Carbohydrate Counting
Carbohydrates are in certain foods such as bread, cereal, rice, potatoes, fruit, milk and sweet desserts. The carbohydrate foods you eat are broken down into glucose and go directly into your blood. The best way to control your blood glucose is to eat the same amount of carbohydrates at each of your meals. Too many carbohydrates and your blood sugar will be too high, and not enough carbohydrates can lead to low blood sugar. In general your carbohydrate intake should be low but some carbohydrates are important to good health.
| Gender | For Weight Loss | For Weight Maintenance | Snacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 30-45 grams (g) per meal | 45-60 grams (g) per meal | 15 grams (g) per snack |
| Men | 45-60 grams (g) per meal | 60-75 grams (g) per meal | 15 grams (g) per snack |
Example: Look at the meal on the right.
This meal has a combination of foods, some of which have carbohydrates, or, carbs for short. This information can be found on the nutrition label.
The total carbohydrates in this meal is 46 grams.
These foods are low in carbohydrates and do not raise blood sugar. They may be eaten in moderation with meals or as snacks:
- Protein foods: beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, cheese, peanut butter, tofu
- Fats: butter, margarine, oil, salad dressing, mayonnaise, avocado, nuts, sour cream, cream cheese
Checking Labels for Carbohydrate
Look at Serving Size first. The information that follows is based on eating this portion of food.
The portion for this food is 1½ cups.
There are 2 portions in the whole container.
Look at Total Carbohydrate next. This is how many grams (g) that you get when you eat the portion listed above.
This food contains 46 grams of carbohydrates in 1 portion.
If you eat the whole container you will consume 92 grams of carbohydrates.
The “total carbohydrate” number listed on the label includes all types of carbs – sugar, starch and fiber.
- Choose foods with less than 10% Daily Value for saturated fat and sodium.
- Choose foods with less than 6% Daily Value for Added Sugars
- Try to choose foods with more dietary fiber, which is listed on the label under total carbohydrates.
| Food | Carbs in grams |
|---|---|
| Breads | |
| Bread, 1 slice | 15 |
| English muffin | 30 |
| Bagel, large | 45 |
| Pancakes, 2 small | 30 |
| Cornbread, muffin, small | 30 |
| Tortilla, 6 inch | 15 |
| Waffle, 4 inch | 15 |
| Cereal | |
| Cheerios, 1 cup | 20 |
| Frosted flakes, 1 cup | 30 |
| Oatmeal, 1 cup | 30 |
| Raisin bran, 1 cup | 45 |
| Grits, 1 cup | 30 |
| Grains/Starchy vegetables | |
| Rice, 1 cup | 45 |
| Noodles or pasta, 1 cup | 45 |
| Corn, 1 large ear | 30 |
| Corn, peas, ½ cup | 15 |
| Potato, medium, 1 cup | 30 |
| Cooked dry beans, 1 cup | 30 |
| Crackers and Snacks | |
| Ritz or saltine, 5 crackers | 10 |
| Potato chips, small snack bag | 15 |
| Popcorn, 3 cups | 20 |
| Graham, 2 squares | 10 |
| Granola bar, small | 20 |
| Fruits | |
| Apple, orange – small | 20 |
| Banana – 7 inch medium | 30 |
| Grapes – 22 | 20 |
| Juice, 8 oz | 30 |
| Berries – 1 cup | 15 |
| Raisins – ½ cup | 30 |
| Dairy | |
| Milk, plain – 1 cup | 15 |
| Yogurt, plain – 5 oz cup | 10 |
| Yogurt, light, fruit – 5 oz cup | 15 |
| Sweets | |
| Sugar or syrup – 1 tablespoon | 15 |
| Cookies, 2 small | 15 |
| Ice cream – ½ cup | 15 |
| Combination Foods | |
| Soup or stew – 1 cup | 15 |
| Casserole – 1 cup | 30 |
| Potato salad – ½ cup | 15 |
| Fast Foods | |
| Chicken nuggets – 6 pc | 15 |
| Hamburger | 30 |
| French fry – small | 30 |
| Sub sandwich – 6 inch | 45 |
| Pizza, ½ of a med, thin crust | 30 |
Sample menu plans for adults
These meal ideas are about 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal and 15-20 grams per snack.
- Breakfast
-
- 1 small orange (20 g)
- 1 cup cooked oatmeal made with water (30 g)
- 1 cup 1% milk (15 g)
- 2 tablespoons nuts
- 2 tablespoons raisins (15 g)
- Coffee/or tea with low calorie sweetener and plain creamer
OR
- 1 medium banana (30 g)
- 1 slice whole wheat toast (15 g)
- 1 teaspoon margarine
- 1 egg omelet with spinach and mushrooms
- Yogurt, light, fruit – 5 oz cup (15 g)
- Coffee/or tea with low calorie sweetener and plain creamer
- Lunch
-
- 1 sandwich with whole grain bread (30 g)
- 1 cup of soup (15 g)
- 1 small snack bag of chips (15 g)
- Carrot and celery sticks
- Sugar-free flavored water
OR
- Fast food hamburger (30 g)
- Small French fry (30 g)
- Side salad with dressing
- Water or diet soda
- Afternoon snack (optional)
-
Mini-microwave popcorn bag (15 g) OR Small granola bar (15-20 g)
- Dinner
-
- 1 cup spaghetti noodles (45 g)
- ½ cup pasta sauce with meat (15 g)
- Steamed broccoli
- Tossed salad and dressing
- Iced tea, unsweetened with lemon
OR
- Baked chicken, remove skin
- Medium baked potato (30 g) with sour cream and tub margarine
- Steamed spinach
- Small cornbread muffin (20g)
- Iced tea, unsweetened with lemon
- Evening snack (optional)
-
½ peanut butter sandwich (15 g) OR 1 slice low fat cheese and 5 crackers (10 g)
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