But I Love Eating Carbs!
Faithful Steps provides general education and practical ideas. Please talk with your healthcare team about your individual care.
Bread. Potatoes. Rice. Pasta. Sometimes the hardest part of changing how we eat is thinking we must give up the foods we enjoy.
You may also wonder, “If I eat less of those foods, won’t I still be hungry?”
A smaller portion of carbs does not have to mean a smaller, less satisfying meal. You can change the balance of your plate, try tasty substitutions, and learn how your blood sugar responds.
You do not have to change everything at once.
What do carbs do?
Carbohydrates, or carbs, include sugar, starch, and fiber. Your body breaks down most sugars and starches into glucose (blood sugar), which gives your body energy. Fiber is handled differently. [1]
Carbs are found in more than bread and sweets. Fruit, milk, beans, and vegetables contain them, too. These foods can also provide nutrients your body needs.
The goal is to choose foods and amounts that work for your body.
Faithful Steps Fact“Sugar-free” does not mean “carb-free.” Check the serving size and total carbohydrates on the food label. [1]
Carbs or calories—which should I watch?
When you want to understand how a meal affects blood sugar, its carbohydrate amount is often more useful than its calorie number alone. Carb counting helps you keep track of that amount. [2]
Calories measure energy. They still matter for meeting your body’s needs and managing weight. A low-carb food can have plenty of calories, especially when it contains a lot of butter, oil, cream, or nuts. [1, 3]
You do not have to count every gram and calorie to begin making helpful changes.
Some people count carbs. Others use the diabetes plate method. Start with a nine-inch plate:
Fill about half with non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, or zucchini.
Fill one-quarter with protein, such as chicken, fish, eggs, or tofu.
Fill one-quarter with carbohydrate foods, such as rice, potatoes, or beans.
Your healthcare team can help adjust this starting point to fit your needs. [4]
Want to Learn More?The American Diabetes Association’s meal-planning guide in the sources below explains the diabetes plate method.
A smaller carb portion can still be satisfying
Simply removing half the rice and leaving an empty space may make dinner feel disappointing.
As you decrease the starchy food, increase the portion of lower-carb vegetables. Include protein, and use seasonings and a modest amount of fat for flavor. This helps you build a meal that provides nourishment and feels satisfying. [3, 4]
For example, serve chicken with a smaller scoop of rice, riced cauliflower mixed into it, and a generous helping of vegetables.
Garlic, onion, pepper, and a little sauce can make the meal enjoyable. Remember to count carbs in sauces, too.
If you are still hungry after eating, look at the whole meal. You may need more food or a different balance.
You do not have to accept constant hunger as the price of managing diabetes.
Try substitutions without losing the foods you love
Start by replacing part of a familiar food. That gives you a chance to try a new taste without changing the whole meal.
Food you enjoy | A lower-carb option to try |
Rice | Mix rice with plain riced cauliflower, or use cauliflower alone. |
Potatoes in stew | Replace some or all with cubed turnips. |
Mashed potatoes | Mix in mashed cauliflower, or try seasoned mashed cauliflower. |
Pasta | Replace part with zucchini strips or shredded cabbage. |
These swaps generally reduce carbs when they replace an equal amount of the original food. The final amount depends on the portion, recipe, and added ingredients.
In my Dutch Oven Beef Stew—Low Carb, I used turnips in place of potatoes. Michael really liked it, and the turnips were delicious. A lower-carb swap can become something you enjoy in its own right.
Faithful Steps FactAdding cauliflower beside the same large serving of rice does not reduce the rice’s carbs. The swap helps when it replaces some of the rice.
Does eating carbs last help?
One approach you can try is eating vegetables and protein before the main starchy part of a meal.
Vegetables contain carbs, too. Here, “carbs last” means foods such as rice, bread, pasta, or potatoes.
Why might it help? Protein and fat can slow how quickly food leaves the stomach. This may help sugar from a meal enter the blood more gradually. [6]
Several small studies found a smaller blood sugar rise when people ate the carbohydrate portion last. However, many studies were brief. The evidence for lasting improvements in A1c (a blood test that estimates average blood sugar over about three months) is less certain. [5, 7]
Think of food order as one possible tool. It does not erase the carbs or replace portion planning.
If dinner is a casserole, soup, or sandwich, you do not need to take it apart. Focus on its ingredients and portion. When vegetables are already served as a separate side, you can begin with those.
Want to Learn More? Sources 5–7 explain the meal-order research. There is no single proven food sequence or waiting time that everyone must follow.
Start with one manageable change
You do not have to jump from your usual meals to a very low-carb plan overnight.
One practical option is to reduce your usual portion of a starchy food by about one-quarter. Increase the portion of lower-carb vegetables to fill that space. Add more vegetables if needed for a satisfying meal.
If that works well, a later step might be reducing the starchy food to half your original portion while increasing the vegetables again.
