<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Maureen-
Will do my best to explain......
With the exchange program for example 1 starch is an exchange and it equal 15
grams for carbohydrates.  so based on that premise.....
for breakfast my son gets 60 grams of carbs
      lunch                         70 grams
      dinner                        60 grams
with 3- 15 gram snacks a day.

You can look on package labels for the carbohydrate counts per serving.
A dietician told us that by weighing home baked goods that 1 ounce equals 15
grams for carbs.  I don't know if this is exact but that is the formula that I
always use so as long as I am consistant then everything is fine.  I do have
to do a lot a weighing (because I don't trust my eye for size).  So for
example lunch may be a sandwich (with the bread weighing 45 grams (3 ozs) a 15
gram serving size of Fritos,  a box of raisins that are 11 grams, with a Diet
Coke.  That is his lunch per his 70 gram allotment.   The beauty of carb
counting is that no food is forbidden, granted he may only get a small amount
but he gets to feel like a "normal" kid.   He was diagnosed about the time
that they discovered that all sugars are equal, be it complex (starch) or
simple sugar. So his doctor told me to give him as much variety as possible
given the celiac limitations.

I hope that this explains things, if not let me know and I will try again,
and if you have any questions please feel free to write again.  We are all in
this together trying to help one another.

Good Luck
Beverly