Does this tool tell me how much insulin to take?

No. It counts carbohydrate only. Your insulin-to-carb ratio has to come from your diabetes team — it can be different for breakfast than for dinner, and it changes over time. Bring the totals from here to that conversation.

Do I need to count protein and fat too?

Not for the immediate dose. But very high-fat meals can raise glucose for hours after eating, well past when a normal bolus has finished working — ask your team whether an extended or combination bolus suits your usual meals.

My roti or paratha looks bigger than the one listed here.

Weigh it once. The roti here is a 6-inch chapati made from about 30g of atta; a bigger tandoori roti or a ghee-heavy paratha carries noticeably more carbohydrate than the base entry — use the tandoori roti or naan entry instead if that is closer to what's on your plate.

Can I still eat rice, mithai and dessert?

Yes — carb counting exists precisely so you don't have to cut these out. Add them to the plate like anything else, keep the total inside your usual meal target, and dose for what you actually ate.

Why does the total look different from what a packaged food label says?

Labels are measured for that specific product. Home-cooked daal, karahi and halwa vary by household — the numbers here are averages for a typical preparation, not a measurement of your own kitchen's recipe.

Free tool

Carb counter

Built around the food people actually eat in Lahore — roti, chawal, daal, karahi, mithai. Add what's on your plate and watch the total build.

This counts carbohydrate, not insulin

The number on the plate is grams of carbohydrate. Turning it into an insulin dose needs your own insulin-to-carb ratio, which comes from your diabetes team — never from a website.

Roti (chapati)

1 medium, 6 inch

15g

Tandoori roti (large)

1 piece

25g

Naan (plain, tandoor)

1 piece

45g

Paratha (plain)

1 medium, 6 inch

20g

Puri

1 piece

Boiled rice (chawal)

1 plate (about 240g cooked)

65g

Biryani (chicken or mutton)

1 plate (about 250g)

45g

Pulao

1 plate (about 250g)

45g

Khichri

1 plate (about 250g)

45g

Daal (lentil curry)

1 katori (small bowl)

20g

Chana (chickpea curry)

1 katori (small bowl)

20g

Rajma (kidney bean curry)

1 katori (small bowl)

20g

Chicken curry / karahi

1 katori (small bowl)

Qeema (minced meat curry)

1 katori (small bowl)

Haleem

1 katori (small bowl)

25g

Nihari

1 katori (small bowl)

12g

Samosa

1 piece

20g

Pakora

4 pieces

15g

Chana chaat

1 plate

30g

Gulab jamun

1 piece

20g

Jalebi

2 pieces

20g

Barfi

1 piece

15g

Kheer (rice pudding)

1 katori (small bowl)

25g

Sooji halwa

1 small katori

15g

Laddoo (besan)

1 piece

20g

Chai (milk tea, 1 tsp sugar)

1 cup

12g

Sweet lassi

1 glass

25g

Cola / soft drink

1 can, 330ml

39g

Fresh fruit juice (sweetened)

1 glass

30g

Apple

1 small

15g

Banana

1 small

15g

Mango

½ medium mango

15g

Kinnow / orange

1 medium

15g

Watermelon

1 medium slice

15g

Guava

1 medium

15g

Plain yogurt (dahi)

1 katori (small bowl)

Milk (whole)

1 glass, 250ml

12g

Potato curry (aloo)

1 small katori

15g

Mixed vegetable curry

1 katori (small bowl)

Salad (cucumber, tomato, onion)

1 plate

Your plate

Total carbohydrate

0 carb choices · 1 choice = 15g carbohydrate

Meal target

Tap a food below to add it to your plate.

How carb counting works for type 1 diabetes

Carbohydrate is the nutrient that raises blood glucose fastest and by the most, which is why insulin doses are built around it rather than around calories or any other nutrient.

If you take rapid-acting insulin with meals, your diabetes team will have given you an insulin-to-carb ratio — a number of grams of carbohydrate covered by one unit of insulin. This tool counts the carbohydrate on your plate; it does not calculate a dose. Multiply the total here by your own ratio, or check it with your team if you are not yet using one.

Where this list says a plate, it means a standard dinner plate holding about 240g of cooked rice; a katori is a small serving bowl of roughly 150ml. Both vary from house to house. Weigh your own once against these and you will know whether your usual serving counts as one or two.

Portions here are typical home servings in Lahore, not restaurant servings, which usually run bigger. The only way to know your own roti or your own karahi is to weigh it a few times — a kitchen scale is the most useful thing a newly diagnosed household can own.

Protein and fat do not raise glucose the way carbohydrate does, so they are not counted here. But a heavy, oily meal — a big karahi night, a plate of biryani and dessert — can raise glucose slowly for hours afterward even with the right carb dose. Ask your team about extended or combination boluses if this keeps happening to you.

Common questions

Does this tool tell me how much insulin to take?: No. It counts carbohydrate only. Your insulin-to-carb ratio has to come from your diabetes team — it can be different for breakfast than for dinner, and it changes over time. Bring the totals from here to that conversation.
Do I need to count protein and fat too?: Not for the immediate dose. But very high-fat meals can raise glucose for hours after eating, well past when a normal bolus has finished working — ask your team whether an extended or combination bolus suits your usual meals.
My roti or paratha looks bigger than the one listed here.: Weigh it once. The roti here is a 6-inch chapati made from about 30g of atta; a bigger tandoori roti or a ghee-heavy paratha carries noticeably more carbohydrate than the base entry — use the tandoori roti or naan entry instead if that is closer to what's on your plate.
Can I still eat rice, mithai and dessert?: Yes — carb counting exists precisely so you don't have to cut these out. Add them to the plate like anything else, keep the total inside your usual meal target, and dose for what you actually ate.
Why does the total look different from what a packaged food label says?: Labels are measured for that specific product. Home-cooked daal, karahi and halwa vary by household — the numbers here are averages for a typical preparation, not a measurement of your own kitchen's recipe.