SmarTasty
Count calories with a photo
Our fast carbs score estimates the glycaemic load of a serving – how many quickly available carbs it provides. 10 means hardly any fast carbs.
The fast carbs score – shown on each recipe as “Fast carbs” – estimates the glycaemic load (GL, in US spelling glycemic load) of one serving: how many quickly available carbohydrates it provides. It combines the amount of carbs with how fast they’re available, so a big bowl of white rice counts for more than a few strawberries.
It describes the carbs in a dish, not what happens in your body. Protein, fibre, vinegar and whole fruit move the score up; sweet drinks move it down. For recipes that reach the top of the scale, see recipes with few fast carbs.
| What’s in the recipe | Points |
|---|---|
| Starting value | |
| Glycaemic load – the lower the load, the higher the start | 1 to 8 |
| Points added | |
| Protein – from 20 g, or 6 g per 100 kcal | +1 |
| Fibre – from 8 g, or 3 g per 100 kcal | +1 |
| Vinegar or sauerkraut – with a meal that contains carbs | +1 |
| Whole fruit – when the carbs come mainly from whole, fresh fruit | +1 |
| Points taken off | |
| Drink – from 15 g of carbs – carbs in drinks are available faster | −1 |
Maximum 10 points. Counts 25% towards the Health Score.
Recipes with few fast carbs: From 9.
Glycaemic load of a serving = available carbohydrates (without fibre) × glycaemic index ÷ 100. We estimate the index from the international GI tables, weighted by each ingredient’s share of the carbs.
Starting value: load up to 5 → 8 · up to 10 → 7 · up to 15 → 6 · up to 20 → 5 · up to 25 → 4 · up to 30 → 3 · up to 40 → 2 · above → 1.
Honey, maple syrup and coconut sugar count with their real index – they’re sugar too.
According to the WHO, sugar in whole fruit isn’t free sugar: if the carbs come mainly from whole, fresh fruit, the recipe gets an extra point. Juice and smoothies don’t count.
How your body responds also depends on you – the score is an estimate based on ingredients and nutrition values.
The score follows fixed rules, the same for every recipe. It doesn’t replace medical or dietary advice.
It combines the amount and the type of carbohydrate: the available carbs in a serving times the glycaemic index, divided by 100. Up to 10 counts as low, 20 or more as high.
The glycaemic index (GI) compares foods with the same amount of carbohydrate – it says nothing about how much you eat. The glycaemic load also counts the amount in a serving. Watermelon has a high GI, but a slice has a low load because it contains few carbs.
Honey, maple syrup and coconut sugar are mostly sugar. So they count with their measured glycaemic index – no stricter and no milder than table sugar.