Carb counting or carbohydrate counting is a method of tracking your calories from fruits, vegetables, starches, such as bread, pasta, rice and beans and dairy products, such as milk and yogurt. Each serving of carb will provide approximately 15 g of carb per serving as set by many diabetes organizations. This makes carb counting easy to manage.
Know Carbs
Each serving of carbohydrate is base on a 15 g serving size. One serving of fruit, bread, pasta, rice and other starchy carbs will provide approximately 15 g, but the serving size may vary depending on how dense a food item is. According to the Joslin Diabetes Center, one serving of fruit and starch provides 15 g, one serving of milk provides 12 g, vegetables provide 5 g, and meats and fats provide 0 g of carbs.
Fruits
A rule of thumb to follow for the 15 g rule of carbs is any serving of fruit that can fit into a half of cup or one-fourth dried fruit provides 15 g of carb. When eating a piece of fruit, gauge the size of an orange or apple to a tennis ball, according to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-UPMC in "Basic Carbohydrate Counting. The portion size of grapes is determined if they are large or small; large grapes eight count as a serving, 17 small grapes count as a 15g serving. Melons provide a larger portion size because of the water volume. Each serving of cantaloupe or honey dew is one-third. Berries, such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are approximately three-fourths of a cup serving for 15g.
Starches
Portion sizes for rice and pasta are smaller because of their density. Each serving of rice, white or brown and pasta is 1/3 a cup for 15 g, according to UPMC. Slices of bread provide 15g of carb; please note the bread must be sandwich sliced bread. Starchy vegetables, such as corn, peas, beans and lentils provide 15 g of carb in one-half cup serving. Small baked potatoes or 1/4 of a large baked potato count as a 15 g serving, but mashed potatoes are 1/2 a cup serving size.
Milk
Cow's milk, rice milk or soy milk provides 15 g of carb in one 8 oz. fluid cup. Regardless of the fat content of the milk you drink, regular, 2 percent, 1 percent or fat free milk will provide 15 g of carb per serving. If you are drinking high-protein milk, read Nutrition Facts for the carbohydrate content. It is listed on the Nutrition Facts food label under carbohydrates for the portion size listed on the food label. Yogurt in a 6 oz. container provides 15 g of carb.
Food Labels
If you are choosing to eat a food item that comes in a package, read the Nutrition Facts to get the most correct information on how many carbs are provided in a serving. The Nutrition Facts lists the portion size first, from there each nutrient is listed in this order-- fat, cholesterol, sodium, carb and protein, according to UPMC. The carb listing tells you how many grams of carb you receive per portion of the package food item. Each manufacturer may count their portion sizes differently or each food item may have different ingredients that affect the carb content, such as crackers or ice cream.
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