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Diabetes Carb Information

Carbohydrates are the main source of glucose for the body. For diabetics, this means carbohydrate control is a must. Some people choose to be on a carbohydrate counting diet to keep their carbohydrate intake controlled. Diabetics need to take more insulin if they consume a higher carbohydrate meal than normal.

  1. Recommendation

    • The Diabetes and Hormone Center of the Pacific recommends consuming a total of 50 to 60 percent of the day's calories as carbohydrates. Working with a doctor or nutritionist determines if this range is right for the individual patient.

    Glycemic Index

    • Some carbohydrates can raise blood sugar dramatically more than others, according to their glycemic index (GI). High GI foods raise blood sugar higher and faster; low GI foods raise it slowly and more evenly.

    Carbohydrate in Foods

    • High carbohydrate foods can take the form of pasta and potatoes (starch), cakes and cookies (sugar) and breads (grain). Beverages, fruits and vegetables can contain carbohydrates as well.

    The 500/450 Rule

    • The 500 or the 450 rule estimates how many grams of carbohydrate will be covered by each unit of Humalog, Novolog or regular insulin. This is the insulin to carbohydrate ratio ("carb factor"). With the 500 rule, 500 is divided by the total daily dose of insulin to get the number of carbohydrate grams covered by a single unit of Novolog of Humalog. With the 450 rule, 450 is divided by the daily dose of regular insulin.

    Hypoglycemia Carbs

    • If blood sugar is too low and carbohydrates are needed to raise it, the hypoglycemic carbohydrate ratio can be used: 1 carbohydrate gram will raise blood sugar 3 points for those weighing 200 pounds, 4 points for those 150 pounds and 5 points for those 100 pounds, depending to some extent on GI index, fat and protein of the food eaten.

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