Net carbs cconfusion

(Fee) #1

Hi, I’ve noticed that in some of the discussion it has been mentioned to reduce veggies to reduce carb intake however when I look a veg up it says that the carbs are all but the same as the fiber which I understand you minus to get net carbs. This is where my confusion comes in. If I eat a big bowl of spinach which has 2.2g carbs and 1.3g fiber does that mean I’ve consumed 0.9 g net carbs from that meal? If so why are people saying to reduce veggies intake to stay in ketosis. Another example of my confusion in this area is something like almonds that have say 1.4g carbs and 1.8g fiber does this just take me to 0 net carbs or into a minus. Any advise greatly appreciated. Also this is a very helpful forum so keep up the hard work.

(bulkbiker) #2

What country do you live in? Labelling in the US includes fibre in the carb count whereas other countries like the UK exclude fibre from the carb count.

For example here the net carb count for the spinach would be 1.6g per 100g
The 2.2g of fibre has not been included in the carb total so if you wanted the total carbs like in the US you have to add the fibre to the carb count to get 3.8g of total carb.

Does that help?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #3

We recommend reducing carb intake to under 20 g/day in order to keep insulin secretion low. Vegetables are carbohydrates, but leafy green vegetables, such as broccoli, lettuce, spinach, kale, cucumber, and the like contain a lot of water, so they are actually lighter in carbohydrate than an equivalent mass of, say, potatoes or wheat, which are almost entirely carbohydrate. So you can eat a fair amount of broccoli or salad and still stay under 20 g/day. And if, like many people on these forums, you subtract from the total amount of carbohydrate the soluble and insoluble fiber, which is indigestible, and only count the digestible carbohydrate, then you can eat even more. Some people keep their net carbs under 20 g/day, others keep their total carbs under 20 g/day. Some people even eat no carbohydrate at all. All are perfectly acceptable keto options.

(karen) #4

  1. Not all veggies are created equal. Some like carrots, tomatoes, beets and onions are actually on the higher end if you’re strictly trying to stay below 20g - a big old mixed veggie salad with plenty of those plus a milk or yogurt dressing and a bit of cheese could get you close to 20 carbs!

  2. I don’t believe there are any natural foods that come out with negative net carbs. If the label implies negative net carbs, it’s one of two things: the fiber has already been subtracted from the carb total (UK way of listing) or the label is wrong.

(LeeAnn Brooks) #5

I think what your seeing is in response to stalls.

Some stalls are quite perplexing and it’s hard to pinpoint what causes them.

THere are those who will recommend going zero carbs, which basically means full on carnivore, as a way to break a stall. I dont believe they mean to intend that veggies are bad (though some certainly are high in carbs and should be avoided altogether or only eaten in moderation) but as a way to shake things up if someone is experiencing a stall they can’t figure out.

(Fee) #6

Thanks for your responses I guess I was more interested in knowing more about carbs and net carbs. I really only eat the leafy vegetables, I’m a salad girl. I’m in Australia so not sure how our labelling works here. I’ve been using the myfittness pal app which doesn’t have net carbs so I’m trying to work it out myself.
Thanks for your help.

(Fee) #7

This is a shot of the macros from the myfittness pal app the carbs are at 9g and the fiber is 14g when you minus the fiber it goes into minus. This is more where my confusion has come from.

Screenshot_20180711-213320_MyFitnessPal.jpg1080×2220 267 KB

#8

I’m guessing this must be a setting in MFP that’s causing net carbs to show instead of total. I don’t use it but maybe someone else can clarify.

One thing I can say for sure is that anytime fiber grams are higher than carb grams, then it’s net carbs that you are looking at already, so no subtracting. By definition, total carbs will be at least as high as the fiber. Hope that helps!

I’d also recommend for the long run it’s really going to help you to make keto a lifestyle to figure out how labelling works where you live. For one thing, I have heard there are some wildly inaccurate listings in MFP, and you’ll never know unless you’re able to double check yourself when things look odd.

(LeeAnn Brooks) #9

MFP depends on the item you select. Since most of them are imputed by users, many will be with net carbs already. But if you use the bar code or select one where the user input total carbs, it will not have the fiber subtracted.

My guess is you’re getting a combination of the two and that’s why you’re showing a higher fiber count than carbs. It’s literally not possible to have a negative carb amount. It’s either that or one of the entries you selected was completely jacked up. You can click on each of your diary entries to see the macros on each and see if something looks really off.

I try to use the bar code scanner whenever possible. This will give you total carbs vs net, but the values are coming from the manufacture vs some random person who may or may not know what they are doing. And then if I stay under 20g, I know I’m really under 20g. Though I don’t freak out if I end at 23-24 since I know some of it’s fiber.

If there’s no bar code, I will google first and then select an entry that closely matches what I’ve found.

#10

This is almost certainly the right answer. I’ve experienced the same thing. It’s annoying but you can just figure the math by hand if you look at each individual item.

(Fee) #11

Thanks. Yes I scan bar codes where possible. I’ve just done some research and Australian labels are net carbs. Thanks for you valuable advise. I was getting very confused.