patterns and goals, it is also necessary to check blood sugar before and after each meal, which can become tiresome.

Process

• A good place to begin learning to count carbs is to become familiar with standard serving sizes. Some tools that help carb counters adjust to this process include food package labels, scales, measuring spoons and cups, and books on counting carbs. The Atkins Diet web site offers an online carb counting chart sorted by food items, or users may prefer to find a software package that does this.