Carbohydrate Counting

Carbohydrate counting and reading food labels

What is a carbohydrate?

Carbohydrates are one of the three main macronutrients found in food — alongside protein and fat. They are the body's preferred source of energy. When you eat carbohydrates, your digestive system breaks them down into glucose, which enters the bloodstream and raises your blood glucose level.

Most people associate carbohydrates with bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes — and they're right. But carbohydrates are found in a much wider range of foods than most people realise, and this often comes as a genuine surprise.

You might be surprised...

One of the most common reactions people have when they first learn about carbohydrates is disbelief. Foods that seem healthy — or are even recommended as part of a balanced diet — can be significant sources of carbohydrate. Here are a few that regularly catch people off guard:

Honey	Milk	Sweetcorn

• Milk — contains lactose, a natural sugar that is a carbohydrate. A standard 250ml glass of full-cream milk contains around 12g of carbohydrate.
• Yoghurt — even plain, unsweetened yoghurt contains lactose. Flavoured yoghurts can contain considerably more carbohydrate due to added sugars.
• Honey — often seen as a "natural" alternative to sugar, honey is almost pure glucose and fructose. It raises blood glucose levels very quickly — sometimes faster than table sugar.
• Sweetcorn — a starchy vegetable that is much higher in carbohydrate than most people expect, with around 25g of carbohydrate per cup.

Understanding that carbohydrates come in many forms — not just the obvious ones — is a key step in managing blood glucose levels effectively.

What is carbohydrate counting?

Carbohydrate counting is assessing how much carbohydrate is in a given food. Carbohydrates break down into glucose in the bloodstream, which we then use for energy. It is this glucose in the blood we are measuring when we do a blood glucose test. There are many apps that make 'carb counting' a breeze!

There are many different types of carbohydrates — some break down fast and some take longer. Carbohydrates are described as simple (fast acting) or complex (slow acting).

Simple carbohydrates

Sugar	Fruit Juice	Honey	Jelly Beans

• Table sugar
• Candy
• Fruit juice
• Sugary soft drink
• Honey (pure glucose that enters the bloodstream very quickly)

Complex carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates are broken down slowly, and digestion depends on how complex they are. For instance, multigrain bread breaks down more slowly than white bread. Sweet potato breaks down more slowly than white potato. Ideally it is better to eat foods that break down slowly, so that your body has a chance to deal with the glucose.

There is so much more to carbohydrates than meets the eye — and once you learn it, you've got it for life. You won't look back.

There's also an art to reading food labels — knowing exactly where to look, what the numbers mean, and how to use that information in real life. It's one of the most practical skills you can learn, and I'll walk you through it step by step.

Ready to get started? Book an appointment with Angie today and we'll cover carb counting, label reading, and everything in between.