Help with net carbs please.

MissE4410
MissE4410 Posts: 173 Member
edited November 19 in Food and Nutrition
I am wondering how to calculate my net carbs. Because fiber cancels the carbs right? So lost.

Replies

  • MissE4410
    MissE4410 Posts: 173 Member
    Wish I could add a photo to explain what I mean better
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    If you're using net carbs you just subtract the fiber from the carb count. If it has 15 grams of carbs, but 5 grams is fiber, then the NET carbs would be 10.

    Make sense? Fiber doesn't "cancel" carbs, it's just that fiber is a type of carbohydrate the body can't digest.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited May 2017
    Quick summary:

    In the US, "carbs" on food labels (and in the USDA information) include sugars, starches, AND fiber.

    In many or most other countries, like the UK, "carbs" on food labels include sugars and starches, but NOT fiber (well, fibre, I guess).

    For low carb purposes or ketosis, many people are concerned only with sugars and starches (as they are the ones that tend to raise blood glucose if you have an issue with that, fiber actually slows down the digestion of sugar, etc.). It's sugars and starches that get turned into glucose and therefore what matters for ketosis specifically is net carbs (well, not 100%, protein matters some, but mainly).

    As a result, many low carbers focus on sugars and starches only, and not fiber.

    Therefore, if you are using US entries that include fiber as part of "carbs," you get to back them out (if using, say, UK entries, you wouldn't want to, as fibre is not in there). Personally, I watch both total carbs and fiber and mentally just subtract fiber from carbs to get my net carbs.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    Here's a handy script that adds a "Net Carbs" section to your diary and automatically subtracts fiber from your total carbs: https://github.com/Surye/mfp-keto-userscript

    As mentioned above, this works well for US/Canadian entries.

    Fiber and sugar alcohols do not count towards net carbs, so keep that in mind. I've had success finding MFP entries with sugar alcohols removed by searching for stuff like "Quest bar cookies cream alcohols" - I will get entries with the sugar alcohols removed that way.
  • LoHo12
    LoHo12 Posts: 2 Member
    Very cool! How where when do you use the script?
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    LoHo12 wrote: »
    Very cool! How where when do you use the script?

    If you check out the link, it provides everything you need! First you install Tampermonkey on your browser of choice (it's a plug-in that allows you to run scripts in your browser), then you download the script. Then just make sure your Diary settings include Fat, Protein, Carbs, Fiber. Then restart your browser and you should have a brand new "Net Carbs" column. :)
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