What are Carbohydrates?

If a person is going to eat the correct types of carbohydrates it is important to know what carbohydrates are.

I am not talking about the chemical makeup of carbs. But when you eat something, is it a carb or a protein or what?

If you are new to what is what in the nutrition field, you are not alone and hopefully this exercise will help you.

What if you are Diabetic?

We will start with starchy vegetables. Starchy vegetables have more carbohydrates in them than non-starchy vegetables. Well, that makes sense.

Non-starchy vegetables have low to very low starch.

More starch means more carb and something diabetics, pre-diabetics and people in general need to eat in moderation.

Are these still good for you? You bet.

They are full of vitamins and minerals, however when you are eating them, they are counted as your carbohydrate on your plate.
peas, and non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli, peppers, and kale.

If you have Type 2 diabetes, you may have been told to limit starchy vegetables. That is because starchy vegetables can increase your blood sugars at a quicker rate.

However, this doesn’t make them off limits; rather, you should learn how to identify them and portion control them.  You will need to check your blood sugar and keep track of how certain vegetables affect your sugar. Remember everyone has a different bio-chemical individuality. Once you learn what and how much you can eat you will be set.

I have story worth telling. When I was a new home health nurse I had the assignment of seeing a mentally challenged patient who had diabetes. My task was to teach him what he should eat and not eat and a very detailed exchange program that even I did not understand. I had studied diabetes in school but had not used it for many years and I was to be the expert. I decided one of the easiest ways to teach him was with a picture board showing pictures of carbohydrates. I was very surprised to find that certain items were carbohydrates. I did not know potatoes a carbohydrate, for instant. I have empathy our followers as they attempt to learn what to ea. I know I still have so much to learn.

All the serving sizes have about 15 grams of carbohydrate

List of Starchy Vegetables – The list below is for cooked starchy vegetables. 

• Artichokes (1 artichoke)
• Beets (1 cup)
• Carrots (1 cup) (Cooked) (Uncooked are non-starchy)
• Corn (1/2 cup or 1 medium cob)
• Green Peas (1/2 cup)
• Jerusalem artichokes (1/2 cup)
• Leeks (1 Cup)
• Lima Beans (1/2 cup)
• Parsnips (1/2 cup)
• Plantain (1/2 cup)
• Pumpkin (1 cup)
• Rutabaga (1/4 large
• Okra 1 cup
• Sweet Potatoes (1/2 cup)
• Turnip (1/2 cup)
• White Potatoes (1 small or 1/2 cup mashed, 1/2 cup roasted or 10 to 15 French fries)
• Winter Squash, such as acorn or butternut squash (3/4 cup)
• Yams (1/2 cup)

Legumes

• Black beans (1/4 cup)
• Black-eyed peas (1/2 cup)
• Chickpeas (garbanzo) 1/3 cup
• Great Northern beans (1/3 cup)
• Hominy (1/2 cup)
• Kidney beans (1/3 cup)
• Lentils (1/3 cup)
• Mung beans (1/3 cup)
• Navy beans (1/3 cup)
• Pinto Beans (1/3 cup)
• Split peas (1/3) cup
• White beans (1/3 cup)

 

Grains

• Barley (1/3 cup)
• Brown rice (1/3 cup)
• Buckwheat Whole or kasha (1/3 cup)
• Bulgar (1/3 cup)
• Corn grits, white or yellow (1/2 cup)
• couscous  (1/3 cup)
• Millet (1/3 cup)
• oats(2/3 cup)
• Polenta (1/3 cup)
• Popcorn (air-popped)
• Quinoa (1/3 cup)
• Rye (1/4 cup)
• Semolina (2 tablespoons)
• Wheat dry (1 1/2 tablespoons)
• Wheat germ (1/3 cup)

Flours from Grains – I think the flours are the big eye-opener to me. Bread is my love and perhaps harder to give up than chocolate. I don’t know what these equate to in a slice of bread. I suppose you would look at how much flour is in the bread you make and then divide that amount by the amount of slices you get and then you would know how much of that flour is in your slice.

• Whole-Wheat flour (3 tablespoons)
• Almond Meal (1/2 cup)
• Amaranth flour (2 tablespoons)
• Buckwheat flour  (3 1/2 tablespoons)
• Cornmeal (2 tablespoons)
• Semolina flour (2 tables spoons)

Our goal is to make everything ourselves but sometimes it is either not convenient or not possible.  So here are a few of those items.

• Corn Tortilla (1 medium)
• Whole grain 7-12 grain bread (1 slice)

There are so many varieties of bread. Many people no longer eat gluten. Read your package. Always read your label.

Most crackers in the store have soybean oil in them. There are few acceptable ones.

• Ak-Mak wheat crackers are acceptable. (4 crackers)

Fruits – make your fruit a dessert

There are fruits too numerous to name so I will name several and you can use this as a guide.

Berries are the fruit that will cause your blood sugar to rise the lowest and slowest.

• Blackberries (3/4 cup)
• Blueberries (1/2 cup)
• Boysenberries (3/4 cup)
• Marionberries (3/4 cup)
• Raspberries ( 1 cup)
• Strawberries (1 1/4 cup)
• Grapefruit is also in the category (1/2 medium)
• These fruits are in the middle for raising blood sugar.
• Apple (1 small)
• Applesauce (unsweetened) 1/2 cup
• Apricots (2 medium)
• Cantaloupe (1 1/4 cup)
• Cherries (12)
• Kiwi ( 1 large)
• Mango (1/2 small)
• Orange (1 small)
• Papaya (1 cup)
• Peach ( 1 medium)
• Pear (1/2 large)
• Pineapple (raw) (3/4 cup)
• Plum (2 medium)