NET CARBS v TOTAL CARBS CONSUMER BEWARE

If you are following a carb counting meal plan, counting carbohydrates is pretty easy if the food you’re eating has a Nutrition Facts Label. You simply find the grams of TOTAL CARBOHYDRATES Listed on the Label and factor them into your meal plan.

Simple right? Not so fast many products list NET CARBS on their labels. Net carbs = Total Carbohydrates minus fiber and sugar alcohols. These companies are suggesting that fiber and sugar alcohols have no impact on BLOOD SUGAR. However, fiber and sugar alcohols still have calories (about 2 calories per gram), and because the body cannot completely digest them, some fibers and sugar alcohols are ONLY partially digested and absorbed. This means they still RAISE BLOOD SUGARS.

NET CARBS is a term that was created by the food industry. There is not enough research to support counting only the "net carbs." Companies which promote net carbs also tend to send the wrong message: "I can eat as much as I want!"