It seems like everyone goes through a phase of counting carbs at one time or another. Whether you're taking part in a structured low carb diet like The Atkins Diet or you're just hoping to lose a little weight by cutting down on carbohydrates, keeping track of the carbs you eat is a good idea.
What is a Carb?

Carb is shorthand for carbohydrate. Carbs are found in food, and they're what our body uses for fuel. They are converted into sugars in the body, which are then used to fuel the brain, muscles and bodily functions.

While carbs are vital to good functioning of the body, it is possible to eat too many carbs, just as it is possible to overeat fat or protein. Counting carbs is particularly important to diabetics who use insulin, because they need to take enough insulin to balance the carbs and keep their bodies healthy. People on low carb diets count carbs in an effort to stay in ketosis, a phase in which more fat is burned because the body isn't getting enough carbs to fuel its activities.

Whatever the reason you're counting carbs, there are a few basics that can make it a little easier.

Understanding Serving Size

The most valuable weapon you have when counting carbs is the nutritional information printed on food packages of all kinds, from cheese to candy bars. The federal government requires packaged foods to list information including serving size, how many servings are in a package, the number of calories, amount of fat and carbs, and other basic nutritional information.

This is the place to start if you want to know how many carbs you are eating. Before you open a package of food, check out the serving size and how many carbs are in one serving.

For example, you might find that one peanut butter cup is a serving that contains 12 grams of carbohydrates. If you eat two, you're getting 24 grams. Paying attention to serving size is a big help in counting calories and fat as well.

This doesn't work just for prepared foods. If you're making yourself a sandwich, you need to add up the carbs in everything you're eating and, again, make sure you're sticking with or below the serving size.

As you first start keeping track of your carbohydrates, you'll probably want to actually measure out serving sizes, using your cup measures, tablespoons, even a scale if you need one.

Over time you'll be able to judge a little better what a tablespoon or half a cup looks like and you won't be chained to your measuring cups forever.

Counting Carbs in a Meal

The most difficult part for people keeping track of their carbohydrate intake is figuring carbs for all the ingredients in a meal, especially a meal that didn't come out of a box. At best you are only going to be able to come up with an estimate of how many carbs were in a particular meal.

Calorie calculators can help you estimate how many carbs were in a given meal, or you can try a carb counter online, such as:

Atkins Carb Counter
Carb Counter
Low Carb Friends
These sites are basically databases that include the carb counts of various meats, vegetables, prepared foods, spices and other foods you may use in your meal preparation. Again paying attention to the portion size and doing the math is key to success.

Not All Carbs Are Bad

When we think about carb counting, it's usually in the context of thinking that carbohydrates are something that should be avoided. While complex carbs are better for you, there is no need to cut out simple carbs entirely for a healthy diet. The key as in all things having to do with diet is moderation. The bulk of your diet should be made up of unprocessed, whole foods and grains, which do have a lot of carbs, but they are good for you. So if you're counting, remember that a low number is not always the best.