Calculating net carbs

G

Georgiasmum72

Member
Hello
I think I am getting a bit confused about calculating net carbs. I thought UK products were labelled with (net) carbs already as carbohydrates and US products were labelled carbs and then you need to deduct the fibre from it to get the net?
Please advise, as I am getting confused!
Many thanks
 
You're correct - don't deduct anything from the carb count on uk labels.
 
Really? So you don't subtract fibre from carbs on UK labels?? The (UK) Atkins book definitely didn't make that clear to me if that was the case!
 
Definitely do not take anything away from the carbs shown on UK labels. The only time you need to do that is if you order stuff online (Low carb megastore etc) as they carry a lot of US stock with US labels. That said, they tend to show the net carbs on their site anyway but be wary and don't replace too much with the processed junk they sell.

I do have a stash of Woodies orange chocolate wafers hidden away for my TOM though, naughty but it kills the urge to kill :asskick::badmood:

Jayne
 
Joshimitsu said:
Really? So you don't subtract fibre from carbs on UK labels?? The (UK) Atkins book definitely didn't make that clear to me if that was the case!
Click to expand...

Don't subtract anything from UK labels. Even American labels are gradually starting to switch over to having the fibre already deducted on their labels.

The Atkins books have never made that point properly clear and so the mistake is often made - people can end up eating vastly more carbs than they think.
 
I found this on the internet, really helps to explain things! I was so confused before reading this. Emma :)

When starting out on the low carb way of life there is a lot of confusion about carbohyrdrate levels and how to measure them. I hope that the following information will help clarify the issues for those living in the UK.

Carbohydrates in Labelled Food

Food regulations in the UK mean that all manufactured foods are labelled with their contents, calories and the breakdown of these into protein, carbohydrate, and fat, usually per 100g.

Some labels give the amount of carbohydrate that comes from sugar whilst others break the fat down into saturated, mono-saturated and polysaturated. Labels may also contain a value for fibre and sodium.

A typical label looks like this:
Nutrition Information
Typical Values per 100g
Energy - kcal
Protein -
Carbohydrate -
.......of which sugars
Fat -
.......... of which saturates
.................monosaturates
.................polyunsaturates
Fibre -
Sodium -

The amount of carbohydrate given on the label is the effective carbohydrate content (ECC) of the food per 100g. The fibre value on the label is not connected to the carbohydrate value and therefore, unlike in the US, should not be deducted from the carbohydrate value.What you see on the label for carbohydrate is what you get.

Carbohydrates in Fresh Produce

Many fresh vegetables and fruit are not labelled and so information on their carbohydrate content is not readily available. I have found that the best source of this information is the supermarket online shopping websites. You do need to register, but you can find the information without having to order food. Links are given for:
Sainsbury's
Tesco

Again, the carbohydrate value given is the ECC, so do not deduct the fibre value.
 
Great tip about tesco and sainsburys for the nutritional values, although I notice they both state:

(Example - Broccoli)

Carbohydrate 1.8
Sugars 1.5

Does this mean of which sugars? Meaning the total carbs per 100g is 1.8?

Seems low to me, I count 100g of broccoli as 4g carb

Rick
 
Hi Rick,

In the book (which many people seem to not read) it states that 1/2 a cup of broccoli is 3.9g carb. Now I don't measure in cups, preferring something a little more accurate, but even without trying, half a cup isn't going to be a lot, so that would suggest that your adding the two amounts together would be more accurate. Veg/salad should definitely be measured, guesswork = plateau in my experience.

Jayne
 
The only thing i would add - better to eat more greens and be full with plenty of vits than worry too much about the carbs. Of your 20g a day, 12-15 should be coming from veg. If you cut back on veg to stay within 20 it usually means that you are having too many other things that will stall you. In 1.5 years i have not met a single person who stalled from eating too much induction veg!
 
I must say I do have plenty of veg! Infact at the moment I'm cautious about eating any other type of carbs to make it up to 20! I'm happy with my weight loss so far so I must be on the right track :)

I'm just curious why different websites give such different nutritional values to others. I would have thought fresh produce would all be the same?
 
Well given that there is no such thing as a calorie, it's just a theoretical concept - most nutritional information is a complete estimate anyway! Spurious accuracy:D
 
Kat1e said:
Well given that there is no such thing as a calorie, it's just a theoretical concept - most nutritional information is a complete estimate anyway! Spurious accuracy:D
Click to expand...

Sorry katie, as a scientist im not sure I agree with this - a calorie is a unit of measurement of energy and is definitely more than a theoretical concept. It is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C (now usually defined as 4.1868 joules).

Whether it has much meaning when you're talking about losing weight is another matter as our bodies are far more complex than the calorimeters used to measure the energy in food.

Now I'm being one of those annoying people who butt in so I'll go away quietly...;)
 
Phoenyx said:
Sorry katie, as a scientist im not sure I agree with this - a calorie is a unit of measurement of energy and is definitely more than a theoretical concept. It is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C (now usually defined as 4.1868 joules).

Whether it has much meaning when you're talking about losing weight is another matter as our bodies are far more complex than the calorimeters used to measure the energy in food.

Now I'm being one of those annoying people who butt in so I'll go away quietly...;)
Click to expand...

Lol - i'm a scientist too. So agree with the calorie in measurement - object to calories used for food since they dont sit there burning them, mostly estimated :D and even more importantly is as you say what the body then does with it.......so luckily we violently agree;)
 
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