If You Have Too Many

If you overdo the carbs, your blood sugar levels can get too high. This
causes your body to make more insulin, which tells your cells to save the
extra glucose as fat. That can be unhealthy if you’re already carrying a few
extra pounds. It can lead to diabetes and other related health issues.

If You Don’t Have Enough

If there aren’t enough carbs in your diet, you could get constipated from
lack of fiber and nutrients. Your body is also forced to use protein or fat
for energy. Proteins are the building blocks of the body. If you use them as
fuel, you may not have enough left to make more cells and keep them
healthy.

The Right Amount

The number of carbs you need can depend on your gender, size, and how
active you are -- and that can change as you get older. But as a general
rule, about half your daily calories should come from carbs in fruits,
vegetables, grains, beans, and dairy products. Just make sure to go with
healthy, complex carbs and don’t overdo the simple ones.
Sugars, starches and fibers
In the body, carbs break down into smaller units of sugar, such as glucose and fructose,
according to Iowa State University. The small intestine absorbs these smaller units, which
then enter the bloodstream and travel to the liver. The liver converts all of these sugars into
glucose, which is carried through the bloodstream — accompanied by insulin — and
converted into energy for basic body functioning and physical activity.

If the glucose is not immediately needed for energy, the body can store up to 2,000 calories
of it in the liver and skeletal muscles in the form of glycogen, according to Iowa State
University. Once glycogen stores are full, carbs are stored as fat. If you have insufficient
carbohydrate intake or stores, the body will consume protein for fuel. This is problematic
because the body needs protein to make muscles. Using protein instead of carbohydrates
for fuel also puts stress on the kidneys, leading to the passage of painful byproducts in the
urine.

Fiber is essential to digestion. Fibers promote healthy bowel movements and decrease the
risk of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease and diabetes, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. However, unlike sugars and starches, fibers are not absorbed in
the small intestine and are not converted to glucose. Instead, they pass into the large
intestine relatively intact, where they are converted to hydrogen and carbon dioxide and
fatty acids. The Institute of Medicine recommends that people consume 14 grams of fiber
for every 1,000 calories. Sources of fiber include fruits, grains and vegetables, especially
legumes.

Smathers pointed out that carbs are also found naturally in some forms of dairy and both
starchy and nonstarchy vegetables. For example, nonstarchy vegetables like lettuces, kale,
green beans, celery, carrots and broccoli all contain carbs. Starchy vegetables like potatoes
and corn also contain carbohydrates, but in larger amounts. According to the American
Diabetes Association, nonstarchy vegetables generally contain only about 5 grams of
carbohydrates per cup of raw vegetables, and most of those carbs come from fiber.
Good carbs vs. bad carbs
Carbohydrates are found in foods you know are good for you (vegetables) and ones you
know are not (doughnuts). This has led to the idea that some carbs are "good" and some are
"bad." According to Healthy Geezer Fred Cicetti, carbs commonly considered bad include
pastries, sodas, highly processed foods, white rice, white bread and other white-flour foods.
These are foods with simple carbs. Bad carbs rarely have any nutritional value.

Carbs usually considered good are complex carbs, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables,
beans and legumes. These are not only processed more slowly, but they also contain a
bounty of other nutrients.

The Pritikin Longevity Center offers this checklist for determining if a carbohydrate is "good"
or "bad."

Good carbs are:

 Low or moderate in calories

 High in nutrients
 Devoid of refined sugars and refined grains
 High in naturally occurring fiber
 Low in sodium
 Low in saturated fat
 Very low in, or devoid of, cholesterol and trans fats

Bad carbs are:

 High in calories
 Full of refined sugars, like corn syrup, white sugar, honey and fruit juices
 High in refined grains like white flour
 Low in many nutrients
 Low in fiber
 High in sodium
 Sometimes high in saturated fat
 Sometimes high in cholesterol and trans fats
Get Smart on Carb
Counting
Carbohydrate counting, or "carb counting," helps many people
with diabetes manage their food intake and blood sugar, and
it’s most often used by people who take insulin twice or more
times a day.
Carb counting may give you more choices and flexibility when
planning meals. It involves counting the number of carb grams
in a meal and matching that to your dose of insulin. With the
right balance of physical activity and insulin, carb counting can
help you manage your blood sugar. It sounds complex, but with
help from a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) or certified
diabetes educator (CDE), you can learn how to find the right
balance.

How much carbohydrate?

The best place to start is to figure out how many carbs you are
eating at your meals and snacks now. Tracking your food
intake and your blood sugar before and about 2 hours after
your meals for a few days can provide useful information for
you and your diabetes care team to see how different meals
impact your blood glucose and determine the right amount of
carbs.
What foods have carbohydrate?

