Q My friend is counting carbohydrates, what does that mean? A Carbohydrates make your blood glucose (sugar) level go up. 90 ñ 100 percent of the carbohydrate we eat appears in the blood as glucose within a couple of hours after they are eaten. That is why it is so important to limit carbohydrate content when you have diabetes. If you count carbohydrates you need to know how much carbohydrate you have eaten. Counting carbohydrates helps you have a good idea of what your blood glucose level is going to do. Before you are able to count carbohydrates in food you will need information about the carbohydrate content of foods you eat and measuring equipment to check your portions. Carbohydrate is found in starches and sugars. (Sugars may be added to or be naturally present in foods). Examples of foods containing carbohydrate are: fruit, fruit juices, milk, yogurt, grain products like bread, crackers, cookies, rice, cereal and pasta, dried or canned beans, peas and lentils, vegetables, starchy vegetables, table sugar, honey, syrups and molasses. There are different methods to count carbohydrates. The simplest method is using food exchange lists. Food exchanges assign an average carbohydrate value per exchange to all foods found in the bread/starch, fruit or milk group. One exchange is equal to 15 grams of carbohydrate. In other words, eating the right amount of carbohydrates at each meal will help keep your blood glucose normal. The American Diabetes Association Exchange Lists or Carbohydrate Counting Getting Started can be ordered by calling 1-800-DIABETES. Another source for carbohydrate information is found on the Nutrition Facts label on all foods. The label will tell you how much total carbohydrate you will get when you eat one serving. Compare your serving size to the serving size given on the label and calculate the correct amount of carbohydrate that you are eating. Other methods of counting carbohydrates take more effort and require math skills and the help of a Certified Diabetes Educator. For more information on counting carbohydrates you may want to contact a Certified Diabetes Educator at our Diabetes Management Program.     Q I have Type 2 diabetes and I am trying to lose weight, should I eat a bedtime snack? A If you are overweight, one of the most important steps you can take to bring your diabetes under control is to lose weight. Eliminating your bedtime snack will help to reduce overall calories and support your weight loss goals. There a few things to consider before you stop your snack. If you use insulin or an oral diabetes medication for blood glucose control, you will need to monitor your blood glucose levels at bedtime and in the morning before you eat to help understand if you need a bedtime snack. Bedtime blood glucose goals should be set with your physician or your Certified Diabetes Educator. Many people will have a goal of keeping bedtime glucose under 160 mg/dl and fasting glucose under 120 mg/dl. If you find you need a snack to prevent low blood glucose, you will want to work with your Certified Diabetes Educator to help you to reduce your medication. Once your bedtime glucose is in a safe range you can reduce your total calories by eliminating the bedtime snack. If you don't want to give up an evening snack then you can reduce calories earlier in the day and save some calories for bedtime, but remember, your metabolism slows down at night and it may be easier for you to lose weight if you stop eating late at night.     Q I was reading a cookbook for people with diabetes and some of the recipes contained sugar. How can that be? A The most widely held myth about the nutritional treatment of diabetes has been that simple sugars should be avoided and replaced with starches. This belief is based on the assumption that sugars are more rapidly digested and absorbed than starches. According to the American Diabetes Association, there is very little scientific evidence that supports this assumption. 1999 Nutrition Recommendations from the American Diabetes Association remind us that it is more important to pay attention to the total amount of carbohydrates eaten instead of where the carbohydrate comes from. Scientific evidence has shown that the use of sucrose (table sugar) as part of the total carbohydrate content of the diet does non stop people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes from achieving good blood glucose control. Even though it is okay to eat sucrose, remember overall healthy food choices should be made to meet your nutritional needs and it is important to limit the amount of food you eat that contains empty calories from sucrose. If you want to learn more about healthy eating call the American Dietetic Association hotline at 1-800-366-1655. Ask for information on the Food Guide Pyramid, Dietary Guidelines for Americans and The Diabetes Food Guide Pyramid.