How to Make a Difference in Counting Carbs

Low carb diets have become increasingly popular since the advent of The Atkins Diet because of their proven effectiveness for fast weight loss. While these diets do produce rapid results after the diet stops, regaining the weight is inevitable. So is there an effective, safe way to count carbs to not only lose weight but to keep it off? Fortunately, the answer to this question is yes. By learning to distinguish between "good" and "bad" carbs and understanding what carb counts mean, you can achieve weight loss and good health overall.

Instructions

1

Determine your daily carb count. Talk to your doctor to determine how many carbs you should consume per day if you're considering a diet program with restricted carbohydrate intake. The USDA guidelines recommend that carbs make up 45 to 65 percent of total daily calories. But this may vary for people with diabetes or those who are overweight.

2

Understand serving size. In order to correctly count your carbs, you need to understand what a carbohydrate serving size is. According to "Health" Magazine, "Fifteen grams of carbohydrate equals one serving." By The Idaho Plate Method, a serving size of carbs should occupy one-quarter of an 8-inch plate. Using a measuring cup (for carbs like rice or oats), 15 grams is equal to one-eighth cup, and on a food scale 15 grams is one-half ounce.

3

Measure serving size. Check food labels and measure arbohydrates by using measuring cups or a food scale. According to The Diabetes Teaching Center at The University of California in San Francisco, when looking at a food's nutrition label it's important to pay attention to three key things when counting carbohydrates: the suggested serving size, the number of servings in the container and the total number of carbohydrates (in grams) in each serving.

4

Subtract fiber. According to The Diabetes Teaching Center at The University of California in San Francisco, "on Nutrition Facts food labels, the grams of dietary fiber are already included in the total carbohydrate count, but because fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body can't digest, it does not affect your blood sugar levels. You may subtract the grams of fiber from the total carbohydrate."

5

Balance with protein. The best weight management plans combine a healthy balance of carbs, lean protein and fat. Using The Idaho Plate Method at every meal, aim to fill your plate with one-half vegetables, one-quarter whole grains and one-quarter lean protein. Use one serving (usually about a tablespoon or so) of a healthy fat, like olive oil on the veggies or whole grains for flavor.

6

Distinguish between good and bad carbs. This isn't as hard as it sounds. Bad carbohydrates are highly processed carbohydrates such as white bread or wheat bread made with "enriched wheat flour." Read ingredient labels carefully on wheat products to ensure that they are made with whole-wheat flour and don't contain high fructose corn syrup. Good carbs include all vegetables, most fruits and whole grains such as quinoa, whole-wheat rice and pasta and multigrain bread.