Carbohydrate Counting for People with Diabetes – Page 2
Food Lists for Carbohydrate Counting
1 serving = about 15 grams of carbohydrate
Starches
• 1 slice bread (1 ounce)
• 1 tortilla (6-inch size)
• ¼ large bagel (1 ounce)
• 2 taco shells (5-inch size)
• ½ hamburger or hot dog bun
(1 ounce)
• ¾ cup ready-to-eat cereal
• ½ cup cooked cereal
• 1 cup broth-based soup
• 4-6 small crackers
• ⅓ cup pasta or rice (cooked)
• ½ cup beans, peas, corn, sweet
potatoes, winter squash, or
mashed or boiled potatoes
(cooked)
• ¼ large baked potato (3 ounces)
• ¾ ounce pretzels, potato chips, or
tortilla chips
• 3 cups popcorn (popped)
Fruit
• 1 small fresh fruit (4 ounces)
• ½ cup canned fruit
• ¼ cup dried fruit (2 tablespoons)
• 17 small grapes (3 ounces)
• 1 cup melon or berries
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• ½ cup fruit juice
Milk
• 1 cup fat-free or reduced-fat milk
• 1 cup soy milk
• ⅔ cup (6 ounces) fat-free yogurt
sweetened with sugar-free
sweetener
Sweets and Desserts
• 2-inch square cake (unfrosted)
• 2 small cookies (⅔ ounce)
• ½ cup ice cream or frozen yogurt
• ¼ cup sherbet or sorbet
• 1 tablespoon syrup, jam, jelly,
table sugar, or honey
• 2 tablespoons light syrup
Other Foods
• Count 1 cup raw vegetables or ½ cup cooked nonstarchy vegetables as zero
carbohydrate servings or “free” foods. If you eat 3 or more servings at one
meal, count them as 1 carbohydrate serving.
• Foods that have less than 20 calories in each serving also may be counted as
zero carbohydrate servings or “free” foods.
• Count 1 cup of casserole or other mixed foods as 2 carbohydrate servings.