Total Carbs VS Net Carbs

If you have ever read a protein bar nutrition facts label you will find that carbs are listed and then broken down by fibre content and sugar content.

In an effort to cash in on the low-carb craze, food manufacturers have invented a new category of carbohydrates known as "net carbs," which promises to let dieters eat the sweet and creamy foods they crave without suffering the carb consequences.

But the problem is that there is no legal definition of the "net," "active," or "impact" carbs popping up on food labels and advertisements. The only carbohydrate information regulated by the FDA is provided in the nutrition facts label, which lists total carbohydrates and breaks them down into  dietary fibre and sugars.

A Definition of Total Vs Net Carbs

Total carb is the count of all of the carbohydrate grams available in the food, including fiber, sugar alcohols, and other indigestible carbohydrate. Usable, impact, effective or "net" carbs are a measure of the total carb grams minus the indigestible carb grams.

Huh? - Say that Again?

In short, net carbs are total carbs without fibre. There are two types of fibre: soluble and insoluble. The reason why most people use net carbs (aka available carbohydrates) is because they believe that dietary fibre doesn't affect blood sugar and our body cannot derive any calories from it. However, this claim isn't entirely accurate because it only applies to insoluble fibre which cannot be absorbed and has no affect blood sugar and ketosis.

 

Should you count total or net carbs?

It depends on what your goal is and how sensitive to carbs you are. Some people may be affected by the tiniest amount of carbs from berries while others can eat most foods without any issues.
I personally prefer using total carbs. I still track both fibre and sugar content of my total carbs so that I can be sure that I am getting enough fibre and limiting sugar as much as possible.

What do the Experts Say?

There are differences of opinions amongst experts not only whether to count total or net carbs but also regarding the "ideal" carb level. Dr Volek & Phinney suggest that ~ 50 g of total carbs a day is enough to induce nutritional ketosis. This is 20-35 grams of net carbs depending on the fibre content. Most people on a ketogenic diet successfully follow this approach. This is the approach that I haven chosen to follow.

Take Home Message

My suggestion is this. Regardless please ensure that you keep your carbs low but in doing so keep your fibre intake as high as possible within the allotted 50 grams of carbs. It can be difficult. Nobody said it was easy but its pretty straight forward.