Net carbs are a way to measure carbohydrates that a person will digest. To calculate net carbs, you calculate the total carbohydrates in a food product, and the fiber and sugar alcohols are subtracted from the total carbohydrate count. The total carbohydrates includes the fiber and sugar alcohols in the food product.
Fiber and sugar alcohols dont affect the blood sugar levels of an individual that the carbohydrates would affect. To calculate the net carbs in the food product, take the total carbohydrates listed on the nutrition label, subtract the fiber content, and then subtract the sugar alcohols listed on the nutrition label. The resulting number is the net carb count of the food product, which is the amount of carbohydrates that the body will be turn into glucose.
What Are Net Carbs and How to Count Them
Most vegetables contains low net carb counts because they typically contain high amount of fiber. Vegetables such as spinach, celery, cucumber, zucchini, and asparagus contain high fiber counts, thus contributing to the low net carb counts of these vegetable. Because of the low net carb counts of these vegetables, it is possible to eat large amounts of these vegetables as part of a meal without significant increasing the net carb count of the meal.
Fruits can contain varying net carb counts because the different types of fruit contain different amounts of fiber and sugar. Berries contains more fiber than other fruits, thus leading to lower net carb counts of berries. Fruits like bananas, on the other hand, contain more sugar and less fiber, leading to higher net carb counts of bananas.
The net carb counts of grains and starches are high because they contain a large amount of carbohydrates that the body can digest and relatively little fiber. Foods like a slice of bread, a cup of cooked rice, or a portion of baked potato will contain more net carbohydrates than a large portion of vegetables. Because grains and starches contain many net carbs, individuals that consume these foods must monitor the portion of grains and starches that they consume to maintain low levels of net carbohydrates in there diets.
Fiber content is a critical component of calculating the net carbs that a food product will contain. Foods that are high in fiber will contain fewer net carbohydrates than foods that have low counts of fiber. Many foods contain high counts of fiber.
Foods that are high in fiber include chia seeds, flax seeds, avocado, and broccoli. The fiber in these foods will help to keeping the net carb count of meals that include these foods low. Sugar alcohols will also impact the calculation of carbohydrates in foods.
However, not all types of sugar alcohols will impact the body in the same way. For instance, erythritol and allulose has little effect on the blood sugar levels of the individual that consumes these sugar alcohols. Consequently, the consumption of these food will not significantly increase the net carb count of foods that contain these sugar alcohols.
Other sugar alcohols, like maltitol and sorbitol do have an impact on the blood sugar levels of the individuals that consume these sugar alcohols. As a result, foods that contain these sugar alcohols will have a higher net carb count than foods that contain erythritol or allulose. Foods such as nuts, seeds, and dairy products will have different net carb counts that individuals that are calculating their net carbs intake should be consider.
Pecans and macadamia nuts has low net carb counts. However, sunflower seeds contains higher net carb counts than pecans or macadamia nuts. Cheese, plain eggs, and plain dairy products has a net carb count that is near zero.
Greek yogurt contains a moderate amount of net carbs, while cottage cheese has a net carb count that falls somewhere between cheese and Greek yogurt. Chicken and tuna, as protein, have zero net carbs. Using knowledge of the net carb counts of food groups, it is possible to make food swaps that will reduce the net carb counts of meals.
For instance, using spiralized zucchini for pasta will reduce the net carbs of a meal. Replacing rice with cauliflower rice will also reduce the net carb count of a meal. These food swaps will reduce the net carb count of meals because these foods have similar levels of volume and texture as the food that the cook is replace but contain fewer net carbs.
Overall, knowledge of net carbs counts allows individuals to make specific decision about the food that they eat. With a knowledge of net carbs counts, individuals can control the carb counts of their diet and reach there dietary goals.
