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Why choosing better carbs and tracking them can help you balance your blood sugar

By Dana Gottesman

You know that bagels and other bread and grain products, like crackers, cereal, rice and pasta, are packed with carbohydrates. But you may not be as aware that even your favorite soft drink and a simple cup of yogurt contain carbs that count toward your daily total. Carbs can come in the form of starches, sugars and fibers, and are found in milk, fruits, certain vegetables, beans and even artificially sweetened baked goods and candy.

“Sugar-free does not necessarily mean carb-free,” says Janice Baker, RD, a nutritionist and certified diabetes educator for Baker Nutrition. “Even if a food or drink contains sugar substitutes, it may still be high in carbs.” The only way to know for sure about a food’s carb content is to flip over the product and read the nutrition label.

Another possibly surprising point: when it comes to carbs, some are better than others. Choosing nutritionally rich carbs like steel-cut oatmeal or brown rice (which are packed with fiber, calcium and other energy-boosting vitamins and minerals) over empty carbs (like refined grains or sugars) may help you avoid unnecessary blood sugar highs and lows. Do you want to see if your eating style needs a little makeover? Try food journaling. By writing down what you eat and when, “you can get a really good sense of your diet,” says Rita Singer, RD, a nutritionist and founder of the company Nutrition RS, “and be more conscious of the carbs, portion sizes and timing of all your meals.” Documenting your food choices — and your post-meal blood sugars, using the Sugar Sense app (for iOS and Android) — can also help you keep track of how certain carbohydrates affect your blood sugar, which will help you make more informed choices at mealtimes.

Published on March 21, 2016.

Dana Gottesman is a health and lifestyle writer based in the New York City area.