Hi everyone, welcome back to my blog! Today I want to talk about a topic that can be somewhat confusingt: how to calculate net carbs on a keto diet. Net carbs are the carbs that actually affect your blood sugar and ketosis, so they are the ones you need to track. But how do you figure out what are net carbs and what are not? Well, it’s not as hard as you might think. Let me explain.
First of all, you need to know what are total carbs. Total carbs are the amount of carbohydrates in a food or a product, including sugars, fiber, starches, and sugar alcohols. You can find this number on the nutrition facts label of most packaged foods, or you can use an online database or app to look it up.
However, not all total carbs are created equal. Some of them are not digested or absorbed by your body, or have a minimal impact on your blood sugar. These are the ones you can subtract from the total carbs to get the net carbs.
The most common ones are fiber and sugar alcohols. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body cannot break down, so it passes through your digestive system without raising your blood sugar. Sugar alcohols are a type of sweetener that have fewer calories and less effect on blood sugar than regular sugars. They are often used in keto-friendly products like bars, cookies, candies, and ice cream.
However, not all sugar alcohols are the same. Some of them, like erythritol and xylitol, have almost no impact on blood sugar, while others, like maltitol and sorbitol, have a moderate impact. That’s why you need to pay attention to the type of sugar alcohol in the product you’re eating.
The general rule is to subtract all of the fiber and half of the sugar alcohols from the total carbs to get the net carbs. For example, if a product has 20 grams of total carbs, 5 grams of fiber, and 10 grams of sugar alcohols (of which 5 grams are erythritol and 5 grams are maltitol), you would calculate the net carbs like this:
NET CARBS = TOTAL CARBS – FIBER – SUGAR ALCOHOLS & ALLULOSE
NET CARBS = 20 – 5 – (10 / 2)
NET CARBS = 10 grams
There is one more thing you need to know about net carbs: allulose. Allulose is a rare natural sugar that has almost no calories and no effect on blood sugar or insulin. It is also used as a sweetener in some keto products, and it behaves like a sugar alcohol in terms of net carbs. That means you can subtract all of the allulose from the total carbs as well.
For example, if a product has 15 grams of total carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 4 grams of erythritol, and 2 grams of allulose, you would calculate the net carbs like this:
NET CARBS = TOTAL CARBS – FIBER – SUGAR ALCOHOLS & ALLULOSE
NET CARBS = 15 – 3 – 4 – 2
NET CARBS = 6 grams
So there you have it: how to calculate net carbs on a keto diet. I hope this was helpful and cleared up some confusion for you. Remember, net carbs are the ones that matter for ketosis and blood sugar control, so make sure you track them accurately. And don’t forget to enjoy some delicious keto treats along the way!
Thanks for reading and see you next time! Andrew Alpaugh is a low carb eating technology buff who loves to learn new things.