• Round numbers with decimal points up and down  
• Check if label describes food as cooked or as sold  
• Start by comparing the carbohydrate food (rice, pasta etc.) on its own, before you add sauces and other protein foods or vegetables) 

Some extra tips that you may find useful when carb counting is when you’re looking at the value per 100g or serving, check if the value is for the foods as prepared (or cooked) or as sold, (in the packet before cooking). 

Food cooked in water gains weight from the water, but the carbohydrate content stays the same as it was before cooking. Examples of this are rice and pasta, so we would want to weigh the pasta/rice once it has been cooked if the label states the values are for cooked food. 

Food that shrinks or dehydrates in cooking lose water and weight. Baked or Roast potatoes are an example of this. 

The values you find in the Carbs & Cals books and apps are usually for cooked foods however some reference lists may give you values for both dried and cooked foods. 

💡 The next section describes how to use the Carbs &Cals and other reference information.