How do I calculate the carbs in a meal?

List every food on the plate, find the carbs for each one at the portion you eat, and add them up. For packaged food, use the total carbohydrate on the label times the servings you eat. For food without a label, use a database such as USDA FoodData Central. A cup of cooked white rice (45 grams of carbs) and a medium apple (25 grams) come to 70 grams of carbs.

What is the difference between carbs and net carbs?

Total carbs include starches, sugars and fiber. Net carbs are total carbs minus fiber, and usually minus sugar alcohols, because your body digests little of either. The calculator shows both, so you can track whichever number you prefer.

How accurate is this carb calculator?

The values are USDA averages for a typical portion, so they are a good guide but not exact for your food. Brands, recipes and ripeness change the numbers, and portions are rarely exactly a cup. For packaged food, the label on the package is more accurate than any average.

Carb Calculator: Count the Carbs in Your Meal

Q: How many carbs should I eat a day?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest getting 45 to 65 percent of your daily calories from carbohydrate. Each gram of carbohydrate has about 4 calories, so on 2,000 calories a day that is 225 to 325 grams. Low-carb and keto diets aim much lower. If you manage a medical condition, your care team sets your carb targets.

Carb calculator for food

Search for each food on your plate and set the servings. One serving is the portion shown under the food, so 2 means twice that amount and 0.5 means half. The totals update as you go.

Add a food

Your plate

White rice, cooked
1 cup (158 g) per serving
Servings
45 g
Apple
1 medium (182 g) per serving
Servings
25 g

Total carbs: 70 g
Fiber: 5 g
Net carbs: 65 g

How the carb calculator works

Each food has the total carbohydrate and dietary fiber for one typical portion, taken from USDA FoodData Central. The calculator multiplies those by your servings and adds up the plate. Net carbs are total carbs minus fiber. If you also want to subtract sugar alcohols from a packaged food, use the net carb calculator with the numbers from its label.

For packaged food, the nutrition label beats any average: read the carbohydrate line and multiply it by the servings you eat. On a US label that line includes fiber, while on an EU or UK label it already excludes it. To look up a food without adding it to a plate, the carbs in food chart lists all 100 foods in printable tables.

How many carbs should I eat a day?

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that adults get 45 to 65 percent of their daily calories from carbohydrate. A gram of carbohydrate has about 4 calories, so on 2,000 calories a day that comes to 225 to 325 grams of carbs. The National Academies set the recommended minimum for adults at 130 grams a day, the amount the brain uses. Enter your daily calories to see your range.

Calories per day

Carbs per day: 225 to 325 g

This range is a general guideline for healthy adults, not a personal target. Low-carb diets usually aim for under 130 grams a day, and keto diets for around 20 to 50 grams. If you manage a medical condition, your care team sets your carb targets.

Sources: USDA FoodData Central for the food values (per typical portion, carbs rounded to whole grams and fiber to the nearest 0.5 g); Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020 to 2025 for the 45 to 65 percent range; and the National Academies' Dietary Reference Intakes for the 130 gram minimum.

Carb Calculator