Sugar often gets all the attention when it comes to managing your blood glucose (blood sugar), but it’s only part of the story. All carbohydrates (carbs) affect blood glucose, and sugar is only one of them. As an example, other carb foods, like baked potatoes, have very little sugar but still raise blood glucose because they are high in starch.
Understanding the different types of carbs can help you make informed food choices and build balanced meals.
What are carbs?
Carbs are one of the main nutrients in food and are your body's main source of energy. When you eat foods that have carbs, your body breaks those carbs down into glucose and sends it into the blood. That blood glucose is used for energy by your muscles, brain, and other organs to keep your body working.
The three main types of carbs in foods are:
- Sugars
- Starches
- Fiber
What's the difference between natural sugar and added sugar?
Natural sugars are sugars that are found naturally in foods like fruit and milk. Added sugars are sugars (like table sugar, syrups, and honey) that are added to foods like cake, soda, and cookies.
What does “Total Carbohydrates” mean?
“Total carbohydrates” refers to the total grams of all types of carbs (sugars, starches, and fiber) that a food contains. You can find this number labeled as “Total Carbohydrates” on a Nutrition Facts label. The total grams of carbs gives you the best idea of how a food may affect your blood glucose.
Total Carbs Matter More Than Sugar for Managing Blood Glucose
Foods that are low in sugar can still be high in carbs. Looking only at grams of sugar can be misleading. For example, these foods may be low in sugar but still have a lot of carbs that will affect your blood glucose:
- Whole wheat bread
- Brown rice
- Crackers
- Pasta
- Oatmeal
So, instead of asking, "How much sugar is in this food?" Try asking, "How many total carbs are in this serving?" when trying to figure out how it will affect your blood glucose.
Try to Choose Quality Carbs
Quality carb foods are higher in fiber or have protein. Both fiber and protein help slow down how quickly food is digested. They also slow down how quickly carbs in food affect your blood glucose. Quality carbs include:
- Starchy vegetables like squash, sweet potatoes, and corn
- Beans and lentils like black beans, garbanzo beans, red beans, and black lentils
- Fruits like apples, berries, melons, and oranges
- Whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal, and bulgur
- Low-fat milk or yogurt
When Sugar Still Matters
Added sugars add calories to food, without adding the other nutrients quality carbs will give you. Some forms of added sugar affect your blood glucose very quickly. For example, sugary drinks don’t contain fiber or protein, so they are digested very quickly and cause a bigger impact on your blood glucose level.
Limiting added sugars will make it easier to manage your blood glucose.
Tips for Using the Nutrition Facts Label
Use the Nutrition Facts label to help you make informed food choices for carbs.
- Check the total grams of carbs first
- Look at the serving size
- Check how much fiber, protein and fat, the food contains
- Pay attention to added sugars
- Compare similar products to find options that best fits your needs
Key Takeaway
To help manage your blood glucose, pay attention to how many grams of carbs and fiber are in a food, as well as how much of it you’ll eat.
Foods like starchy vegetables, beans, fruits, whole grains, and milk or yogurt can provide carbs in a way that makes it easier to manage blood glucose and supports your overall health.
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