Applied carbohydrate counting

Abstract

Carbohydrate counting or "carb counting" is a meal planning technique for persons with diabetes for managing blood glucose levels by tracking the grams of carbohydrate consumed at meals. With better patient education and awareness, carb counting has become an important step in diabetes management. People with all types of diabetes can be benefited with this approach via improved glycaemic control and quality of life. In the first part of this review basic principles of carbohydrate counting, its application in clinical practice and exchange lists pertaining primarily to South Asian populations have been discussed. Advanced carb counting involving equations which help in better understanding of insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio and insulin dose adjustment are also included in this review.

Keywords: Carbohydrate counting, Meal-time insulin, Basal insulin, Bolus insulin..