HELP??? What's the difference b/t net carbs vs carbs.

pavang82
pavang82 Posts: 454 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I did some research online and I'm still confused. Thanks!

Replies

  • McGruber03
    McGruber03 Posts: 113 Member
    The whole 'net' carb thing needs to be thrown out. The only TRUE net carbs is when a diabetic is carb counting and giving themselves insulin based on those carbs, they can subtract the grams of fiber from the total amount of carbohydrate b/c the fiber content of the carbohydrate is not converted to glucose for energy. However, the product has to have at LEAST 7 grams of carbs to be able to subtract. Food manufacturers are even counting 'sugar alcohols' and subtracting that. However, 50% of the sugar alcohol can be converted to glucose, so it can not TRUEly be subtracted. If you are not a diabetic, and you are not giving yourself insulin based on the amount of carbs you ate, do not even worry about net carbs. If you are counting carbs, count ALL of the carbs. And remember, low carb diets are not healthy. Fruit, milk, whole wheat bread...all of that healthy food contains carbohydrate. So, just focus on eating the most healthy carbs more often and the least healthy carbs less often. For example, skim milk is a carbohydrate with calcium, vitamin D, potassium, protein, and other B vitamins. Soda is a carb without any of that stuff. You should drink skim milk daily (unless of course you have an allergy) and you should drink soda only on special occasions (NOT daily!) Does this help?
  • Kminor67
    Kminor67 Posts: 900 Member
    My husband's dietitian explains it like this: If you have more than 5 grams of fiber in a serving of something, you can subtract those grams from your total carbohydrate grams. The result is net carbs. Fiber comes from whole grains, which are "good carbs". You want as many good carbs as possible, and to try to avoid refined carbs (bad ones). I hope this helps.
  • Skinnytime
    Skinnytime Posts: 279
    The easiest way to think about it its this: net carbs are the carbs that affect your blood sugar. They are the carbs you metabolize and use the calories from. Total carbs include fiber - which is a carb that your body does not metabolize (use for fuel). This has no metabolic impact on blood sugar. In other words, fibrous carbs are like eating nothing, except that they clean our your insides and often contain vitamins and minerals that you need. You take the total carbs, subtract the grams of fiber and sugar alcohol and you then get the "net carbs" or the carbs that your body will either use for energy or convert to fat and store.

    Here's an example: Total Carbs - (fiber + sugar alcohol) = net carbs total carbs (11) minus fiber (7) equals 4 net carbs
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    The whole 'net' carb thing needs to be thrown out. The only TRUE net carbs is when a diabetic is carb counting and giving themselves insulin based on those carbs, they can subtract the grams of fiber from the total amount of carbohydrate b/c the fiber content of the carbohydrate is not converted to glucose for energy. However, the product has to have at LEAST 7 grams of carbs to be able to subtract. Food manufacturers are even counting 'sugar alcohols' and subtracting that. However, 50% of the sugar alcohol can be converted to glucose, so it can not TRUEly be subtracted. If you are not a diabetic, and you are not giving yourself insulin based on the amount of carbs you ate, do not even worry about net carbs. If you are counting carbs, count ALL of the carbs. And remember, low carb diets are not healthy. Fruit, milk, whole wheat bread...all of that healthy food contains carbohydrate. So, just focus on eating the most healthy carbs more often and the least healthy carbs less often. For example, skim milk is a carbohydrate with calcium, vitamin D, potassium, protein, and other B vitamins. Soda is a carb without any of that stuff. You should drink skim milk daily (unless of course you have an allergy) and you should drink soda only on special occasions (NOT daily!) Does this help?

    Don't start with the low carb eating plans are not healthy.

    That is simply NOT TRUE..............

    All of those things you mentioned are added back in at certain phases.

    So stop, just stop all the low carb bashing. I am so sick of it.

    We are not bashing your calorie counting, so just STOP bashing the low carb people...............

    STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    My husband's dietitian explains it like this: If you have more than 5 grams of fiber in a serving of something, you can subtract those grams from your total carbohydrate grams. The result is net carbs. Fiber comes from whole grains, which are "good carbs". You want as many good carbs as possible, and to try to avoid refined carbs (bad ones). I hope this helps.

    We don't need grains in our eating plans and many, many people have grain intolerances.

    Fiber is best gotten from vegetables and fruits!!! natural and unprocessed.

    We can't eat grain in its unprocessed form, therefore it has no place in the human diet.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    We can't eat grain in its unprocessed form, therefore it has no place in the human diet.

