How to Read Food Labels for Carbs

The value of carbs to the body cannot be ignored. They are the main fuel source that drives the body through daily activities. They are also responsible for proper brain function and they are also the source of dietary fiber. With that being said, there are people who have to watch their carb intake for various reasons, such as being on a low carb diet or because they have diabetes or some other blood sugar condition. Whatever your reason might be, by understanding food labels you can determine exactly how many carbs you are getting.

Instructions

• 1

  Find out the serving size. Every nutritional label on a package is going to have a serving size and amount of servings per container. Look for this first.

• 2

  Locate the total carbs. Look on the label for the section that says "total carbohydrates." This will be the amount that is in one serving.

• 3

  Determine the total number of carbs to be consumed. Take the total carbs and multiply by the amount of servings you are going to eat. For example, if a bag of pretzel mix has 19g of carbs per 1/2 cup serving and you have 1 cup, or two servings, you will eat 38 grams of total carbohydrates.

• 4

  Subtract the fiber. Fiber is a non-impact carbohydrate. This means it has no effect on blood sugar and it doesn't get digested by the body. So find the section that says "dietary fiber." Multiply this number by the amount of servings you are going to eat.

• 5

  Subtract sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols are also non-impact carbs and they can be deducted from the overall carb count, as well. Multiply them by the amount of servings you will eat.

• 6

  Now get your final count. Take the total amount of carbohydrates and subtract the fiber and any sugar alcohols that there might be. You now have the usable or "net" carbs for the product. For example: A three-serving product with 12 carbs per serving, 2g of fiber per serving and 3g of sugar alcohols would come out to 36g, 6g and 9g, respectively, if you were going to eat all three servings. If you subtract the fiber and sugar alcohols, then you get 21 net carbohydrates.