How to Measure Carbs

Measuring carbohydrates can be a necessary component of tracking nutrients for lifestyle or dietary reasons. Tracking carbohydrate consumption can be valuable for individuals attempting to lose weight or maintain their weight loss. Physicians may prescribe a carbohydrate-controlled diet for individuals to manage diabetes, epilepsy or other health disorders. Tracking carbohydrates can seem like a daunting task, especially as a long-term health requirement. Investing in a few relatively inexpensive tools can ease the process significantly.

Things You'll Need

• Journal
• Food scale
• Calculator
• Carbohydrate index guide

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Instructions

• 1

  Record all food consumed accurately and faithfully in a food journal. Include the time you ate and an accurate assessment of the portion size. Experiment to develop a method of keeping an honest food journal. Try both a hard-copy journal as well as a food journal on a smartphone, laptop or other personal electronic device.

• 2

  Weigh and measure food to record honest information regarding portion sizes. Invest in at least one portable food scale. Some dieters may prefer the convenience of purchasing a scale for both home and work. These scales should provide accurate food measurements in grams.

• 3

  Calculate carbohydrate content following each meal and snack or at the end of the day, depending on dietary needs. Casual dieters working toward a weight loss goal may prefer to perform calculations once daily, while individuals tracking carbohydrate consumption for health reasons may need to perform more-frequent assessments.

• 4

  Using the portion measurements, look up foods consumed in a carbohydrate index, and calculate the carbohydrate content in grams. Convert the weight of a food consumed into grams if necessary. For example, a food item with a carbohydrate content of 35 percent would be multiplied by a factor of 0.35 in order to obtain the carbohydrate measurement in grams.

• 5

  Read the labels of processed foods immediately after consumption in order to obtain accurate measurements. Food labels will reveal the carbohydrate content, saving calculation efforts.