The Low Down on Carbs
When you are grocery shopping it is easy to grab the first thing on the shelf! However, every single food item you put into your body has a different nutritional value. We don’t really know what we are putting into our body until we read our nutrition labels! Certain foods could be advertised as “healthy” and “organic” however, some foods can have high levels of carbohydrates!
A certain level of carbohydrates are going to be in almost every food you eat! According to the American Diabetes Association, there are three main types of carbohydrates in food—starches, sugar, and fiber. As you’ll see on the nutrition labels for the food you buy, the term “total carbohydrate” refers to all three of these types. We need carbohydrates to fuel our body but carbohydrates also break down into sugar which can raise your blood sugar. Carbohydrates are especially important to look out for if you have pre-diabetes mellitus, type 1 or type 2 diabetes. According to the Center for Disease Control - Diabetes, 1 carbohydrate serving is 15 grams. Individuals with diabetes should aim to get between 50-60 grams of carbohydrates per meal (3-4 carb servings) and 15 grams of carbohydrates in a snack (1 carb serving). It’s important to prioritize healthy carbohydrates throughout your day to keep your blood sugar stable!
Starches - starches include foods such as wheat, oats, grains, starchy vegetables (corn and potatoes), beans etc. Starches are needed in our diet however, we have to look out for how these items are processed. Refined grains (white bread and white rice) lose important vitamins and minerals when getting processed. Instead, look for “whole grain” or “whole wheat” food items. According to the American Heart Association, whole grains are a good source of fiber, can improve cholesterol, lower risk of heart disease and provide vitamins such as vitamin B.
Sugar - sugars are found in foods such as fruit, milk and unfortunately our favorite cookies as well as most processed foods. On your nutrition label, look out for ADDED SUGAR. According to the American Heart Association, the recommended daily limit is 36 grams of sugar for men and 25 grams of sugar for women. Comparatively, a 20oz bottle of coke has 65 grams of added sugar!
Fiber - fiber comes from plant-based foods and helps our digestive system! Good sources of fiber include - beans, fruits and vegetables with edible skin, nuts, and whole grains. According to the American Diabetes Association, 2.5g of fiber per serving is good and 5g is excellent!
Before you decide to grab a bag of chips as a snack check out the nutrition label! One bag has 15g of carbohydrates and only 1g of fiber. While this snack is tasty, it does not provide us with healthy carbohydrates. Not to mention, chips have high levels of fat and sodium. Chips, cookies and other processed foods will spike your blood sugar and pretty soon you will be hungry again.
Stay tuned for more tips on reading nutrition labels and healthier snack options!
By Divya Arora