When looking up any information on diabetes and eating you are likely to see the word Carb or Carbohydrate. What does this mean? Which foods are carbs?  Should I stop eating carbs? Those are all common questions so let’s break each one down.

What does this mean?  In simplest terms a carbohydrate is a food group which includes starches and sugars. Most of the foods that we eat and enjoy are or contain carbs. They can be commonly misunderstood though, because not all carbs are bad foods. Many healthy foods also contain carbs. If you read Ready to go back to school? you’ll remember that our bodies NEED carb to use as energy to keep us going. So it is essential to eat them, but we need to find the right balance.

Which foods are carbs? OK here’s a list:

• Bread/Rolls/Pitas
• Pasta
• Cereal/Oatmeal
• Fruit
• Cake/Cookies/Ice cream
• Candy/Candy bars
• Bagels/Doughnuts/Pancakes/Waffles (and the syrup)
• Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes
• Corn/Squash
• Rice (All types)
• Pretzels/Chips/Crackers/Rice cakes
• Anything breaded or fried
• Milk
• Yogurt
• Beans/Legumes
• Pop/Juice/Sweetened Tea/other sugary drinks

Of course some carbs are healthier for you than others (I am sure you can guess) but for now it is just important to understand which foods contain carbs and soon I will teach you how to pick the healthiest.

Should I stop eating carbs? Absolutely not! But you will have to limit them and more importantly change the way that you consume them. It is the carbs you eat that causes the most immediate rise in your blood sugars. However, it is also those same carbs that fuel your body. I am sure you all have heard of diets that cut or restrict carbs.  These diets can be successful in losing weight, but cannot realistically be sustained long term.  Simply put, your body (and brain!!) needs carbs…but it is finding the right balance/amount to give us energy while at the same time keeping our blood sugars in check.

Your “just for today” challenge is to try to swap one “bad” carb (cake, cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, fried foods, chips) for one “good” one (fruit, corn, squash, sweet potato).