People count carbs for many reasons. Some follow low carb diet plans for weight loss, while others monitor their intake to control symptoms of diseases like diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome. According to the University of Vermont, 60 to 65 percent of our diets should consist of carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Combining the right amount and type of carbs with other things like exercise and medication can help reduce symptoms of disease and for some people, provide weight loss.
Step 1
Make a list of all of the items in your recipe. Include everything you will need, even seasonings and oils. Be as accurate as possible about the measurements of each ingredient.
Step 2
Use a nutrition chart that lists the amount of carbohydrates in food. Use an online service, like Nutrition Data or Atkins or purchase a book that contains this information.
Step 3
Begin researching each food. Write down the amount of carbohydrates and the serving size as listed on the item's nutrition information. If your product has a label, you can also obtain this information from it. If you calculate net carbs as a part of your program, you must also list grams of fiber per item.
Step 4
Calculate the number of carbohydrates in each ingredient by comparing the serving size from your nutrition information to the serving size in your recipe. For example, if your nutrition guide lists that one cup of an ingredient has two grams of carbohydrates but you use three cups in your recipe, you would record six grams total. Repeat this for each ingredient. Include fiber if you count net carbs.
Step 5
Add up the total number of carbohydrates for each ingredient to get your recipe total. If you count net carbs, also total up the amount of fiber in each of your ingredients and subtract the fiber from your total carb count. For example, if your recipe total has 28 grams of carbohydrates and 12 grams of fiber, your net carb count is 16 grams.
Step 6
Divide your total number of carbohydrates (or total net carbs) by the number of servings in your recipe to get the carb count per serving. For example, if your recipe has 16 carbs and feeds four people, you have four carbs per serving.
Tips and Warnings
- Online programs like The Daily Plate or Spark People can calculate your food totals for you. Nutrition Data also has a recipe analyzer.
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