Ana Pelcastre

Joan Rupp
Brenda ODay
Nutrition 510
Lesson Plan
Carbohydrate Counting: What does that have to do with Type 2 Diabetes?
Goal: To educate low income Hispanic individuals diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes to help them
make better carbohydrate choices and to control their carbohydrate intake by using the basic
carbohydrate counting method.
Behavior Objectives:
By the end if this class, participants will be able to:
1. Identify carbohydrate containing foods and Foods with no carbohydrate
2. Learn how to control their carbohydrate intake by using the basic carbohydrate counting
method.
Teaching Aids:
1. Power Point
2. Basic Carbohydrate Counting Chart
3. Food image cartoons
Handouts:
1. Carbohydrate Counting: Frequently asked questions brochure by Ana Pelcastre.
INTRODUCTION
Not long ago, Maria was diagnosed with type two Diabetes. When she told her coworkers
about that, one of them said dont eat carbohydrates. I heard carbohydrates are bad for you if
you have Diabetes. This confused Maria because she didnt even know what carbohydrates
were. Later, when she went back to the clinic, even though she felt intimidated, she took courage
and with her broken English she asked to her physician what Diabetes and carbohydrates were.
Because her physician was too busy with other patients, he just replied oh Diabetes is too much
sugar in your blood and what you need to do is not to eat tortilla, no coffee, no bread, and no
sugar. When she heard that, she confirmed that carbohydrates were bad, especially tortillas and
bread and she made a resolution to avoid them as much as she could.
What kind of life would Maria live with these types of restrictions? Will she be able to
follow through? Will this help control her diabetes? Today, we are going to explore what foods
contain carbohydrates and what foods dont. We will also learn a method that will allow Maria
keep having her traditional tortillas and bread; this method is called the basic carbohydrate
counting.

Questions to ask before the main content of the presentation:

1. - How many of you have faced a similar situation to the one just described?
2. - By a show of hands, how many of you have heard carbohydrates are bad for you?
3. - How many of you know which foods have carbohydrates?
MAIN CONTENT:
Slide #2
Carbohydrate Containing Foods: Foods that contain carbohydrates include breads, crackers,
cereals, pasta, rice and grains. Fruits and juices, milk and yogurt, candy and desserts and
vegetables. Regarding vegetables, there are two types of vegetables and their names are
starchy vegetables and non-starchy vegetables. Some examples of starchy vegetables include
potato, corn and peas. Some examples of non-starchy vegies are broccoli, greens and carrots.
Slide #3
You may be curious about the term starchy and non-starchy. When you hear your doctor or
Nutritionist say try to consume less starchy foods. They simply mean that starchy foods are
foods with high sugar content. This doesnt mean they are bad, they just have more sugar and
therefore you need to be careful not to overdo them as they can easily elevate your blood sugar.
In the contrary, non-starchy foods are the opposite because they have a low sugar content. This
means you can consume a little more compared to starchy foods and your blood sugar wont be
affected.
Slide #4
Here is a list of starchy foods you may have a home. For example, corn and flour tortillas for
tacos and burritos; maizena (corn flour), pan dulce (sweet bread) and other breads, pasta,
tamales, rice, oatmeal, cakes, cookies, potatoes and potato chips, garbanzo beans and beans,
bananas, yams and sweet potato.
Slide #5
Foods with no carbohydrate: There are also foods that dont contain carbohydrate. These foods
are meat, fish and poultry, eggs, cheese, fats, oils, butter and water. Something important to keep
in mind, is that these foods are good sources of protein, minerals and vitamins but they also have
cholesterol and saturated fat. Therefore, is important not to rely on them just to avoid
carbohydrate intake.
Slide #6
Basic Carbohydrate counting method:
Carbohydrate counting is a way to plan your meals by counting the amount of carbohydrate in
foods. It can help you eat the right amount of carbohydrate to keep your blood sugar levels under
control. One count of carbohydrate means there are about 15 grams of carbohydrate in a
particular food.

There is about 15 grams of carbohydrate in:

1 small piece of fresh fruit (4oz)
1 slice of bread (1oz)
cup dried oatmeal
4-6 crackers
cup of black beans
large baked potato (3oz)
2 small cookies
cup of ice cream
2 tablespoons of light pancake syrup
cup casserole

cup canned or frozen fruit

1 tortilla (6 inches)
1/3 cup dry pasta or rice
3 cups popcorn
1 cup of milk (choose low fat/ fat free)
4 inch banana
cup fruit juice (fresh)
1 table spoon of sugar or honey
2 inch square cake / brownie (no frosting)
1 cup soup

Slide #7
Marias Carbohydrate Distribution. If we use Maria as an example, she was recommended 350
grams of carbohydrate per day. Therefore her carbohydrate counting would be more or less as the
following example.
Meal or Snack
Breakfast: cup dry oatmeal (15g), 1

Carbohydrate in grams
52.5 grams

cup low fat milk (15g), 4 inch banana

(15g) and toasted slice bread with
1oz low fat cheese slice.

Snack: 1 grilled chicken taco (15g) and 1 cup

fresh juice (30g)

45 grams

Lunch: cup of black beans (15g), 1 cup

cooked rice (recommend brown) (15g) 3oz
grilled tilapia, cup tomato salsa (5g) 1 cup
boiled green beans (5g) 2 6 inches corn
tortilla (30g) half small piece of fresh fruit
(7.5g), cup of water
Snack: cup almonds (5g), 2oz potato chips
(30g) and water
Dinner: 1 cup spaghetti pasta and meat ball
(15g), cup tomato salsa (5g) 6oz baked
potato (30g), 1 table spoon low fat sour cream
1 orange (15g)

77.5 grams

Snack: 1 sweet bread (45g) 1 cup milk with

coffee (15g) and 1 medium peach (15g)
Total

75 grams

35 grams
65 grams

350 grams of carbohydrate

Slide #8
Activity: identifying starchy foods from no starchy foods
I am handing you different types of carbohydrate foods cartoons as well as a carbohydrate
counting chart. Along with a partner you will decide if that food is considered starchy or no
starchy. Once you have decided which one is what, place your starchy foods to the left and
youre no starchy foods to the right. Later, go through the carbohydrate counting chart and
compare how much of each food is equivalent to 15 grams of carbohydrates.
Slide #9
How many of you had difficulty differentiating starchy vs. no starchy foods?
What was the most difficult part of the carbohydrate counting portion of the activity?
Were you surprised you can still have your favorite foods in your everyday meals even if you
have Diabetes? Why yes or why not?
Review:
Ask participants to:
1. - identify 1 source of starch carbohydrate, 1 source of no starch carbohydrate and 1 source of
no carbohydrate foods.
2. - Identify one example of a one carbohydrate count and identify how many grams of
carbohydrates does a one count has.
Independent Practice
Next time you guys grab a carbohydrate food check the size and calculate based on the
carbohydrate counting chart how many carbohydrate grams it has.
Conclusion
According to the Journal of Diabetes Spectrum (American Diabetes Association) carbohydrate
counting is an effective medical nutrition therapy option for adults with type 2 diabetes. Some of
the benefits include weight loss in adults with type 2 diabetes and leads to improved diabetes
control. As we all know, many times the problem amongst the Hispanic community is poor
management of the disease due to lack of knowledge. Therefore it is important to learn effective
methods such as the basic carbohydrate counting. By learning this method you will learn to
identify better sources of carbohydrates such as no starchy carbohydrate foods and you will also
learn to control your intake throughout your day leading to a better quality of life. Also you will
feel better emotionally speaking because this method allows you to eat your favorite foods. The
rule of thumb is carbohydrates are not bad for you but the key is moderation.