What Are Net Carbs?
What Are Net Carbs?
Understanding the Basics of Net Carbs
The basics of eating healthy sound easy enough: Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, drink enough water, and get a good balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. However, figuring out exactly what that balance should be can be confusing, especially when it comes to carbs. That’s why some people track their "net carbs" as well as their total carbs.
What are Macros?
Tracking macronutrients (macros) is a useful way to analyze your daily food choices. Macros—which include fats, proteins, and carbohydrates—provide the fuel your body needs for all physical activities, including automatic functions like digestion and immune responses.
Understanding Net Carbs
Net carbs is a term that refers to the total amount of fully digestible carbohydrates a particular food contains. It’s the total number of grams of carbohydrates minus the grams of fiber and half the amount of sugar alcohols. Fiber and sugar alcohols are both types of carbohydrates. Neither affects blood sugar the same way other types of carbs do.
How Your Body Digests Different Types of Carbs
Carbohydrates are converted to sugars, which enter the bloodstream to provide quick energy that your body can use immediately. However, there are different types of carbohydrates and they don’t all break down the same way. Foods that are high in simple sugars and simple carbs—such as soda, candy, or sweet baked goods—can be digested very quickly.
Insoluble and Soluble Fiber Carbs
Tracking net carbs will tell you how much fiber you’re eating—and if you’re getting enough. Fiber-rich diets have been associated with better health and helps with weight control. The problem is, most Americans don’t get the daily recommended amounts of dietary fiber. There are two types of fiber: insoluble and soluble, though you won’t see these listed separately on nutrition labels.
Sugar Alchohol Carbs
Sugar alcohol is a type of carbohydrate. Food manufacturers are not typically required to list them on the nutrition facts label but sometimes do. If it’s not listed, you can look at the ingredients list. Sugar alcohols are essentially flavorings with half the calories of sugar. Because they don’t break down in the gut, sugar alcohol can ferment and lead to gas, bloating, and diarrhea.
How to Calculate Net Carbs
Figuring out net carbs isn’t complicated. You can find your net carbs number by finding the fiber and sugar alcohol amounts on nutrition labels, then subtracting those two numbers from the total carbohydrates number on the label. The ADA cautions that you can’t be completely sure what effects fiber carbohydrate and sugar alcohols will have on your blood sugar unless you know exactly what types in the food you’re eating.
The Bottom Line
Tracking macros and looking at your daily fiber consumption may be a helpful tool for weight loss or achieving your fitness goals. And boosting your fiber can improve your health in more ways than one.
FAQs
- What are net carbs?
- Net carbs is a term that refers to the total amount of fully digestible carbohydrates a particular food contains.
- How do I calculate my net carbs?
- Find the fiber and sugar alcohol amounts on nutrition labels, then subtract those two numbers from the total carbohydrates number on the label.
- Do I need to count my net carbs if I have diabetes?
- Yes, if you have diabetes or prediabetes, ask your doctor whether you should be counting net carbs, tracking carbs and fiber separately, or relying on total carb counts.
