Net carbs
August 20, 2022 11:01 AM Subscribe
Is net carbs — total carbs minus sugar alcohol & fiber — a useful metric? The goal is to reduce carbs in my diet in order to better manage blood glucose levels. It seems logical enough but I’ve seen it questioned. YANM doc, nutritionist, etc.
I've been eating a ketogenic diet for eight years now.
What I've found is that it can be a useful calculation if you know the source of the carbs, the type of sugar alcohol(s) and the type of fiber.
The idea behind subtracting sugar alcohols and fiber from carbs is that the body doesn't process the former the same as carbs, and if the latter is present, your metabolism has to work harder or differently to process the carbs.
Some sugar alcohols will cause insulin spikes, which can cause processing of carbs, which causes higher blood glucose. There is also a protein path to blood sugar levels.
Many manufacturers of sweet keto treats have figured out the net carb calculation and are adding processed simple-carb sweeteners and pre- and pro-biotic fibers back in as ingredients. I find this doesn't trick my body - I can definitely tell when I'm consuming carbs which are not actually "attached" to their fiber as they might be in a more whole food.
All a long winded way of saying that it's not a great shortcut if you are reading the back of a label.
posted by tomierna at 1:02 PM on August 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
What I've found is that it can be a useful calculation if you know the source of the carbs, the type of sugar alcohol(s) and the type of fiber.
The idea behind subtracting sugar alcohols and fiber from carbs is that the body doesn't process the former the same as carbs, and if the latter is present, your metabolism has to work harder or differently to process the carbs.
Some sugar alcohols will cause insulin spikes, which can cause processing of carbs, which causes higher blood glucose. There is also a protein path to blood sugar levels.
Many manufacturers of sweet keto treats have figured out the net carb calculation and are adding processed simple-carb sweeteners and pre- and pro-biotic fibers back in as ingredients. I find this doesn't trick my body - I can definitely tell when I'm consuming carbs which are not actually "attached" to their fiber as they might be in a more whole food.
All a long winded way of saying that it's not a great shortcut if you are reading the back of a label.
posted by tomierna at 1:02 PM on August 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
What I look for is how much fiber there is as a percent of the total carbohydrates. I look for at least 20-25%. Because the fiber helps process the rest of it. I don't have diabetes; I originally read this in a health book by like a naturopath or something and it made sense to me so I kept it.
posted by aniola at 2:41 PM on August 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by aniola at 2:41 PM on August 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Cellulose is sometimes added to food as a replacement for flour or other carbs. Humans can't digest cellulose, so the stuff just acts as fiber without adding calories.
posted by SPrintF at 3:42 PM on August 20, 2022
posted by SPrintF at 3:42 PM on August 20, 2022
For blood sugar purposes the only useful process I’ve found is to test a type of food by eating it and taking my glucose level two hours later. For example my body appears to process regular Eggos very well. Blueberry Eggos make my blood sugar spike through the roof. There is no way to predict that from the Nutritional Info.
It’s been a very useful habit as I also eat a lot of meals I don’t prepare. I mean obviously the naan and rice are out, but I have no idea what’s in a Chicken Tikka Masala.
I’ve slowly put together a list of foods and prepared meals that work and one thing that has become obvious is that for me trying to count carbs is too broad a brush to be useful. YMMV.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 7:30 AM on August 21, 2022
It’s been a very useful habit as I also eat a lot of meals I don’t prepare. I mean obviously the naan and rice are out, but I have no idea what’s in a Chicken Tikka Masala.
I’ve slowly put together a list of foods and prepared meals that work and one thing that has become obvious is that for me trying to count carbs is too broad a brush to be useful. YMMV.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 7:30 AM on August 21, 2022
Seconding using a glucometer intermittently to learn how foods affect your blood sugar, especially those with sugar alcohols and/or lots of fiber.
posted by JawnBigboote at 7:31 AM on August 21, 2022
posted by JawnBigboote at 7:31 AM on August 21, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
For me, total carbs minus fiber is the only reliable measure, but that really helps with the blood glucose control. (So do the meds I take.)
Sugar alcohol sometimes acts like regular sugar and spikes my blood glucose. Other times, it doesn't.
Figuring out which and when has been fascinating. Figuring out what else affects my blood glucose (stress! Like, having a pandemic raging all around me? MASSIVE SPIKES. Actually having COVID? Less spiky.) has been fascinating, too.
posted by Shunra at 12:17 PM on August 20, 2022 [3 favorites]