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This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice.
You might be asking what carbs and net carbs are and why you should care if you’re on low-carb or ketogenic diets. Carbohydrates are typically the first thing you look for when examining nutrition information while following such diets. However, the label contains information beyond just carbs. Carbohydrates include fiber, sugar, and sugar alcohols. To ensure you don’t eat over your daily carbohydrate allowance, it’s essential to know which ones to pay attention to.
What are net carbs?
Net carbs are the types of carbohydrates that the body can fully digest into glucose. To understand this better, it is vital to know the types of carbohydrates that we consume.
There are two main types of carbohydrates: simple carbs and complex carbs. Simple carbs comprise just one or two sugar molecules and are found in food and drinks such as fruits, soda, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, candy, and desserts. Because of the structure of simple sugars, they can be digested easily by the body.
Complex carbs are different in that they contain longer molecule chains. This means that it takes more time to break them down, making them a better energy source for the body. Some foods that are considered complex carbs include pasta, rice, cereal, beans and legumes, and corn.
This is critical when counting your carbs because the body is unable to digest some complex carbs, such as fiber fully. Therefore, complex carbs are not counted when calculating net carbs.
Net carbs vs. total carbs
While net carbs are the carbs your body can digest and turn into glucose, total carbs are net carbs plus all the other carbohydrates in your meals, including dietary fiber and starches.
Why net carbs are important
Consuming carbs even when you’re on a ketogenic diet can be good, as long as it’s in moderation. In fact, people can benefit more from high-quality carbs. Excess carbohydrates, however, can cause health issues, such as inflammation, large fluctuations in blood sugar, disruption of hormones, and contributions to diabetes and obesity. This is especially true for refined carbs such as bread or sweet desserts.
Knowing your net carbs can help you keep track of your actual digestible carbohydrate intake that is required to lose weight and stay healthy. On a keto diet, this can significantly help you consume a minimal carb intake (just about under 50 grams per day) so that you can maintain a state of ketosis, which is the metabolic state of burning fat rather than glucose.
How to calculate net carbs
Calculating net carbs is simple enough. You simply take your total carbs and subtract fiber and sugar alcohols from this figure. It helps to remember that not all sugar alcohols are truly carb-free. Some food manufacturers label items as “low-carb” when they actually contain more carbs than they claim.
When calculating your net carbs, keep in mind that the following sugar alcohols do not count towards net carbs:
- Erythritol
- Xylitol
- Mannitol
- Lactitol
These sugar alcohols, on the other hand, partially count toward net carbs:
- Maltitol
- Sorbitol
- Isomalt
- Glycerin
Each gram of these sugar alcohols that count partially toward net carbs counts as half a gram of carbs. So to include them in your calculation, total the number of grams from these sugar alcohols and divide them by two and then add it to your overall carb count. For example:
Net carbs = total carbs – fiber – sugar alcohols + (isomalt / 2)
It is a good rule of thumb to keep your sugar alcohols intake below 15 grams. Be more cautious when including maltitol, mannitol, and sorbitol in your diet. Sugar alcohols can ferment thanks to your gut bacteria. This creates gas and causes bloating in your small intestine.
It helps to follow these guidelines when finding the best net carb intake that works for you as everybody is different.
Net carbs and weight loss
Counting your net carbs does not just help with monitoring calorie intake. It can also support weight loss. This is because foods with low net carbs can stabilize your blood sugar, reduce food cravings, and help you feel full for longer.
If you’re trying keto for the first time, it can help to track only your carbohydrate intake, a method called lazy keto. You can focus on consuming whole foods that are naturally low in net carbs so that you can maintain your calorie count while also supporting your metabolic health.
Low carb intake is the basis of the ketogenic diet and it is one of the reasons why keto can help people lose weight.
FAQs
There are some questions you may still have about net carbs after reading all this information.
What are net carbs vs. regular carbs?
Regular carbs are also known as total carbs. It is basically all the carbohydrates you consume, including starches, dietary fiber, and sugar alcohol. Net carbs, on the other hand, only count sugars that can easily be digested by the body. This does not include dietary fiber and sugar alcohol.
What’s an example of a net carb?
Let’s use a banana as an example here. One large banana has 31 grams in total carbs. It also has 3.5 grams of fiber. This gives us a net carb balance of 27.5 grams.
Should you count carbs or net carbs?
It is easier to start out by counting total carbs in your diet. As you get used to counting, you can then move on to subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols to figure out your net carbs, especially if you want to focus on low glycemic index foods.
Conclusion
To maintain a healthy metabolism and body, tracking net carbohydrates is a fantastic approach. It helps you make informed decisions about the carbs you consume and increases your fiber intake. With the use of this knowledge, you may create a diet strategy that will keep you in ketosis by including low-net-carb items on a regular basis.
A low-carb or keto diet’s main objective is to replace the majority of carbohydrates with wholesome fats and protein. But it’s also crucial to understand how to utilize your carbohydrates as efficiently as possible, which is what counting net carbs is for.
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