How to Count Carbs in Your Recipes
Thanks to the popularity of the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet and other similar plans, it's easy to find low-carb products in grocery stores and on the Internet. There are also some handy carb counter tools for processed and packaged foods, but how do you go about counting carbs in your regular recipes?
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Instructions
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Break down your recipe into the individual components and measurements for each (for example, 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup nuts).
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Use your carb counter and look up the total carb count for the first ingredient listed in your recipe. Depending upon which counter you use, you may have to determine the net carbs by subtracting the fiber grams from the carb grams. Most counters do this automatically for you. Look for the "net carbs" column in any counter.
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Use the carb counter to look up the total carb count for all of the other ingredients in your recipe, using the same procedure as above.
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Total the carb amounts from each ingredient to arrive at a sum. Divide that sum by the total number of servings listed in the recipe (or the total number of servings you plan on making from the recipe). Some carb counters will do the totaling for you.
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If the carb count per serving for the recipe is too high, consider using small portions. Or substitute lower-carb versions of the ingredients--for example, soy flour for wheat flour or spaghetti squash for pasta.
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Tips & Warnings
If you're in a hurry, some carb counters will give you the carb counts for an average homemade recipe, such as lasagna or cheesecake. Baked goods are the most difficult when it comes to substitutions. For those, you might consider chucking the old recipe and trying to find a close match that was designed for low-carb eating from the start.
