# Carbs - how many in this meal / snack?



## mum2westiesGill (Nov 12, 2011)

Thought i'd start a thread for those of us who need a bit more assurance for how many carbs in a meal or snack.

Here goes

1st meal (lunch)

3 x rounds of bread (warburtons thick sliced)
philadelphia cheese spread (scraping)
tomato soup (full 400g can)

How many carbs would there be in this?


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## Robster65 (Nov 12, 2011)

Depending on how accurate you want to be..

The bread is about 18-20g per slice, so 3 slices would be about 55 - 60g

The soup would be about 30g.

The cheese you wouldn't count.

So, about 90g the lot.

This webiste gives you a list of nutrition details for most foods.. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calorie-chart-nutrition-facts

Hope this helps. 

Rob


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## mum2westiesGill (Nov 12, 2011)

Robster65 said:


> Depending on how accurate you want to be..
> 
> The bread is about 18-20g per slice, so 3 slices would be about 55 - 60g
> 
> ...



Cheers for the reply & help, i also just got my Carbs & Cals visual guide (bible) out & yes the bread is 20g per slice & the soup is down as weight: 410g & 30g carbs.


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## mum2westiesGill (Nov 12, 2011)

Going out for an Indian tonight so will probably be having:

chicken dupiaza / tikka masala or bhuna
pilau rice
naan bread

how many carbs would there be in this meal?


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## FM001 (Nov 12, 2011)

whiskysmum said:


> Going out for an Indian tonight so will probably be having:
> 
> chicken dupiaza / tikka masala or bhuna
> pilau rice
> ...





Would depend on the portion size and whether you finish the meal, it's far better to underestimate the carb value of the food and correct later than going hypo and spoiling the night.


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## mum2westiesGill (Nov 12, 2011)

toby said:


> Would depend on the portion size and whether you finish the meal, it's far better to underestimate the carb value of the food and correct later than going hypo and spoiling the night.



Thanks & will take your advice on board about the underestimating


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## Pumper_Sue (Nov 12, 2011)

whiskysmum,
                 re asking about the 1st meal soup and bread all this info is on the pkt


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## Robster65 (Nov 12, 2011)

Meals out is an impossible task really for anyone to estimate as it varies so much. You would need to know what a portion of rice, for instance, looks like on a plate and be confident to guess how much you are given compared to what you know.

You then need an idea of how much naan bread is (quite a lot ), how sweet the sauces are (often very) and any other extras. 

I've made pure guesses before, gone stupidly high and corrected, but at least the next time you have a better idea. It's really down to experience and a bit of educated guessing.

But, as Toby says, if you're not sure, underestimate, inect for that, then test after an hour, correct if you're going too high, and keep testing. You could easily go to the 20s after an hour and drop to 3 at 3 hours. So be prepared for an interesting evening !! 

Rob


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## trophywench (Nov 12, 2011)

I hate to say this, but there is sometimes sugar in Chick Tik Masala sauce, and each restaurant will be slightly different .... if in doubt about stuff, and I'd known I was having an Indian at the weekend, yesterday in Tescos I'd have looked at their 'take away' curries cos if memory serves me right, the nutrition info is on the packaging so I'd have checked it and scribbled it in my diary, to refer to on Saturday.   You then have to sort of decide whether it's about the same amount or not and adjust it up or down accordingly.  

Warburtons packets tell you what's in a slice - there's a column for '100g' and then to the right, it says per slice.  The medium sliced is 17.7g per slice.  So the thick sliced may be slightly more than 20g, dunno cos I never have thick LOL

Heinz soup cans ditto - a small can of tomato - 300g - is 30.1g so 400g would be 40g.  Think Tesco own brand is about the same.  So I'd have called it 100g.  (except personally I couldn't have eaten all that!)

I couldn't do that with soup by eyeballing, but I know it says that on the labelling and things I eat frequently I get to remember - so if I had a plate of cream of tomato out somewhere, I could give a good guess.

And apart from under-estimating to be on the safe side, the other thing is when eating out - don't ever do your jab till YOUR food is on the table, because if there is a delay and you've already had your jab ........ (I'm sure we've all been there done that and had to drink emergency 'full fat' Coke that we didn't want !!!)

Enjoy! - ooh and if drinking alcohol with/before or after the curry, underestimate a bit more too .....


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## mum2westiesGill (Nov 13, 2011)

How many carbs in this meal (Sunday Roast)?

pork steak (1 x)
mash (reasonable size portion)
cauliflower
white sauce (made up from the lazy way using granuels)
carrots
yorkshire pudding (1 x asda beef dripping yorkshire pudding)
gravy (made up with water / 2 x chicken stock cubes - used from cooking the pork)


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## trophywench (Nov 13, 2011)

You can't say 'reasonable portion'  !!!  ROFL - my husband's 'reasonable' is my 'gluttonous'! get a set of 'Add & Weigh' scales and do it properly LOL - we can't see your dinner so can't eyeball it.  Once you've weighed it, you'll always know that 2 of that serving spoon-fuls are X carbs ....

How many bits of spud did you start off with in the saucepan and what proportion of the whole did you have?

