Carb Counting On Keto: Mastering The Basics

Counting carbs is a crucial part of succeeding on the keto diet. To stay in ketosis, a person can consume up to 50 grams of carbs per day. The keto diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, very low-carb eating plan. Net carbs are the number of carbohydrates that are absorbed by your body without impacting blood sugar levels and insulin response. This is because fiber and sugar alcohols aren't thought to be absorbed. To calculate the net carbohydrates, take the total carbohydrates and subtract both the grams of fiber and the sugar alcohols. The remaining amount is the total net carb count.

Net carbs vs total carbs

Net carbs are all the carbohydrates in food that can be absorbed and used by the body for energy. Net carbs are calculated by removing fibre and sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrates count. The remaining amount is the total net carb count.

Total carbs include all types of carbohydrates, including fibre and sugar alcohols, which are not fully absorbed by the body. Total carbs include all the different types of carbs in a food or meal, such as starches, dietary fibre, and sugars.

How to Calculate Net Carbs

To calculate net carbs, follow these steps:

• Determine the total amount of carbohydrates in a food or meal by checking the nutrition label or using a food tracking app.
• Determine the amount of fibre in the food or meal.
• Subtract the amount of fibre from the total amount of carbohydrates. The result is the net carb count.

For example, a food that contains 20 grams (g) of total carbs and 10 g of dietary fibre has 10 g of net carbs.

How to Calculate Total Carbs

Total carbs can be found on the nutrition facts label. They are the total carbohydrates and include dietary fibre and sugars.

Most dietitians advise focusing on total carbohydrate consumption instead of net carbohydrates as the accurate measurement. This is especially true if you are not on the keto diet. If you are on the keto diet, you should count net carbs rather than total carbs. This is because the keto diet puts the body into ketosis, where it uses fat for energy instead of carbs. Counting net carbs allows for the subtraction of fibre, a non-digestible carbohydrate, from the total carb count.

How to calculate net carbs

To calculate net carbs, you need to know the total number of carbohydrates in your food. This number can be quite different from the amount of total carbs, as net carbs are the ones that are absorbed into your body. Some sources of carbohydrates, like fiber and sugar alcohols, are not absorbed into your bloodstream and are, therefore, not part of your daily allowance of net carbs.

To calculate a food's number of net carbs, look at the label and follow these two simple steps:

Step 1: Determine the Carb Content

Take a look at the number of total carbohydrates, then the amount of fiber and any sugar alcohols (sometimes shown as "erythritol" on nutrition labels). These things together equal the "total carb content." (Any sugar shown is already included in the total carbohydrate amount).

Step 2: Subtract the Amount of Dietary Fiber and Sugar Alcohols

To calculate the net carbohydrates, take the total carbohydrates and subtract both the grams of fiber and the sugar alcohols. The remaining amount is the total net carb count.

Your net carbs will always be less than or equal to your total carbohydrates.

On the standard ketogenic diet, you might eat as few as 20 grams of net carbs per day. This equates to 5 to 10% of your total calorie intake. However, the "right" number of net carbs depends on you.

Some people can eat slightly more carbs and stay in ketosis. Others need to stay on the lower end of the spectrum. For example, if you're highly active, you're more likely to burn through your glycogen stores and stay in ketosis. You might notice improvements in your workouts when you bump up your carb intake.

If you're pretty sedentary, keep your net carb intake on the lower end, around 5% of your total calories.

Additional Considerations

Always read the nutrition labels on your foods. When you eat carbs that don't raise your blood sugar, you can take them out of your net carb total.

Avoid highly insulinogenic carbs. These food choices trigger a blood sugar response in the body. They're higher on the glycemic index (GI), which is a numerical score that indicates how a food will affect your blood sugar.

On keto, avoid foods with a high GI, as high GI foods have a larger effect on your blood sugar. The GI score also explains why you should avoid foods like potatoes, carrots, and legumes. Though they contain fiber, they're more likely to spike insulin levels and kick you out of ketosis.

