A newly diagnosed diabetic patient requires 2200 kcal, with 50% from carbohydrates. How many carbohydrate choices can the patient have at each meal if they have 3 snacks with 2 carbohydrate choices each?

To determine how many carbohydrate choices the patient can have at each meal, it's essential to start by calculating the total carbohydrate intake allowed for the day. Since the patient's diet requires 2200 kcal with 50% coming from carbohydrates, we can calculate the caloric intake from carbohydrates:

1. Calculate 50% of 2200 kcal:

[

2200 , \text{kcal} \times 0.50 = 1100 , \text{kcal}

]

2. Since carbohydrates provide 4 kcal per gram, we can convert the caloric intake from carbohydrates to grams:

[

\frac{1100 , \text{kcal}}{4 , \text{kcal/g}} = 275 , \text{grams of carbohydrates}

]

3. In terms of carbohydrate choices, it is commonly understood that one carbohydrate choice typically equals 15 grams of carbohydrates. Therefore, to find the total number of carbohydrate choices, we divide the total grams of carbohydrates by the number of grams per choice:

[

\frac{275 , \text{grams}}{15 , \text{grams/choice}} \approx 18.33 ,