The carb count for the sauce and the Yorkshire should be on the packets.


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## FM001 (Nov 13, 2011)

whiskysmum said:


> How many carbs in this meal (Sunday Roast)?
> 
> pork steak (1 x)
> mash (reasonable size portion)
> ...





The biggie is the mashed potato and what you call a reasonable size portion, you'd need to weigh the mash before serving to get the carb value right.  

I can't eat mash, well I can but it spikes me something awful so always avoid.


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## mum2westiesGill (Nov 13, 2011)

trophywench said:


> You can't say 'reasonable portion'  !!!  ROFL - my husband's 'reasonable' is my 'gluttonous'! get a set of 'Add & Weigh' scales and do it properly LOL - we can't see your dinner so can't eyeball it.  Once you've weighed it, you'll always know that 2 of that serving spoon-fuls are X carbs ....
> 
> How many bits of spud did you start off with in the saucepan and what proportion of the whole did you have?
> 
> The carb count for the sauce and the Yorkshire should be on the packets.



Yeah i will be getting some 'Add & Weigh' scales for my 'reasonable portions' lol. I also just checked out the carb count for the Yorkshire & it says 10.7g.


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## trophywench (Nov 13, 2011)

You do have to become an expert in label reading, to get this done!  LOL

I can do it in French too, now!!


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## Pumper_Sue (Nov 14, 2011)

trophywench said:


> You do have to become an expert in label reading, to get this done!  LOL
> 
> I can do it in French too, now!!



Now whos showing off?


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## trophywench (Nov 14, 2011)

Sue, needs must etc!  If I was my friend and had a villa in Spain - I expect I'd be able to do it in Spanish too!

Hardly rocket science though  

French    Glucides
Spanish  Gl?cidos
Italian    Glucidi
Greek     - hang it, let's eat out!


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## elaine1969 (Nov 14, 2011)

If you get used to using the carbs and cals book for every mealtime and religiously read all the labels you will slowly get used to it.  I used to have a notebook and calculator each meal time and by the time I had worked everthing out poor Kate's dinner was cold!!  We are both so much better at it now and can usually guess quite accurately - Kate more so than me but then thats what having a young brain does for you.  We always play a game when she has a jacket potato - she guesses the carbs and I measure and calcualte it.  She is normally within 2g of carbs and is very proud of herself!!


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## mum2westiesGill (Nov 27, 2011)

Tuna & mayo sandwiches

4 x rounds bread (Hovis soft white farmhouse)
(i think this is about 17.8g per slice)
tuna
mayo

so how many carbs in the whole meal (lunch)?

*Gill*


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## Robster65 (Nov 27, 2011)

Hi Gill.

It might be better if you tell us what you think it is and we can tell you if you're right. It may add to your confidence and help you to recognise the things that have carb in or not.

Rob


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## Pumper_Sue (Nov 27, 2011)

whiskysmum said:


> Tuna & mayo sandwiches
> 
> 4 x rounds bread (Hovis soft white farmhouse)
> (i think this is about 17.8g per slice)
> ...



If you can't  work that out invest in a calculater 
Just a pointer for you though 4 slices of bread will do major damage  to your blood sugars that is a lot of startchy carbs in one go


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## mum2westiesGill (Nov 27, 2011)

Robster65 said:


> Hi Gill.
> 
> It might be better if you tell us what you think it is and we can tell you if you're right. It may add to your confidence and help you to recognise the things that have carb in or not.
> 
> Rob



Okey dokey here goes then
68g carbs in total for the bread
0 for the tuna
5g in total for the mayo

total = 73g carbs


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## Robster65 (Nov 27, 2011)

whiskysmum said:


> Okey dokey here goes then
> 68g carbs in total for the bread
> 0 for the tuna
> 5g in total for the mayo
> ...


 
I'd have said 0g for the mayo but I don't have a jar to hand.

So for me, it would be a straight 68g.

The point Sue makes about the bread is very important. White bread will raise your BG in an instant. Could you swap it for wholegrain ?

I eat 4 slices without a prob, but wholegrain slows things down a bit.

Rob


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## mum2westiesGill (Nov 27, 2011)

Pumper_Sue said:


> If you can't  work that out invest in a calculater
> Just a pointer for you though 4 slices of bread will do major damage  to your blood sugars that is a lot of startchy carbs in one go



Hi Sue,

I've got the calculator on my pc.
Yeah i know about the bread. White bread is the only bread i like i *hate *brown bread.


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## mum2westiesGill (Nov 27, 2011)

Robster65 said:


> I'd have said 0g for the mayo but I don't have a jar to hand.
> 
> So for me, it would be a straight 68g.
> 
> ...



Cheers Rob for your help & my little lessons here.  
I just was saying to Sue about the wholegrain but i really do hate it.


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## Robster65 (Nov 27, 2011)

Sadly, Gill, white bread is one of the worst things you can eat. 

It's up to you of course, but there's no way the insulin can match the way it rushes into the bloodstream. You risk a glucose spike which dies away quickly followed by a hypo as the insulin peaks.

Not good for your organs in the long term.

Rob


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