Dec 21 2009

Teaching Carbohydrate Counting Diner STYLE

Contents

This is a simple method to teach carbohydrate counting using menus. Follow these simple steps:

Copy a diner menu (You can use a menu from your favorite restaurant)
Distribute copies of menu to patients and provide them with a budget (women 45-60g per meal; men 60-75g per meal).
Instruct patients to select any food item on the menu and stay within their assigned CARB BUDGET
Using Wite-out, erase prices on the menu and replace them with “CARBOHYDRATE PRICES”
Use www.calorieking.com or www.nutritiondata.com to obtain nutrition composition of foods
Refer to slide titled, “DINER CARBOHYDRATE TEACHING TOOL“
Provide new menu with carbohydrate prices (amounts) to patients
Provide patients with a CARBOHYDRATE BUDGET; 45-75 grams for the meal
Ask them to select foods from the menu while staying within their allowable CARBOHYDRATE BUDGET

DINER CARBOHYDRATE TEACHING TOOL

View more presentations from Lorena Drago.

Nutriportion ™ Measuring Cups (Set)

Find the calorie, food exchange and carbohydrate of your favorite foods on these colorful measuring cups.

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Lorena Drago, MS, RD, CDN, CDCES, is a registered dietitian, speaker, author, consultant and certified diabetes care and educator specialist.

Lorena specializes in the multicultural aspects of diabetes self-management education and is an expert in developing culturally and ethnically oriented nutrition and diabetes education materials. She founded, Hispanic Foodways which received the New York City Small Business Award in 2006. She developed the Nutriportion™ Measuring Cups that has the calorie and carbohydrate amounts of common foods embossed on each cup and the Nutriportion™ Hispanic Food Cards that have pictures and nutrition composition of common Hispanic foods.

Lorena served on the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists board of directors from 2006-2010, Chair for Latinos and Hispanics in Dietetics and Nutrition. She was Past President of the Metropolitan New York Association of Diabetes Educators in 2004. Lorena won the Diabetic Living People’s Choice Award in 2012, the Latinos & Hispanics in Dietetics and Nutrition Trinko Award in 2016, and the Diabetes Educator of the Year in 2022.

She is the author of the book Beyond Rice and Beans: The Caribbean Guide to Eating Well with Diabetes published by the American Diabetes Association. She is a contributing author and co-editor of the book Cultural Food Practices published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the 15-Minute Consultation: Tips, Tools, and Activities to Make your Nutrition Counseling More Effective both published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She serves on the editorial board of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (ADCES) in Practice and is the food editor of Diabetes Self-Management magazine. Lorena is ADCES Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Lorena graduated cum laude from Hunter College of the City University of New York with a Master’s of Science degree in Food and Nutrition and received her Bachelor’s degree from Queens College.