Foods that contain carbohydrate or “carbs” are:

 grains like rice, oatmeal, and barley

 grain-based foods like bread, cereal, pasta, and crackers
 starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas and corn
 fruit and juice
 milk and yogurt
 dried beans like pinto beans and soy products like veggie
burgers
 sweets and snack foods like sodas, juice drinks, cake,
cookies, candy, and chips
 Non-starchy vegetables like lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli, and
cauliflower have very little carbohydrate and very little if any
impact on your blood sugar.

Reading food labels will tell you how much carb is in foods that
tend to be processed. Foods without labels such as fruits and
vegetables are often better options and you can learn to
estimate how much carbohydrate is in it.

Protein and fat

With carb counting, protein and fat in meals are also a factor

but have less impact on your blood sugar than carbohydrates.
Foods high in protein often contain fat, and both protein and fat
can affect your blood sugar. While there is currently no clear
method of counting grams with protein and fat to predict impact
on your blood sugar, if you notice unexpected outcomes in your
blood sugar when you eat foods high in protein and/or fat, talk
with your diabetes care team about the best way to plan for
those meals.

Using food labels

Carb counting is easier when the information is on the food

label. You can look at how much carbohydrate is in the serving
of food you plan to eat. The two items on the label that are
most useful are the serving size and the total carbohydrate
amount.

 Look at the serving size. All the information on the label is

about this amount of food. If you will be eating 2 or 3 servings,
then you will need to double or triple the information on the
label.
 Look at the grams of total carbohydrate.
 Added sugars and other bullets below the total carbohydrate
listing are included in the total carbohydrate. They are called
out to provide more information about what you are eating.
 Finding the right balance of carbs, calories and portions that
will satisfy you can take time and may also change as other
factors in your life change.
Making Sense of Food
Labels
You can use the Nutrition Facts label to help inform your food
choices. These food labels are especially helpful if you
use carb counting to plan your meals.

Serving size

Start by looking at the serving size. All of the information on the

label is based on the serving size listed. If you eat more, that
means you'll be getting more calories, carbohydrates, etc. than
what is listed.

Using amount per serving

The information on the left side of the label tells you the total of
the different nutrients in one serving of the food. Use these
numbers to compare labels of similar foods.

Calories

If you are trying to lose or maintain your weight, the number of

calories you eat is important. To lose weight, you need to eat
fewer calories than your body burns. Use labels to compare
similar products to determine which contains fewer calories. To
find an estimate of how many calories you need each day,
check out this Mifflin St. Jeor Calculator to determine how many
calories you need. For an even better estimate of the calories
you need, talk with a registered dietitian.

Total carbohydrate

Total carbohydrate on the label includes all types of

carbohydrate - sugar, starch and fiber. It's important to use the
total grams when counting carbs or choosing which foods to
include. Below the Total Carbohydrate (carbs), you will find a
breakdown of the types of carbohydrate in the food. Soon,
added sugar will also be a required listing to help you know the
difference between sugar that occurs naturally in the food (like
yogurt or fruit) and sugar that was added during processing
(like cookies, candy and soda).

Fiber

Fiber is part of plant foods that is not digested – or for some

types, only partially digested. Dried beans such as kidney or
pinto beans, fruits, vegetables, and grains are all good sources
of fiber. The recommendation for fiber is to eat about 25 grams
per day for women and 38 grams per day for men. But many
Americans are only getting about half the fiber that they need
per day. In general, more fiber per serving is better.
Sugar alcohols

Sugar alcohols include sorbitol, xylitol and mannitol, and have

fewer calories than sugars and starches. If a food contains
these, it would be listed on the label under Total Carbohydrate.
Foods that contain sugar alcohols are not necessarily low in
carbohydrate or calories. And, just because a package says
"sugar-free" on the outside, that does not mean that it
is calorie or carbohydrate-free. Always check the label for the
grams of total carbohydrate and calories.

Total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and

cholesterol

Total fat tells you how much fat is one serving of the food. It
includes both healthy and unhealthy fats. Healthy fats
(unsaturated like mono and poly unsaturated fats) help lower
your cholesterol and protect your heart. Unhealthy fats
(saturated and trans fats) raise your cholesterol and increase
your risk of heart disease. When it comes to fat, try to choose
foods with the least saturated fat and no trans fat on the label.
Too much of these "unhealthy fats" can increase your risk for
heart disease and stroke. Both saturated and trans fat are listed
out on the label under total fat. Fat is calorie-dense. It has more
than twice the calories of carbohydrate or protein per gram.
Although some types of fats, such as mono and
polyunsaturated fats are considered healthy fats, it is still
important to pay attention to the overall number of calories that
you consume to maintain a healthy weight.

