When it comes to food scales, there’s low-scale and up-scale. The low-scale ($5 - $10) type postage or “diet” scales simply help you figure a food’s weight. That’s valuable information. For example, when you weigh meats, you not only zero in on the portion you should eat but you also 'see' what certain amounts of food look (and should) look like. This improves your guestimating (as I call it) skills both at home and when you eat out.

But, you may be ready to upscale your food scale (cost upwards of $45). What’s different? You get accurate food weights and, based on a food database, get accurate counts for carb and other nutrients. The value of these scales has been echoed by several clients lately. They concur: "upscale food scales offer a valuable assist with accuracy of portions and nutrient counts." Are you ready to bite the bullet and purchase an upscale food scale? Check out a sampling at Diabetes Mall.

Gather more tips for fine-tuning your carb counts on my diabetesmine.com (link) guest blog.