What you need to know about carbohydrates

This Week's Tip What you need to know about carbohydrates Carbohydrates are your body's main energy source. During digestion, sugar (simple carbohydrates) and starches (complex carbohydrates) break down into blood sugar (glucose). If you consume too much carbohydrate-rich foods at one time, your blood sugar levels may raise too high, which can be problematic. Monitoring your carbohydrate intake, as you probably know by now, is a key to blood sugar control for people with diabetes. Carbohydrates are found in a variety of foods, such as cereals, grains, breads and flours; fruits and fruit juices; dairy products such as milk and yogurt; vegetables (especially starchy veggies like corn and potatoes), alcohol and all types of sweets. Because carbohydrates are important sources of energy, it's important for people with diabetes to include nutritious carbohydrates at each meal and snack. But keep in mind that the healthiest carbohydrate choices are whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, beans, and low-fat dairy products. About half (50%) of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates—even when you have diabetes. A general recommendation is to eat about 2-3 carbohydrate servings (30-45 grams) at each meal for women and 3-4 carbohydrate servings (30-60 grams) at each meal for men. Both men and women should limit carbohydrates at snacks to 1-2 carbohydrate servings (15-30 grams). Carbs Counts in Common Foods » More Tips for a People with Diabetes » Diabetes Friendly Recipe Bruschetta-Stuffed Mushrooms All the flavor of bruschetta, in a mushroom! Get the Recipe See More Lower-Carb Recipes » Nutritional Info Servings Per Recipe: 2  Amount Per Serving  Calories: 191.9 Total Fat: 12.3 g Cholesterol: 9.6 mg Sodium: 134.2 mg Total Carbs: 14.4 g   Dietary Fiber: 5.2 g Protein: 10.2 g View full nutritional breakdown of Bruschetta-Stuffed Mushrooms by ingredient Join the movement by clicking the link below to earn your SparkPoints, or connecting with SparkPeople in one of these other ways: UNSUBSCRIBE © 2017 SparkPeople, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms | Privacy | Manage Emails