For example, if you usually eat one cup of cooked rice:
Change | Rice portion | Riced cauliflower to add |
Reduce rice by one-quarter | ¾ cup | ¼ cup |
Reduce rice by one-half | ½ cup | ½ cup |
These are examples, not carb targets for everyone. The right amount depends on your needs and blood sugar response.
Also, reducing the rice by one-quarter does not mean you have reduced the entire meal’s carbs by one-quarter. Other ingredients contain carbs, too.
If you take insulin or medicines such as glipizide or glimepiride, talk with your prescriber before making a substantial carb reduction.
These medicines can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) when the dose no longer matches what you eat. Checking blood sugar is helpful, but you may also need a medication adjustment. Do not stop insulin on your own. [8]
Watch patterns in your blood sugar
Use your meter or CGM (continuous glucose monitor) according to your care plan.
Checking before a meal and about two hours after the first bite can help you see your response. Your healthcare team may recommend a different time. [2, 3]
For a few days, write down:
What you ate and roughly how much.
Your blood sugar readings and the times you checked.
Whether you felt satisfied afterward.
Activity, illness, or unusual stress.
Compare several similar meals rather than judging your plan from one reading.
Ask your healthcare team what blood sugar range is right for you. Share repeated readings outside that range instead of continuing to cut food on your own.
Want to Learn More?A registered dietitian or diabetes educator can help you use these notes to plan your next change.
For more background, read our high blood sugar article.
What about net carbs?
Faithful Steps recipes show both total and estimated net carbs. Our net-carb calculation subtracts fiber from total carbohydrates.
For example:
20 grams total carbs − 5 grams fiber = 15 grams estimated net carbs.
This is an estimate. It does not guarantee how a food will affect your blood sugar.
“Net carbs” has no standard legal definition. Some manufacturers also subtract sugar alcohols (sweeteners used in some sugar-free foods). Certain fibers and sugar alcohols can be partly digested, so their effect may differ from what the calculation suggests. [1]
The American Diabetes Association recommends using total carbohydrates for diabetes carb counting. For insulin dosing, follow your diabetes team’s method. [1]
Faithful Steps FactTwo servings contain twice the total carbs, twice the fiber, and twice the estimated net carbs. Always check the serving size. [2]
Portions matter on less active days, too
When you are less active, you may need less energy than on a very active day. Activity also affects blood sugar. Your food needs still depend on your body, medicines, and health. [3]
If pain or limited mobility keeps you from moving much, you still need enough nourishment. A dietitian can help you adjust portions while keeping meals satisfying.
Low-carb foods still have portions. You can enjoy flavor and a comfortably full stomach while paying attention to both carbs and the overall amount you eat.
Key Takeaways
A smaller carb portion can still be a satisfying meal.
Replace some starchy food with lower-carb vegetables.
Eating vegetables and protein before the main carbohydrate portion may help with the blood sugar rise after a meal.
Start gradually and watch blood sugar patterns.
Get medication guidance before substantial carb reductions if you take medicines that can cause low blood sugar.
Net carbs are an estimate. Total carbs and serving size still matter.
Your plan should fit your health, activity, and appetite.
One faithful step at a time
You can love eating carbs and still learn ways to care for your health.
Begin with one meal, one portion, or one substitution. Notice what works, and build from there.
If you would like support putting these ideas into everyday practice, visit FaithfulSteps.net to learn about diabetes coaching and a free discovery call.
Medication changes belong with your prescribing healthcare team.
“For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.” —Proverbs 2:10 (NIV)
Sources and Further Reading
American Diabetes Association: Get to Know Carbs. Carbohydrate types, food labels, fiber, and net-carb limitations.
American Diabetes Association: Carb Counting and Diabetes. Carb counting, serving sizes, and tracking blood sugar responses.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK): Healthy Living with Diabetes and Eating & Physical Activity to Lose or Maintain Weight. Food choices, energy needs, activity, and individual planning.
American Diabetes Association: Diabetes Meal Planning. The diabetes plate method.
Shukla AP and colleagues (2017): Carbohydrate-last meal pattern lowers postprandial glucose and insulin excursions in type 2 diabetes. A small study comparing meal sequences.
Kuwata H and colleagues (2016): Meal sequence and glucose excursion, gastric emptying and incretin secretion in type 2 diabetes. A small trial examining digestion and blood sugar responses.
Okami Y and colleagues (2022): Efficacy of a meal sequence in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis and McKenzie R and colleagues (2026): The Impact of Macronutrient Ordering on Postprandial Glycaemic Control in Diabetes: A Systematic Review. Reviews of the evidence and its limitations.
NIDDK: Low Blood Glucose (Hypoglycemia). Medicines, food intake, and preventing low blood sugar.
The Faithful Steps Promise: We aim to offer clear education, practical ideas, and encouragement without judgment. You deserve support as you learn what works for
your body.
AI Transparency: This article was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed against the sources listed above.
Real Faith • Real Health • Real Life
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