Are you confused about net carbs? Not sure what they mean or how to calculate them?
Then you are in the right place! I am sharing with you everything you need to know about net carbs from how to calculate them.
Net carbs are essentially any carbs that are digestible, including simple carbs and complex carbs.
Your small intestine breaks down the carbs into their individual sugar units so they can be absorbed.
Some carbs (fiber and sugar alcohols) aren’t broken down into individual sugars, and thus they cannot be absorbed.
Since these types of carbs cannot be absorbed, we subtract them from the total carb count in order to calculate net carbs.
Calculating net carbs is simple. Subtract the fiber grams from the total carbs, and there you have it: the net carbs!
Net carbs = total carbs – fiber
Calculating the net carbs in processed foods is slightly less straightforward because you need more information.
Net carbs = total carbs – fiber (or half of IMO) – half of the sugar alcohol (or all of the sugar alcohol when it is erythritol or allulose)
There are advantages and disadvantages to counting net carbs, but ultimately, the choice is up to you.
If you would love to learn more about net carbs