How We Estimate Carbs and Nutrition
Every recipe on County Carb shows carbs, fiber, net carbs, protein, fat and calories per serving. We do not guess those numbers. We do not copy them from a random label either. We build them from the ingredient list, one line at a time, using USDA FoodData Central. This page walks through the whole method so you know what you are looking at.
Step 1: Every ingredient line gets a gram weight
Cups and spoons are handy at the stove. They are poor for math. A cup of shredded cheese packed tight weighs more than a cup tossed in loosely. So behind every ingredient line, we record a weight in grams.
When a recipe says 2 large eggs, we count 100 g, because USDA lists a large egg at 50 g. When it says 1 tablespoon of butter, we count 14.2 g. For produce we use the part you actually eat: trimmed broccoli florets, peeled onion, pitted avocado. Salt and water are in the list too. They simply add nothing.
Step 2: Multiply by USDA values per 100 g
Each ingredient is matched to one entry in USDA FoodData Central, from the SR Legacy dataset. That dataset gives nutrients per 100 g. We scale those values to the weight used in the recipe.
Here is a real example. Our almond flour entry lists 18.67 g carbs and 9.9 g fiber per 100 g, USDA FoodData Central. If a recipe uses 56 g of almond flour, that line adds:
- Carbs: 18.67 × 0.56 = 10.46 g
- Fiber: 9.9 × 0.56 = 5.54 g
We do the same for every line. Then we add the lines together to get totals for the whole dish.
Step 3: Divide by servings
The total for the dish is divided by the number of servings the recipe states. If that almond flour batter makes 4 servings, the flour adds about 2.6 g carbs and 1.4 g fiber to each one.
The serving count matters. Cut the same pan into 6 pieces instead of 4 and each piece carries less. Eat two pieces and you double it. When a recipe says it serves 4, we mean 4 equal portions of the finished dish.
Step 4: Net carbs
Net carbs is a simple subtraction: total carbs minus fiber. In the example above, 2.6 g minus 1.4 g leaves about 1.2 g net carbs per serving from the flour.
We always show total carbs and fiber next to net carbs. That way you can see all three and use whichever number you track.
Step 5: Rounding
We calculate with every decimal and round only at the end, for display. Because of that, total carbs minus fiber on a card can differ from the net carb figure by a tenth of a gram or so. That is rounding, not a mistake.
A few special cases
Almond flour is calculated as blanched almonds
Blanched almond flour is blanched almonds ground fine. So we match it to the USDA entry for blanched almonds. Some brands grind almonds with the skins on, and some press out part of the oil first. Their labels will read a little differently from ours.
Raw shrimp and canned coconut milk
USDA has no fiber value for raw shrimp or for canned coconut milk in SR Legacy. We count fiber as 0 for both. For shrimp this changes nothing, since the entry also lists 0 g carbs. For coconut milk it means net carbs equal total carbs for that ingredient. That is the cautious way to handle a missing value.
Stevia
Our desserts use pure stevia extract powder. The USDA entry lists it at 100 g carbs per 100 g, USDA FoodData Central. That sounds like a lot until you look at the amount. Our recipes call for a pinch up to a small fraction of a teaspoon, which weighs well under a gram. Split across servings, it adds very little. We still count it, line by line, like everything else.
Sweetener swaps are not counted
Plenty of cooks swap in a monk fruit or erythritol blend instead of stevia. Our numbers do not include those swaps. Every dessert estimate is calculated with the stevia listed in the recipe. If you use a different sweetener, check the label on that package.
Why your numbers may not match ours
Two cooks can make the same recipe and land on different numbers. Here is why.
- Brands. One jar of marinara or salsa can differ a lot from the next. We use USDA's general entry, not the brand in your cart.
- Sizes. A medium zucchini at one store can outweigh a large one at another. Eggs, peppers and avocados vary the same way. A kitchen scale settles it.
- How you measure. Scooped almond flour packs denser than spooned flour. A heaping tablespoon is not a level one.
- Swaps and add-ins. Trade cheddar for mozzarella, add an extra onion or a handful of berries, and the numbers move.
- Raw or cooked weights. Most of our entries use raw weights, because that is how you shop and measure. Bacon is the exception. We enter it by cooked weight, since that is how most people measure crumbled bacon.
What these numbers are, and what they are not
Our figures are careful estimates built from public USDA data. They are not a lab analysis of the finished dish. Ingredients vary, ovens vary, and portions vary.
We publish them so you can compare recipes, plan a week of cooking and know roughly what is on the plate. If you want tighter numbers for your own kitchen, weigh your ingredients and use the labels on the packages you bought. The method on this page works the same way at home: weight times the value per 100 g, add it up, divide by servings.
Every number on the site traces back to one USDA entry. If something looks off, we can recheck it line by line, and we do.
