Carb Counting Information

"Carb counting" means keeping track of the sugars and starches in the foods eaten each day. The carb content can be found on the label, in reference books or online.

Which Carbs to Count

• There are three kinds of carbohydrates: sugars, starches and fiber. Most reduced-carb eating plans count sugars and starches but not fiber because it has a limited impact on blood sugar.

Measuring Carbs

• Carbohydrates in foods are measured in grams. Often, people will just refer to the carbs themselves. For example, a food with 3 grams of carbohydrates may be said to "have three carbs."

Reading the Nutrition Facts Label

• The Nutrition Facts label is found on nearly all packaged foods. To use the label to count carbs, first take note of the serving size at the top. Then subtract the number of grams of fiber from the number of grams of total carbohydrates. The resulting number is the carb count for one serving of the food.

Counting Carbs in Unlabelled Foods

• Some foods do not have a nutrition label, but their carbs can still be counted. Carb-counting books, diet-tracking websites, and software and the USDA National Nutrient Database have the carb content of thousands of foods.

Totaling the Carb Count

• Add all foods' carbs for the meal carb count.

  Multiply the carb grams in one serving size by the number of serving sizes eaten. Do this for every food eaten at the meal and add them up. This is the total carb count for the meal. Add up the carb count of all foods eaten during the day to get the carb count for the day.