Carbohydrates are sneaky little nutrients, hiding under the guise of fiber, sucrose and even sugar alcohols. Fortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandates that all processed foods have a nutrition fact label right on the packaging. Figuring out how many carbohydrates are in non-packaged foods is trickier than with packaged foods, but not impossible. Regardless if you are counting carbs or just trying to start a healthier, more balanced diet, you can learn how to decipher the nutrients in foods.
Packaged Foods
Step 1
Find the nutrition facts label. Usually it is found on the outside of packaging, especially with multiple-serving style foods that are individually wrapped, such as snack bags.
Step 2
Read the number of servings per package. This is important, as the nutrition facts label only reflects a single serving. For instance, you may need two pieces of bread to make a sandwich. However, most bread labels will only cite one slice of bread in the nutrition facts label.
Step 3
Look about halfway down the nutrition facts label to find the listing for carbohydrates. Depending on the food, this section may be further broken down into sugars, fiber, alcohol sugars and miscellaneous. You should find a number, in grams, for the amount of carbohydrates in each serving. If the product contains natural sugars, this should be listed as a sub-set just below the total carbohydrate count.
Step 4
Look at the ingredients label if you want to determine the source of the carbohydrates and sugar. The FDA mandates that ingredients must be listed in order of total weight -- the higher the ingredient on the list, the more of it is in the finished product.
Step 5
Use this number to determine how this food choice fits into your daily nutrient requirement. The recommended daily allowance, or RDA, of carbohydrates for most healthy adults is 130 g, according to the National Academies Press. If your food choice contains 65 g of carbohydrates per serving, this food choice will wipe out half of your daily RDA.
Non-Packaged Foods
Step 1
Weigh the food if the size is in question. Most nutrient databases will depend upon food weight in grams to provide a nutrient assay.
Step 2
Look up your food in a free national database. Using one medium apple, for example, the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory search shows 18.91 g of sugars, or simple carbohydrates, in the apple.
Step 3
Write down the foods you commonly eat and look up their carbohydrate content. Creating a chart of common foods for your reference will make carbohydrate counting faster and easier. Add foods to your list as needed.
Tips and Warnings
- If you are eating out, ask the restaurant or fast food employee for a nutrition facts sheet. Many fast food restaurants have them, which are available upon request.
Member Comments