PLEASE HELP! New to keto, how does sugar convert to net grams?

(Alex) #1

Hi, i’m new to the keto diet (on day 5 currently) and am curious as to how sugar should be considered when figuring out the net grams of something. I’ve read on certain websites that 1 gram of sugar should be counted as one net carb if consumed on the keto diet. for example, one cup of cauliflower contains 5g carbs, 2g fiber, and 2g of sugar. so by certain conversion methods i’ve seen online, the net carbs for one serving of cauliflower should be 5g carbs - 2g fiber = 3g net carbs, right?? or should i also add in the 2g of sugar and count this as 5g net carbs?? can’t seem to find a clear answer to this question online. any feedback from anyone who is a bit more informed than i am would be much appreciated!!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

In the United States, the fiber grams are included in the total. Since we can’t digest fiber, some people consider it appropriate to subtract the fiber from the total. In other parts of the world, the carbohydrate number already excludes fiber, so you don’t subtract it again.

Wherever you are in the world, however, the sugar amount is included in the carb amount, so don’t do anything with it. Just be aware that it’s there. Personally, I try to avoid foods when their carb content is mostly sugar.

(Alex) #3

Paul,

thanks so much for the quick response! i appreciate that bit of info. i am located in the states, for what it’s worth. this is going to help me out a lot going forward. thanks again!

(Alex) #4

Paul,

i do have one more quick question, semi unrelated to my initial post, which is, do you have a recommendation as to how many grams of sugar i should limit myself to daily? i try not to consume it all since i know it has no health benefits, but inevitably, it comes in certain keto foods that i do enjoy (example 2g of sugar per serving of cauliflower). should i try to limit myself to around 10g daily maximum? more? less? or should i just not count it as long as i’m eating healthy, keto-recommended foods and following my macro count? thanks.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #5

The problem with table sugar, sucrose, is that it is composed of two simpler sugars: glucose and fructose. All carbohydrates contain glucose, which is why they stimulate the secretion of insulin (too much glucose in the blood is toxic, so it needs to be either burned by the muscles or stored as fat). Fructose, on the other hand, can be metabolized only in the liver, and the liver can handle only a limited amount at a time.

The good news is that the foods that naturally contain fructose also contain fiber, which slows the absorption of the fructose to a rate that the liver can handle. So I wouldn’t worry about the sugar in broccoli. What you want to worry about is added sugars, which don’t come with any compensating fiber. You also want to worry about the sugar in juices, because the juicing process removes or destroys all the fiber, making it very easy to consume too much fructose too quickly, thus overloading your liver. If there is a list of ingredients, and if sugar is one of the first three listed, that means sugar has been added and that food is to be avoided.

(Alex) #6

thanks!!

#7

Does Canada do this, too?

#8

Yes. In Canada fiber is included in the total carb count.

(Raj Seth) #9

Sure. Why not. The lower the better. But if you are getting up to the teens and even OMG :open_mouth: 20gm :ambulance:, and it’s all from green leafy vegetables, doused generously with fat - then I wouldn’t sweat it.
If you want to have all 20gm as cans of coke - probably can get away with that too - but you can guess which is gonna have a greater negative impact

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #10

I limit the sugars that appear on nutrition labels to 5 grams of sugar. I also would note the serving size, if less than 1/4 cup, I would usually pass on that product. I don’t even think about the “sugar” in cauliflower and other fresh veggies I eat. Fruit is a totally different story, I eat raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, the occasional apple or pear when they are in season only. I can’t even eat a whole apple anymore, have to share with DH, they are too sweet to me now. That worked to remove my unwanted weight and has kept me in maintenance for over a year now.

(less is more, more or less) #11

As a follower of Dr. Westman regimen, we don’t factor net carbs. 20 grams of any carb per day.

(Barbara) #12

I follow him too. He considers “net carbs” to be the “Over-the-Counter” version of Keto where total carbs is “prescription strength” :grin: He also warns that many low carb packaged foods emphasize Net Carbs to make them more attractive but the total carbs can be up to double the net carbs. The devil is in the details.

(Alex) #13

thanks everyone! i’ve read all over the internet that whether people track their carbs by net or total, both sides have had success. i’m going to stick to counting net carbs for now since i feel it’s been working for me thus far. as long as i’m making healthy food choices, i’m hopeful it’ll all work out the same!

(Sheryl Fisher) #14

I was under the impression that with the Ketogenic Diet, one kept their daily amount of carbs to no more than 20g per day. I followed that suggestion, in addition to the macro recommendations for my daily fat and protein intake (I started with the Stupid Simple Macros App for most of my weight loss, then switched to the MyFitnessPal App just this past summer)…and have lost 98 pounds since October 2017. I, personally, have found it’s best to keep things simple because (for ME anyway) if I started OVER THINKING Keto, I started having problems (nothing major…just weight stalls…or minor weight increases…for a few days/weeks at a time)

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #15

That was my impression when I started, too. I learned about counting net carbs from these forums. But the only real keto rule—apart from the 20 g limit (however interpreted, lol!)—is do what works. If you’re getting the results you want from doing it your way, great! If not, and you want some help figuring out how to tweak things—well, that’s what we’re here for.

The lesson seems to be, not YMMV, but YMIGV (your mileage is going to vary)!

For those of you who don’t measure gasoline in miles per gallon, but rather petrol in kliometers per liter, what’s the appropriate term, kilometrage? metrage? Inquiring minds whant to know, lol!

#16

In Canada, we must deduct the grams of fiber from the total grams of carbohydrates.
Example:
…28 grams of carbohydrates
…14 grams of fiber
In this case, 14 grams of carbohydrates would only be counted. :policeman:

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #17

You win the internet today for this one.

(less is more, more or less) #18

I fully agree. We’re all different. I would caution, however, not to grow complacent. (I’m surely NOT saying @PaulL has. We should all possess a mind of knowledge and spirit of charity as he does.) This is one of my greatest foibles. Always challenge your assumptions about all aspects of your diet. The science and data is far too nascent for us to be binary on such things.