Sodium

Sodium does not affect blood sugar. However, many people eat

much more sodium than they need. Table salt is very high in
sodium. You might hear people use "sodium" in lieu of "table
salt," or vice versa. With many foods, you can taste how salty
they are, such as pickles or bacon. But there is also hidden salt
in many foods, like salad dressings, lunch meat, canned soups,
chips and other packaged foods. Reading labels can help you
find these hidden sources and compare the sodium in different
foods. Whether you have diabetes or not, 2300 mg or less per
day is the general recommendation. If you have high blood
pressure, talk with your healthcare team to find out the best
goal for you.

List of ingredients

Ingredient lists can be a helpful tool. Ingredients are listed in

order by weight with the first ingredient being the highest
amount in the food. The ingredient list is a good place to look
for heart-healthy ingredients such as olive, canola, or peanut
oils; or whole grains, like whole wheat flour and oats. To find
bread high in whole grains, the word “whole” should be at the
start of any grain listed (like whole wheat, or whole oat flour).
 Your Guide to Eating Healthy Carbs

Make the Right Choice

Think of carbs as raw material that powers your body. You need them to
make sugar for energy.

They come in two types: simple and complex. What's the difference?
Simple carbs are like quick-burning fuels. They break down fast into sugar
in your system. You want to eat less of this type.

Complex carbs are usually a better choice. It takes your body longer to
break them down.

Read the "Fine Print"

Nutrition labels offer an easy way to spot added sugar, the source of
simple carbs that you want to cut back on. Just look for words that end in
"ose."

The chemical name for table sugar is sucrose.  Other names you might see
include fructose, dextrose, and maltose. The higher up they appear in the
ingredients list, the more added sugar the food has.

Just Avoid Simple Carbs?

Well, it's not quite that easy. Foods that have been processed with added
sugars generally aren't as healthy a choice, it's true. But simple carbs occur
naturally in some foods that are part of a balanced diet. For example, most
milk and other dairy products contain lactose, or milk sugar.

Get Smart About Bread

Does your loaf have the complex carbs that are good for you? It depends
on the grain used to make it.

Look for bread made with whole grains. Barley, rye, oats, and whole
wheat are some top choices.

What About Fruit?

They're sweet, which must mean they have simple carbs, right? That's true,
but they're still a healthy choice. They've got fiber in them, which helps
slow the breakdown of sugar. Plus, most are a good source of nutrients
like vitamin C and potassium.

Fruits with skins you can eat, such as pears, apples, and berries, are
especially high in fiber.

Watch What You Drink

That soda you're sipping could be a sneaky source of simple carbs. That's
because non-diet sodas contain a sweetener, often high-fructose corn
syrup. It's right there on the nutrition label, usually one of the first
ingredients listed. Twelve ounces of a regular soda can pack 39 grams of
carbs, all coming from the sugar in it.

Watch What You Drink

That soda you're sipping could be a sneaky source of simple carbs. That's
because non-diet sodas contain a sweetener, often high-fructose corn
syrup. It's right there on the nutrition label, usually one of the first
ingredients listed. Twelve ounces of a regular soda can pack 39 grams of
carbs, all coming from the sugar in it.

Bring on the Beans

They're a good way to get complex carbs. Whether you choose kidney,
white, black, pinto, or garbanzo, beans have lots of fiber.
While you're on that aisle in the grocery store, think about picking up
some lentils or split peas, another way to add complex carbs to your diet.

A Guilt-Free Treat
It seems too good to be true, but you can believe it: Popcorn is a whole
grain. That means it's got complex carbs and fiber. Your healthiest choice
is air-popped, without any added fat and salt. Season it with your favorite
dried herbs and spices instead.

Great Grains to Try

Maybe you've heard of quinoa, the whole grain from South America.
Some other new-to-you whole grains are becoming more widely available,
and they can be a good choice to get complex carbs in your diet.

Some grains to look for are millet, a staple from Africa and Asia, bulgur,
which is used in Middle Eastern dishes, and triticale, a hybrid of wheat and
rye.

Which Kind of Rice?

You're ordering Chinese food and the restaurant asks, "White rice or
brown?" Which should you choose?

White rice is a "refined" grain, meaning it has lost some key nutrients
during processing, like fiber. But brown rice is a whole grain, a good
source of complex carbs.