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How to Count Carbs in 10 Common Foods

Carbohydrates are sugar-based molecules that can have a strong impact on blood glucose. Learn how to count carbohydrates. Also find out the carbohydrate content of 10 of your favourite foods.
Carbohydrates are sugar molecules found in many foods, from biscuits to melons.
If you suffer from diabetes, you need to know how many carbohydrates you should be eating per day. This means that planning and sticking to your carbohydrate intake is crucial to keeping your blood sugar levels in balance and reducing your risk of diabetes-related problems such as heart disease and stroke.
Whether or not you have diabetes, you should aim to get about half of your calories from complex (high-fiber) carbohydrates, 20-25% from protein, and no more than 30% from fat, says Lalita Kaul, PhD, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. for additionally if you want to learn about fruits name please go through this website.
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How to Read a Food Label

The nutrition label shows the total amount of carbohydrates per serving, including carbohydrates from fiber, sugars, and sugar alcohols. (When counting carbohydrates in your diet, it's good to know that 15 grams of carbohydrates equals one serving).
Sugar alcohols are often used in sugar-free foods, even though they still contain calories and carbohydrates. Sugar alcohols and fibre do not affect blood sugar like other carbohydrates because they are not absorbed completely.
If a food contains sugar alcohols or 5 or more grams of fibre, you can subtract half the grams of these ingredients from the total carbohydrate count.
To find out the number of grams of carbohydrates in foods and drinks, you can consult this list from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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How Many Carbs a Day?

If you eat 2,000 calories a day, you should eat about 250 grams of complex carbohydrates a day.
A good starting point for people with diabetes is about 45-60 grams of carbohydrates at each meal and 15-30 grams for snacks. While snacks are important for diabetics who use insulin or tablets to increase insulin production (otherwise there is a risk of hypoglycaemia), they are not essential for people who do not use insulin.
The aim of all diabetics, whether or not they use insulin, is to keep blood sugar as constant as possible and to consume as many nutritious and less healthy carbohydrates as possible.
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Regulating Food Intake

Depending on how active you are, whether you want to lose weight and whether or not you use insulin, you should work with a dietitian or diabetes educator to adjust your carbohydrate intake.
Checking your blood glucose before and after meals is also important to review your carbohydrate plan. If certain foods, such as fruit juices or pasta, raise your blood sugar, you should eat them in smaller portions.
Here's a rough guide to the carbohydrate content of 10 everyday foods. Get your measuring cup and scale ready!
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Bread

1 slice of bread = 15 grams or 1 serving of carbohydrates.
Although white bread and wheat bread are similar in carbohydrate content (look for label information), whole wheat bread is best. It usually contains twice as much fibre as white bread, which means it's digested more slowly and blood sugar levels rise more slowly after you eat it.
People with diabetes should try to consume 30 grams of fiber a day, although for some this can be a strain on the digestive system, Kaul says. He also recommends eating very thin bread, which can halve caloric intake.
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Cooked Noodles

One-third cup of noodles = 15 grams or 1 serving.
Again, it's healthier to opt for whole-wheat pasta rather than pasta made with white flour. But it's important - and easy to forget - to consider portion sizes.
Just one-third of a cup, or about half a cup of okra, contains 15 grams of carbohydrates. If you overfill your bowl with pasta, you can easily consume an entire day's worth of carbs in one meal.
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Cereals

3/4 cup dry cereal = 15 grams or 1 portion
Eating breakfast is important for everyone, but especially for people with diabetes; a balanced morning meal helps to start the day healthy and full of energy.
According to Kaul, a bowl of cereal with skim milk is a good choice for the first meal of the day, but sugary, low-fibre cereals such as cornflakes should be avoided.
Oat bran cereals are a better option, according to the nutritionist. Try them and, if you don't like them, choose something else.
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Crackers

4-6 Saltines = 15 grams or 1 portion
When eating crackers, checking the label for trans fat and sodium is just as important as checking the carbohydrate content, says Kaul. Even low-carbohydrate crackers can contain unhealthy fats and too much salt.
Choose crackers with no more than 200 milligrams of sodium per serving of carbohydrates and leave those with trans fats on the supermarket shelf.
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Fruit

One piece = 15 grams or 1 portion
According to Kaul, you can't go wrong with fruit, as long as you pay attention to portion sizes. However, if you suffer from diabetes, fruits such as apples, bananas, berries, melons, strawberries and peaches are the best choice. Pears and grapes can contain too much sugar, explains the expert.
A medium banana contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates, is satiating and rich in potassium. Berries are rich in fibre and antioxidants. But don't forget the amount of fruit you eat.
A serving of berries is only 3/4 of a cup, but it is easy to eat three times as much, or even more if you are not careful, and you can easily exceed the number of carbohydrates you should consume per day as a diabetic.
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Fruit Juice

1/2 cup of fruit juice = 15 grams or 1 portion
Kaul tells his customers to choose fruit instead of juice because fruit contains fibre. And fruit juices, even natural unsweetened ones, are high in calories. "Three glasses provide 300 to 400 calories," says Kaul.
People who do not want to give up fruit juice should drink a small glass at breakfast, Kaul said. And instead of consuming huge bottles of sugary drinks, drink water or unsweetened tea.
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Milk

1 cup non-fat milk = 15 grams or 1 portion
Dairy products provide calcium, protein, vitamin D and other key nutrients, so if you like them, definitely include them in your diet.
But abandon whole milk for skim milk and choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
People with diabetes often have high cholesterol and triglycerides and weight is often an issue, so it is important to avoid dairy fats, Kaul said.
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Yoghurt

1 cup of light or regular yoghurt = 15 grams or 1 portion
Yoghurt is a great and healthy choice, as long as you choose the fat-free route.
Flavoured yoghurts are often full of sugar, so check the carbohydrate content. You can also avoid this and make it yourself by adding chopped fruit and nuts to skimmed yoghurt (which will probably also be cheaper if you buy a one-litre carton).
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Biscuits

2 biscuits = 15 grams or 1 portion
At one time, being diabetic meant saying goodbye to delicacies such as biscuits.
But nowadays, Kaul said, diabetes experts agree that there is nothing wrong with indulging in sweets from time to time, as long as you eat them in small portions and have meals that are within the carbohydrate range a diabetic should have every day.
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Ice Cream

1/2 cup of ice cream = 15 grams or 1 portion
Kaul advises his customers to stay away from ice cream if possible and to try low-fat alternatives such as frozen yoghurt, sorbet and even sugar-free ice cream.
Since ice cream contains a lot of fat, it should only be an occasional treat, enjoyed in small portions.

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