How to Convert Ounces to Carbs

For dieting or medical issues or when certain diet considerations are crucial, it is necessary to be able to count the carbohydrates in food. DiabetesNet.com has information about carb counting, and it is surprising to note that counting carbohydrates is not as simple as reading a food label. Sometimes you do not have the benefit of a label to read or you may not understand that some carbohydrates just don't count because they are not absorbed by the body, as iFitAndHealthy.com explains.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

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Instructions

Converting from Ounces to Carbs, Using a Food Label

• 1

  Examining the food label is essential for maintaining a healthy diet.

  Determine the amount of total carbohydrates in the food by examining the package label. This total is the amount in one serving of the food.

• 2

  Although not absorbed by the body, dietary fiber is a carbohydrate that is essential to health.

  Subtract the number listed as "Dietary Fiber" from the total carbohydrates, and write it down. Use a calculator if necessary. The resulting number is called the ECC or Effective Carbohydrate Count, according to Exercise4Weightloss.com and FabulousFoods.com. Dietary fiber is not absorbed by the body and does not count, but it is beneficial and essential for a healthy diet, according to the Mayo Clinic.

• 3

  Boxed pasta side dishes may require extra ingredients that can add to total carb count.

  Use packaging to determine the amount of carbohydrates in any additions you need to make to the food during preparation. Add this total to the previous total to obtain the final number, and make a note of it. This step is only necessary for unprepared packaged foods, such as boxed rice or pasta side dishes to which you must add water, milk, butter, oil, eggs or a combination thereof.

• 4

  Divide the total number of carbohydrates in a serving by the ounces in a serving to determine the amount of carbs per one ounce of food. This will determine the number of counted carbs. Make a note of this number.

• 5

  Take the number of carbs in one ounce, and multiply it by the number of ounces you wish to consume or that you wish to convert into carbs. Even though the serving size is a set number (for example, 2.5 ounces) you may wish to either consume more or less than that amount. This final calculation will allow you to convert any number of ounces of a particular food into carbohydrates.