Skip to main navigation Skip to main content Skip to footer For Medicare For Providers For Brokers For Employers Español For Individuals & Families: For Individuals & Families
Shop for Plans

Shop for Plans
Shop for your own coverage
Medical Dental Other Supplemental
Plans through your employer

Learn about the medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral, and voluntary benefits your employer may offer.

Explore coverage through work
Learn
How to Buy Health Insurance Types of Dental Insurance Open Enrollment vs. Special Enrollment See all topics
Looking for Medicare coverage?
Shop for Medicare plans
Member Guide
Find a Doctor
Medical Dental Other Supplemental Explore coverage through work How to Buy Health Insurance Types of Dental Insurance Open Enrollment vs. Special Enrollment See all topics Shop for Medicare plans Member Guide Find a Doctor Log in to myCigna
Home Knowledge Center Wellness Library Diabetes: Counting Carbs if You Don't Use Insulin

Diabetes: Counting Carbs if You Don't Use Insulin

Overview

Carbohydrate counting can help you control your blood sugar.

  • It helps you know the amount of sugar and starch (carbohydrate) in the foods you eat. This is important because carbohydrates affect your blood sugar more than fats or proteins do.
  • Learning how to spread carbohydrates throughout the day can help you prevent high blood sugar.
  • Testing your blood sugar after meals can help you see how different carbohydrate foods affect your blood sugar level.

A registered dietitian can help you learn to count carbs and plan your meals and snacks.

How to count carbohydrates

How to count carbohydrates

Here are some tips for eating a healthy, balanced diet when you count carbs.

  • Work with a registered dietitian or a diabetes educator.

    They can help you plan the amount of carbohydrates to include in each meal and snack.

  • Pay attention to serving sizes.
    • Read food labels to find carb amounts and the serving size.
    • It might be helpful to measure and weigh your food when you are first learning to count carbs.
  • Choose lean protein sources.

    Foods that contain lean protein (such as beans, tofu, chicken, and fish) are an important part of a balanced diet.

  • Eat less saturated fat.

    Choose unsaturated fats like canola oil and olive oil instead of butter or shortening. Nuts and seeds, fatty fish, and avocados are other healthy fat sources.

Planning your daily amount of carbs

Your daily amount of carbs depends on several things, such as your weight, how active you are, which diabetes medicines you take, and what your goals are for your blood sugar levels. A registered dietitian or diabetes educator can help you plan how many carbs to include in each meal and snack.

For most adults, a guideline for the daily amount of carbs is:

  • 45 to 60 grams at each meal. That's about the same as 3 to 4 carbohydrate servings.
  • 15 to 20 grams at each snack. That's about the same as 1 carbohydrate serving.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.

To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise.org.

© 1995-2023 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.

Related Links

Quick Tips: Smart Snacking When You Have Diabetes Diabetes in Children: Counting Carbs Carbohydrate Foods Diabetes: Counting Carbs if You Use Insulin Counting Carbohydrate Grams or Servings Diabetes: Coping With Your Feelings About Your Diet Diabetes: Using a Plate Format to Plan Meals Form for Carbohydrate Counting Food List for Diabetes Diabetes: Counting Carbs

<cipublic-spinner variant="large"><span>Loading…</span></cipublic-spinner>

Page Footer

I want to...

Get an ID card File a claim View my claims and EOBs Check coverage under my plan See prescription drug list Find an in-network doctor, dentist, or facility Find a form Find 1095-B tax form information View the Cigna Glossary Contact Cigna

Audiences

Individuals and Families Medicare Employers Brokers Providers

Secure Member Sites

myCigna member portal Health Care Provider portal Cigna for Employers Client Resource Portal Cigna for Brokers

The Cigna Group Information

About Cigna Healthcare Company Profile Careers Newsroom Investors Suppliers The Cigna Group Third Party Administrators International Evernorth

 Cigna. All rights reserved.

Privacy Legal Product Disclosures Cigna Company Names Customer Rights Accessibility Non-Discrimination Notice Language Assistance [PDF] Report Fraud Sitemap Cookie Settings

Disclaimer

Individual and family medical and dental insurance plans are insured by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (CHLIC), Cigna HealthCare of Arizona, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of Illinois, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of Georgia, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of North Carolina, Inc., Cigna HealthCare of South Carolina, Inc., and Cigna HealthCare of Texas, Inc. Group health insurance and health benefit plans are insured or administered by CHLIC, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (CGLIC), or their affiliates (see a listing of the legal entities that insure or administer group HMO, dental HMO, and other products or services in your state). Accidental Injury, Critical Illness, and Hospital Care plans or insurance policies are distributed exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, are administered by Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, and are insured by either (i) Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company (Bloomfield, CT); (ii) Life Insurance Company of North America (“LINA”) (Philadelphia, PA); or (iii) New York Life Group Insurance Company of NY (“NYLGICNY”) (New York, NY), formerly known as Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. The Cigna name, logo, and other Cigna marks are owned by Cigna Intellectual Property, Inc. LINA and NYLGICNY are not affiliates of Cigna.

All insurance policies and group benefit plans contain exclusions and limitations. For availability, costs and complete details of coverage, contact a licensed agent or Cigna sales representative. This website is not intended for residents of New Mexico.

Selecting these links will take you away from Cigna.com to another website, which may be a non-Cigna website. Cigna may not control the content or links of non-Cigna websites. Details