Sugar alcohol on keto

Sugar alcohols are sweeteners that are commonly used as a sugar substitute. They occur naturally in some fruits and vegetables but are mostly commercially manufactured in a lab. They are often used to sweeten sugar-free or diet products like chewing gum, yogurts, ice cream, and salad dressings.

Sugar alcohols are often used by those on the keto diet as they have fewer calories and a less significant effect on blood sugar levels. They are also commonly found in keto-friendly products.

Sugar alcohols have a chemical structure similar to glucose but with an attached hydroxyl group (-OH) or alcohol group. This difference in structure means that sugar alcohols are only partially digested, yielding fewer calories and carbohydrates.

The most common types of sugar alcohols are:

• Erythritol
• Isomalt
• Maltitol
• Sorbitol
• Xylitol

The best keto-friendly sugar alcohol is erythritol, as it has a glycemic index of 0 and is well tolerated. Xylitol is also keto-friendly but has a slightly higher glycemic index and can cause a slight increase in blood glucose levels.

Maltitol, sorbitol, and isomalt are less suitable for the keto diet as they are partially digested and can cause a more significant increase in blood sugar levels.

Sugar alcohols can be counted as total carbohydrates, but as they are not fully digestible, most people on the keto diet subtract the grams of sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrates to calculate net carbs.

It is important to note that consuming large amounts of sugar alcohols may cause digestive issues such as bloating, nausea, and diarrhea.

Counting carbs on keto

The keto diet is a high-fat, very low-carb eating plan that aims to put the body into a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. To stay in ketosis, a person can consume up to 50 grams of carbs per day, though this number may vary depending on individual factors such as activity level and insulin resistance.

Counting carbs is crucial for staying in ketosis. The most important thing to consider is the amount of "net carbs" in your food, which may differ from the total carb count. Net carbs are those that are absorbed into your body. Sources of carbohydrates like fiber and sugar alcohols are not absorbed into your bloodstream and are therefore not part of your daily allowance of net carbs.

To calculate net carbs, follow these two simple steps:

• Determine the total carb content: Look at the number of total carbohydrates, then the amount of fiber and any sugar alcohols (sometimes shown as "erythritol" on nutrition labels). These things together equal the total carb content.
• Subtract the amount of dietary fiber and half the amount of sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrate amount. The result is the amount of net carbs in the food.

Your net carb amount will always be less than or equal to your total carb count. Remember, on a keto diet, you can consume up to 50 grams of net carbs each day.

Meats such as beef, veal, lamb, pork, chicken, and turkey, and fish such as cod, sardines, tuna, and salmon have very low net carbs. Most green and leafy vegetables also have an extremely low keto net carb count and can be enjoyed freely. Additionally, high-fiber, low-fructose fruits can be included in a keto diet plan.

How many net carbs on keto

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet. It involves taking a very low amount of carbohydrates and substituting them with fat to stimulate the body's fat-burning processes. The keto diet puts the body into a state of ketosis, where the body uses fat for energy instead of carbs. To stay in ketosis, a person needs to consume up to 50 grams of carbs per day. However, some people may be able to consume up to 100 grams of carbs and still enter a fat-burning state.

Net carbs are the number of carbohydrates that are absorbed by your body and impact your blood sugar levels and insulin response. They are calculated by taking the total carbohydrates and subtracting the grams of fibre and sugar alcohols. Net carbs will always be less than or equal to total carbohydrates.

To calculate net carbs, follow these steps:

• Determine the total amount of carbohydrates in a food or meal by checking the nutrition label.
• Determine the amount of fibre in the food or meal.
• Subtract the amount of fibre from the total amount of carbohydrates. The result is the net carb count.

For example, if a certain type of food has 20 grams of total carbohydrates and 8 grams of fibre, the net carb count would be 12 grams (20 grams of total carbs - 8 grams of fibre = 12 grams of net carbs).

It's important to note that the keto diet can be challenging to sustain long-term, and some people may experience flu-like symptoms when the body enters ketosis. Additionally, the high protein intake of the keto diet may raise the risk of kidney stones, and the high-fat intake may negatively affect cholesterol levels for some individuals.

Frequently asked questions