Diabetes

Carbs and Blood Sugar

Keeping your blood sugar levels on track means watching what you eat, plus taking medicines like insulin if you need to. Your doctor may also have mentioned that you should keep track of how many carbohydrates (carbs) you eat. But what exactly are carbohydrates and how do they affect your blood sugar?

The foods we eat contain nutrients that provide energy and other things the body needs, and one of these is carbohydrates. The two main forms of carbohydrates are:

1.sugars such as fructose, glucose, and lactose

2.starches, which are found in foods such as starchy vegetables (like potatoes or corn), grains, rice, breads, and cereals

The body breaks down or converts most carbohydrates into the sugar glucose. Glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream, and with the help of a hormone called insulin it travels into the cells of the body where it can be used for energy.

But people with diabetes have problems with insulin that can cause blood sugar levels to rise. For people with type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin, and for people with type 2 diabetes, the body can't respond normally to the insulin that is made.

Carbs Can Be Part of a Healthy Diet

Because the body turns carbohydrates into glucose, eating carbohydrates makes blood sugar levels rise. But that doesn't mean you should avoid carbohydrates if you have diabetes. Carbohydrates are a healthy and important part of a nutritious diet.

Some carbohydrates have more health benefits than others, though. For example, whole-grain foods and fruits are healthier choices than candy and soda because they provide fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients.

Fiber is important because it helps you feel full and keeps your digestive system working properly. In fact, eating lots of fiber can even help to slow the body's absorption of sugar when eaten together with sugar in the same food. Everyone needs fiber, and most people don't get enough. Some experts think that...