Diabetes education improves eating habits and quality of life in type 1 diabetes in carbohydrate counting

Background Counting carbohydrates, nutritional therapy of choice to type 1 diabetics (DM1), allows flexibility in food choices, avoiding diets based on restrictions, and patients can use any food within a healthy eating plan. With an emphasis on the amount of carbohydrates, a change in the quality of the menu, which can lead to inclusion of foods with high glycemic index and high in fat, is often observed, frequently causing weight gain and worsening of lipid profile. Educating and motivating type 1 diabetics in carbohydrate counting to follow continuously the healthy eating plan is a big challenge. In diabetes education group, reinforcing the theory of good nutrition along with carbohydrate counting, with the aim of facilitating the daily planning meals or food exchanges in social gatherings, can be a strategy to improve adherence to nutritional treatment.