What amount of carbs
per day is best for
managing diabetes?
We don’t have a number for you there’s no one tar-
get that’s best for everyone. “Th e guidelines that we
have as educators and dietitians basically say to indi-
vidualize so it’s not one-size-fi ts-all,” says Smithson.
Th at said, we can give you examples. In research
pooled by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,
most people with diabetes report eating around 45
percent of their daily calories from carbs, which is
about 169 g of carbs a day on a 1,500-calorie diet.
Lynch’s personal target, and one he suggests as a
starting point to his clients, is at least 130 g of carbs
per day, which he says is the minimum needed to
get enough nutrients and fi ber from fruits, vegeta-
bles, and whole grains. Valentine has many clients
who aim for 100 g or 150 g a day, depending on
their diabetes-management and weight-loss goals.
Th e American Diabetes Association doesn’t have
enough evidence at this time to recommend one
carb target over another, deferring to the nutrition
guidelines for the general public, which suggest aim-
ing for 45 to 65 percent of calories from carbs each
day to meet the body’s needs.
Of course, just because there isn’t a consensus tar-
get doesn’t mean you can’t have your own individual
carb goals. All our experts agree that monitoring carb
intake and paying att ention to how carb-containing
foods infl uence your blood sugar is key for diabetes
management. After all, even though plant foods like
beans, fruits, whole grains, and vegetables are good for
you, they still impact your blood sugar, so you’ll need to
keep an eye on how much of them you eat. Smith rec-
ommends making a list of the foods you eat most oft en,
writing down your usual portion size and the number of
carbs in that amount. Th is can help you learn by heart,
for example, that 1 cup cooked oatmeal has 30 g carbs.
If that wasn’t the concrete answer you were look-
ing for, think about what it does mean: You’re free to
work with your dietitian and health care team to make
a plan that best fi ts your current habits, needs, tradi-
tions, goals, and fi nancial situation. When it comes to
the right amount of carbs for you, you are the expert.
So how do I create a meal
plan that works for me?You’re likely on the right track. Our experts and the ADA agree
that for optimal health and diabetes management, the most
important strategy is to fi nd an overall healthful, varied eating
patt ern “containing nutrient-dense foods.” In other words, it’s
about fi nding balance and gett ing the most bang for your carb
bucks. (Hello, vegetables!)
A good place to start is to look at the source of your carbs
and how they fi t into your day, says Smith. “Are they healthy, real
food or are they processed, boxed, packaged types of food? Do
you have a very carb-laden diet, or do you have a good balance
between the carbs, fat, and protein throughout your day?”
The next step is to look at how much food you’re eating,
especially if weight management is part of your diabetes plan.
“For many people with diabetes, the challenge they face balanc-
ing carbohydrates and blood sugars comes from eating larger
portion sizes, eating less-than-optimal carbohydrate choices, or
both,” says Lynch.
Valentine agrees. “It’s really not as much about what we’re
eating, it’s about how much we’re eating.” Her own healthy
journey started in 2002: through smaller portions and more
exercise, she lost 100 pounds over 5½ years. “People thought
I totally changed my diet. Not really I just eat a lot less of the
same stuff I always did.”
In the end, fi nding an eating plan that works for you doesn’t
have to mean totally revamping your diet. “It’s important to not
abandon your [preferred] way of eating or your favorite meals,”
says Lynch. Incorporate the foods you enjoy, aim for appropriate
portions, and take your fi nances, time, and emotions into ac-
count to create a plan that will make you feel happy and healthy.
Because, as all of our experts mentioned when talking about
their own management, consistency is key. “Th is isn’t 30 days
and just go back to eating whatever,” says Smith. “You have to
decide on a meal plan that you can stick with.”Anything else?Appreciate the
colorful paletteNo matt er how you eat, it comes down to feeling good about what
you put into your body and how that food makes you feel. And
it helps to recognize that, when it comes to diabetes, “there is no
perfect,” says Smith. “I have many things fi gured out, but some-
times even those things give me a bad diabetes hair day when all
of the planets are not in line.”
Th ough living with diabetes can mean being hyperaware of
the amounts and types of carbs you eat, Lynch urges you to truly
appreciate the colorful palett e that plants add to a plate: “If you
look at your meal and you take a moment to see the beauty in