    I resepect the fact that everyone is unique and what works for one person doesn't work for all. While I'm not interested in low-carb, I recognize that people have had success with it and some people have legitimate medical needs for doing so.

    With that said, I think the statement above is just as general and disrepectful as a blanket statement that low-carb diets are dangerous. Whole grains do have a place in my diet (and many people's diets) and I do just fine. I don't go overboard, but some oatmeal for breakfast or some quinoa with dinner gives me plenty of energy and nutrition.

    Please, if you want people to refrain from making blanket statements about your food choices, please refrain from doing so yourself (about other people's food choices).

    To the OP - I apologize for the sidetrack... but I wanted to respond to this particular comment.
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    We can't eat grain in its unprocessed form, therefore it has no place in the human diet.

    I resepect the fact that everyone is unique and what works for one person doesn't work for all. While I'm not interested in low-carb, I recognize that people have had success with it and some people have legitimate medical needs for doing so.

    With that said, I think the statement above is just as general and disrepectful as a blanket statement that low-carb diets are dangerous. Whole grains do have a place in my diet (and many people's diets) and I do just fine. I don't go overboard, but some oatmeal for breakfast or some quinoa with dinner gives me plenty of energy and nutrition.

    Please, if you want people to refrain from making blanket statements about your food choices, please refrain from doing so yourself (about other people's food choices).

    To the OP - I apologize for the sidetrack... but I wanted to respond to this particular comment.

    That is not a blanket statement, that is a solid and factual statement. There is nothing disrespectful about speaking a truthful statement............

    For no grain can you walk in the field and pluck it and start eating it. Grains have to be processed to be eaten.


    Where as vegetables and fruit, I can walk in a field, pluck in from a tree or the ground and eat it.............

    However, it is disrespectful and frankly I am tired of seeing how low carb is dangerous. It is no where near dangerous, unless eating natural and whole foods (which is also called clean eating) is dangerous...

    If someone doesn't agree with the low carb lifestyle, without taking the time to read, research and understand before making comments, then why come in these threads, except to spread hatred??????

    More power to you eating grains.

    The only grain I will ever eat is steel cut oats and I eat them in very limited quantities because they are still a processed food, even though they are not heavily processed..........

    So, again, stating that grains can not be eaten without being processed is NOT a blanket statement.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    So, again, stating that grains can not be eaten without being processed is NOT a blanket statement.

    No, but stating that it has no place in the human diet is. That is a matter of opinion / a blanket statement. While you may take the fact that grains cannot be eaten without processing to mean that it shouldn't be consumed, not all of us agree with that logic.

    Since this isn't the OP's real topic, that's all I'll say on this.
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
    PLease read this: http://graemethomasonline.com/carbohydrates-a-question-of-need/
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    So, again, stating that grains can not be eaten without being processed is NOT a blanket statement.

    No, but stating that it has no place in the human diet is. That is a matter of opinion / a blanket statement. While you may take the fact that grains cannot be eaten without processing to mean that it shouldn't be consumed, not all of us agree with that logic.

    Since this isn't the OP's real topic, that's all I'll say on this.

    Well, I already answered the OP question through a PM I was sent earlier.

    And there is sooo much evidence that humans would be way better off without grains.
  • McGruber03
    McGruber03 Posts: 113 Member
    I see that July24Lioness has deactivated the MFP account. This makes me sad b/c I wanted to ask where he/she got this information. Are you a nurse, dietitian, doctor? Healthcare professionals (I am a Registered Dietitian) get their information from sound scientific studies, aka randomized, double blind, placebo controlled studies that have been duplicated for accuracy. My advice for anyone seeking sound advice about their health and diet would be to get their information from a health care professional, or by reading journal articles that fit the above mentioned criteria (randomized, double blind, placebo controlled).
  • girlruns
    girlruns Posts: 344
    I see that July24Lioness has deactivated the MFP account. This makes me sad b/c I wanted to ask where he/she got this information. Are you a nurse, dietitian, doctor? Healthcare professionals (I am a Registered Dietitian) get their information from sound scientific studies, aka randomized, double blind, placebo controlled studies that have been duplicated for accuracy. My advice for anyone seeking sound advice about their health and diet would be to get their information from a health care professional, or by reading journal articles that fit the above mentioned criteria (randomized, double blind, placebo controlled).

    Very interesting that she de-activated her account. I've found her to be a bit combative on other posts as well.
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