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Carbohydrate Calculator

How many carbs a day? Grams of carbohydrate from your calories for standard, moderate, low-carb or keto eating, per day and per meal.

Carbohydrates are the body's main source of fuel, especially for the brain and for hard exercise. How many you eat is one of the most common questions in nutrition — standard guidelines suggest about half your calories from carbs, while low-carb and ketogenic diets use far less. This calculator shows what each approach means in grams for your calorie intake.

Enter your daily calories and the number of meals, choose an approach, and you get your carbohydrate range per day and per meal, with the calories it supplies. A table compares all approaches at your calorie level, alongside the 130 g Recommended Dietary Allowance. Nothing you enter is stored or sent.

How to use Carbohydrate Calculator

  1. Enter your daily calories.
  2. Enter how many meals you eat a day.
  3. Choose an approach: standard, moderate, low carb or keto.
  4. Read your daily and per-meal carbohydrate range.

Features

  • Daily and per-meal carbohydrate grams.
  • Standard, moderate, low-carb and keto ranges.
  • Share of calories and calories from carbs.
  • All approaches compared at your calorie level.
  • Runs in your browser; nothing is stored or sent.

The approaches

Carbohydrate advice ranges widely. The standard range is the US Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range; lower ranges follow common definitions used in research on low-carbohydrate diets.

ApproachCarbohydratesAt 2,000 kcal
Standard45–65% of calories225–325 g
Moderate26–44% of calories130–220 g
Low carbunder 26%, at most 130 g50–125 g
Keto (very low carb)20–50 g a day20–50 g

How the grams are calculated

Carbohydrates provide about 4 kcal per gram. The calculator multiplies your calories by the share for the approach and divides by 4. For 2,000 kcal at 45–65%, that is 900–1,300 kcal from carbs, or 225–325 g. The low-carb range is capped at 130 g however many calories you eat, and keto is a fixed 20–50 g because ketosis depends on the amount of carbohydrate rather than its share. The Recommended Dietary Allowance of 130 g a day is the average amount the brain uses; the body can make glucose from other nutrients, which is why very low-carb diets are possible.

Choosing what suits you

Studies comparing low-carb and higher-carb diets for weight loss find similar results over the long run when calories are equal; the best diet is the one you can stick to. Lower-carb eating can help some people with blood sugar control, while athletes doing long or intense training usually perform better with more carbohydrate. Quality matters as much as quantity: vegetables, fruit, whole grains and legumes bring fiber, vitamins and minerals, while sugary drinks and refined snacks add calories with little else.

Total carbs, net carbs and sugar

The grams here are total carbohydrates, as shown on nutrition labels in the US. Some low-carb plans count net carbs instead — total carbohydrate minus fiber — because fiber is not digested into glucose; in the UK and EU, labels already list carbohydrate without fiber. Whichever you count, be consistent. Free sugars, the sugars added to food plus those in honey, syrups and fruit juice, should stay under 10% of calories according to the World Health Organization, whatever your overall carbohydrate intake.

Safety notes

If you have diabetes and take insulin or other glucose-lowering medicine, cutting carbohydrates can cause low blood sugar; talk to your doctor before changing your diet, as doses may need adjusting. Ketogenic diets are not advised during pregnancy or breastfeeding without medical supervision, and may not suit people with some kidney, liver or pancreas conditions or a history of eating disorders. To plan protein and fat as well, use the Macro Calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How many carbs should I eat a day?

Standard guidance is 45–65% of calories, which is 225–325 g on a 2,000 kcal diet.

How many carbs is low carb?

Usually under 26% of calories and no more than 130 g a day.

How many carbs on keto?

Typically 20–50 g a day.

What is the minimum carbohydrate intake?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance is 130 g a day, the average the brain uses.

How many carbs per meal?

Divide your daily range by the number of meals; the calculator shows it for you.

Is my information stored?

No. Everything is calculated in your browser.

Should people with diabetes use this?

Only together with advice from their doctor, especially when taking insulin or other glucose-lowering medicine.

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