Diabetes: Constant Carbohydrate Meal Plan

What is the constant carbohydrate meal plan?

The constant carbohydrate meal plan is a food program that helps balance the amount of carbohydrates you eat each day. Carbohydrates (carbs) affect your blood sugar level more than any other food ingredient. Insulin works with carbohydrates to supply energy for your body. It is important to keep insulin and carbohydrates in balance. Consistency is the key to this meal plan.

The constant carbohydrate meal plan is the food program that many people start with when they are diagnosed with diabetes.

How is this plan different from the exchange meal plan?

The constant carbohydrate plan is different from the exchange meal plan because you keep track of just the carbohydrates in your diet rather than all food types. The constant carbohydrate plan is more flexible, but it may not be as healthy as the exchange diet if you are not careful about your food choices. The constant carbohydrate plan is more commonly used than the exchange meal plan.

How does the constant carbohydrate plan work?

You count carbohydrates in portion sizes called carb choices and eat the same number of carb choices at each meal. Fifteen grams of carbohydrate equals 1 carb choice. Grams are a way to measure the ingredients in a food by weight. A serving of food that has 15 grams of carbohydrates may actually weigh more because of other ingredients in the food, such as water.

Carbohydrates are in many different types of food. You can tell how much carbohydrate is in a food by reading the nutrition label on the food package.

Your dietitian will tell you how many carbohydrates, or carb choices, you can eat based on the number of calories you need in your diet each day.

Which foods have carbohydrates?

Food groups that contain carbohydrates are:

Starch (breads, cereals, rice, pasta, and starchy vegetables)

Some examples of 1 carb choice (15 grams) are:

• 1 slice bread
• 1/2 cup pasta
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/3 cup cooked rice
• 1/3 cup cooked beans.

Fruits

Some examples of 1 carb choice (15 grams) are:

• 1 small piece of fruit
• 1/2 cup of canned fruit (in its own juice)
• 1/2 cup fruit juice
• 1/4 cup dried fruit.

Milk and yogurt

Some examples of 1 carb choice (15 grams) are:

• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt.

Sugary foods

Sweets should be eaten in only small amounts for a healthy diet. Sugar is a carbohydrate. Portion sizes vary depending on the food. One tablespoon of sugar equals 1 carb choice. One serving of sweets may equal 2 or more carb choices. You can read the nutrition facts on the package labels to check how many grams of carbohydrate are in a serving. You can also use the Exchange List for Meal Planning to check how many carb choices are in different foods. This booklet is available from The American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association (1-800-342-2383). Although this book is often used for the exchange diet, it lists the carbohydrate content for lots of foods and is very useful.

What about meat, fats, and vegetables?

Although these foods are important in your diet, they do not affect your blood sugar in the same way that carbohydrates do. However, these foods do count toward your daily calories, so you need to be careful not to eat too much fat and to eat healthy foods.

• Many nonstarchy vegetables, such as lettuce, carrots, and celery, do not count toward your daily carbohydrates. You should eat vegetables every day as part of a healthy diet.
• Meats are protein. Although they do not count as carbohydrates, they do contain fat and calories. You should eat meat in moderation.
• Fats such as butter, salad dressing, mayonnaise, bacon, and cream should also be eaten sparingly.

How many carb choices should I eat at each meal?

Your dietitian will help you come up with a plan that is right for you. Your dietitian will help you plan how many carb choices you should eat during the day based on the number of calories you need each day. In general, the following table gives examples of the approximate number of carb choices that should be eaten at each meal based on how many calories you may need each day.

 
Carb Choices Based on Number of Calories per Day
------------------------------------------------
            1200    1500    1800    2000    2200
            cal     cal     cal     cal     cal
------------------------------------------------
Breakfast    3       3       4       4       5

10:00 am     1       1       1       1       1
Snack

Lunch       2.5      3       4       5       6

3:00 pm      1       1       2       2       2
Snack

Dinner       2       4       3       4       5

9:00 pm      1       1       1       1       1
Snack
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The amount of food you eat at a meal or snack may need to vary with factors such as expected exercise, insulin dose, and blood sugar level. You may need more food before you exercise. However, you should try to keep your eating pattern the same as much as possible.