Reading a Nutrition Label for Carbohydrates

When reading a nutrition label for carbohydrates, look for Total Carbohydrates. 

This is equal to the total amount of carbohydrates per serving of the food. If you prefer to track “carb choices” over total grams of carbohydrate, take the serving in grams and divide that number by 15 to get the number of carb choices. The example on the label is roughly 2 carbohydrate choices per serving.

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What about “net carbs”?

Calculating net carbs is a concept that subtracts fiber and sugar alcohols from total carbohydrates for a given food. While net carbs is an alluring approach to limiting carbohydrates, there is little-to-no scientific backing. When it comes to carbs, there are some other specific areas of importance to consider instead of the concept of net carbs.

• Focus on complex carbs over simple and refined carbs
  • Complex carbs are higher in fiber and generally have a lower glycemic load
• Load up on non-starchy veggies at meals
  • Non-starchy vegetables like green beans and broccoli, for example, are high in fiber, and nutrients, and low in carbohydrates as well as calories
• Stick to appropriate portions of carbohydrate foods
  • ¼ of your plate should be packed with nutrient-dense carbohydrate foods