Net or total carbs

(Brittany L Kerstetter) #1

Do total carbs matter if you’re staying under 20g net carbs or right at 20? Everyone says something different so I’m curious.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #2

Theoretically, ‘net’ carbs = all carbs - fibre. So the general consensus is that you can ignore the fibre and go by net carbs. But…

The assumption is that fibre is indigestible and so just passes through without doing much of anything nutritionally. That may or may not be the case generally or for specific fibres. I think that’s where the confusion arises. There are ‘soluble’ and ‘insoluble’ fibres. The so-called soluble fibres apparently end up in the blood, although I don’t think they affect insulin or glucose. Many so-called insoluble fibres actually provide nourishment to gut bacteria.

For those reasons, some people advocate ‘total’ rather than ‘net’ carbs be used.

More importantly, in my opinion, is that some/many food producers play with numbers to make it look like their product contains more ‘fibre’ and so less ‘net’ carbs than is really the case. So you have to do your homework and make sure, from multiple sources, that suspiciously low total and/or net carbs claims are actually truthful. Keeping your carbs sub-20 grams per day gets easier as you go.

(Robert C) #3

The best rule I have heard to overcome this issue is:

  • Count total carbs on anything man-made or refined (protein bars, almond flour etc.) that has a label (essentially assuming labels have numbers that can be played with and/or refined things hit your system that will spike insulin).
  • Count net carbs on real whole foods that don’t have labels - for example, broccoli is almost half fiber in terms of carbs - just get the net carbs from the internet.

This approach has 2 positive benefits.

  1. It is very unlikely you will accidentally go over 20 grams of carbs due to an inaccurate label on your “Birthday Cake” Quest bars or “Keto” pizza.
  2. It provides a nice penalty for eating processed foods. If you’re trying to feel full and, using this method of counting, half a Quest bar is the same as a pile of buttery cheese covered broccoli - its easier to load up on the broccoli. And, of course, you know the other half of the Quest bar will go down after the sweet taste hits - and so will more if you have a box of those in the pantry.
(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #4

Fiber, whether soluble or insoluble, is supposed to be indigestible, or it would be considered a nutrient. What exactly the benefits of eating fiber are—on a ketogenic diet anyway—are up for debate at the moment. (Dr. Fung says, “If you’re not eating the poison [carbohyradte], you don’t need the antidote [fiber].” Other people say that fiber is essential to gut health, keto or not.)

Dr. Westman’s advice to his patients at Duke University is to count total carbohydrate; Dr. Phinney’s group, Virta Health, recommend something like 30 g total, so you can be sure to stay below 20 g net.

What is beyond question is that the body has no need whatsoever of any carbohydrate at all in the diet; the small amount of glucose it needs can easily be produced in the liver from protein or fat. Whether to count net or total carbs is up to you, but be careful to know the labeling laws in your country. In some countries, the number of grams listed next to the word “carbohydrate” is the total amount, including fiber; in other countries the amount is net carbohydrate.

So in one country you are all set if you want to count net carbs and you have to do some arithmetic if you want to count total; while in another country you are all set if you want to count total but have to do arithmetic if you want to count net. Clear as mud, I know. :grinning:

(mole person) #5

I like this rule too. I’d add to it that if ground fibres are having an increased metabolic impact then one should probably count total carbs from ground fibrous foods even if there is no label. In other words if you are grinding or blending your nuts, seeds, or vegetables at home to make flours, or sauces, or soups it might be wise to count total carbs for those products as well.

Ooh, I hadn’t heard this recommendation from them. I like it too. It’s a much simpler rule to follow than the above.

#6

Here’s a poll a lot of people participated in last year.

(traci simpson) #7

I say total carbs.