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Anyone newly diagnosed with diabetes will soon find that while there is no cure, there are ways to keep this condition and its potential effects in check. Like a tightrope walker above a crowd, a diabetic must strive to strike a careful balance. In the diabetic’s case, the balancing act involves blood sugar levels and food intake. Carbohydrate control is essential for maintaining the act.

Carbohydrates are found in many foods and are also considered important for a sound diet, even a diabetic’s diet. With this in mind, diabetics often find themselves needing to learn carbohydrate control measures to ensure the intake doesn’t exceed recommended amounts or cause them to fall off balance. The American Diabetes Association recommends that carbohydrates, even for diabetics, account for about 50 to 60 percent of total daily caloric intake. What works for an individual diabetic, however, will go back to that balancing act. If that amount raises blood sugar levels too high, cutting back is likely in order.

Carbohydrates, which turn to glucose in the body, are found in a variety of foods; some are even a little surprising. To help diabetics get a handle on carbohydrate control, points systems, carb counting and even exchange programs have all been set up. What works for one diabetic might not be the best route for another to take. The key in carbohydrate control is to be able to identify the foods that have carbohydrates in the mix and learn to limit or avoid intake depending on how the tightrope walk is going at that moment in time.

The American Diabetes Association has created its own version of the nutrition pyramid that really helps illustrate the continued importance of carbohydrates in a diabetic’s diet. Drawn in the last and largest space of the pyramid, the bread, cereal, rice and pasta family is considered vital for daily nutrition. In a diabetic’s case, however, healthier choices are necessary.

When looking to master carbohydrate control, the association’s simple formula is helpful. It recommends between six and 11 servings from the grain group daily. The catch, however, comes in on the actual serving size. What people tend to eat as a serving and what a real serving actually is tend to be two very different things. For example, a single slice of bread, a quarter of an average size bagel, a half-cup of cooked cereal and third-cup of rice or pasta all qualify as single servings.

To exercise the tightest carbohydrate control possible, it is wise for diabetics to learn which foods contain carbs and what the correct serving sizes are for each item. When making choices about what to eat, it is also smart to go for healthier options. Whole grain breads, pasta and even rice are almost always better for a diabetic than processed choices. This isn’t to say white bread, regular pasta or even a slice of cake can’t be enjoyed once in a while. When the balancing act is kept in check, a little splurging now and again is generally just fine.

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