Exploring the keto diet, you’ll discover that you need to greatly limit your carbohydrate intake in order to successfully adopt it. Several sources say the consumption should be restricted to 20 total carbs per day while others say 20 net carbs per day. Which is the difference between total carbs and net carbs and why is it important?
What is the purpose of Carbs Limitation?
To understand why you need to learn about net and total carbs, it’s important to have a better understanding of the role that carb-limitation plays in the keto diet: The whole aim of a ketogenic diet is to get and keep your body in a ketosis state. This is where the body depends on fat for energy rather than carbohydrates (sugar), and when you check them the ketone levels will be at least 0.5 mmol / L when you put them to the test.
The only way to achieve ketosis is to limit your carb intake sufficiently long enough that your body trains itself to generate ketones from stored and ingested fats and use them for energy purposes. Once you’re in ketosis, it’s about remaining there and leveraging its many advantages. The only way to do this is to continue to limit your carb intake.
What Are Net Carbs?
Carb counting has become a major center of dietary emphasis in recent years. With many low-carb diets like keto and Atkins becoming more commonplace, it is crucial that carbohydrates are taken properly into account. The thing is, there’s an ongoing debate over whether to count carbs or “net carbs” as part of one’s macronutrient profile. From a dietary perspective not all carbohydrates have the same effect. While some are more digestible, some tend to pass without being absorbed through the body. Knowing the differences between carbs and net carbs is crucial, so you can decide which measurement type is most conducive to your lifestyle and goals.
Carbohydrate definition
Carbohydrates are the general term for carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen-containing atoms. The food we eat includes two main types of carbs — simple carbs and complex carbs. Simple carbs are contained mostly in acidic foods which contain only one or two molecules of sugar units that can influence how easily the food is digested and absorbed. Sources include fruits and foods that contain table sugar, such as soda or cookies. By fact, complex carbs are more slow-digestive and contain multiple units of sugar connected together. Total grains, starchy vegetables, white and sweet potatoes, carrots and oats are often found by them. When a person eats more carbs than they need, the body turns excess carbs into fat. Fiber is a different form of carbohydrates than the other two. While close in molecular structure, it does not provide a direct form of energy, butit passes through the body without being processed and absorbed in the bloodstream for energy. The primary function of fiber in the digestive tract is to feed friendly bacteria.
Sugar alcohols come under the category of carbohydrates, too. Usually they are used as a form of sweetener and contain just half as much calories as conventional carbohydrates. They are used in food as a reduced calorie sweetener and as a bulking agent.
Net Carbs
Total carbs refers to the carbs which the body absorbs and processes.
Simple and complex carbs are found in foods that we consume. These are broken down into the small intestine and are later used in the body as a source of energy.
Fibers and sugar alcohols are not as easy to break. Since our bodies do not fully consume these types of carbohydrates they are subtracted from the total amount of carbohydrate.
Why is Fiber Different?
Unlike other types of carbohydrates, fiber is not used specifically as a natural source of fuel for the body. It passes straight into the colon and enzymes in the digestive tract can not break down. For this reason, less than half of the total dietary fiber carbohydrates are metabolized to glucose. Fiber is mainly known for its capacity to relieve constipation, particularly soluble fiber (hello fruit, oatmeal, avocados and broccoli!), but may also include a few other health benefits. Fiber intake may be associated with reducing the risk of serious illnesses. There are two major types of fibre : insoluble and soluble.
Insoluble Fiber
Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and can help accelerate the flow of bowel movements while avoiding constipation. It does not produce calories, it does not create spikes of blood glucose or insulin levels, and is not broken down by the intestine.
Insoluble fiber helps to maintain daily bowel movements and helps to maintain a balanced digestive system. It is usually found in food stalks, skins, and seeds such as whole grains, nuts, and veggies.
Common foods with insoluble fiber include:
Beans
Whole wheat
Bran
Potatoes
Cauliflower
Nuts
Green beans
Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber dissolves in water, and the large intestine is digested by bacteria. One of the advantages of soluble fiber is its ability to help you feel full (and probably help you lose weight).It becomes short-chain fatty acids when soluble fiber reaches the intestine, which can help improve the health of the gut and reduce inflammation.If you’re on the keto diet, low-carb sources of fiber can sometimes be hard to find. Many MCT oil and collagen powders include a foundation of acacia fiber high in soluble fibre, all containing zero net carbs,
Sugar Alcohols?
Sugar alcohols are handled in a manner similar to that of fiber— they are not directly absorbed by the body. These are naturally found in foods and can be used as low-calorie sweeteners and bulking agents. They are typically used as substitutes for sugar, which contain about half the amount of calories as regular sugar.Usually, sugar alcohols are found in foods such as chewing gums, ice creams, frosting, cakes, cookies, candy, as well as some foods which claim to be low in carbs or sugar.
Currently the most widely used sugar alcohols include:
Erythritol
Isomalt
Maltitol
Sorbitol
Xylitol
Calculate Net Carbs
If you choose to use net carbs as the basis for your macronutrient dietary measurements, it will help to ensure that you are correctly accounting for these. For both fibre and sugar alcohols, net carbs are calculated differently. Make sure to read nutrition labels carefully as there is no clear mention of “net carbs”
Here’s the basic formula:
Net carbohydrates = total carbohydrates – fiber – sugar alcohols
Net Carbs from Fiber
When you eat whole foods containing fiber just deduct the fiber from the total carbs to measure the net carbs.
Net Carbs from Sugar Alcohols
Half the carbs from sugar alcohols can in most cases be subtracted from overall carbs.
You will most of the time deduct fiber from the volume of carbohydrate to calculate net carbs.Sugar alcohols are less common but check the nutrition labels to see if they include what you are consuming and make this part of your estimate when you calculate net carbs
Take away message
Because you can consume fiber-rich foods without eating too many carbohydrates, using net carbs would allow for more dietary versatility. On the other hand, those on a keto diet may argue against net carbs, because you may be taken out of ketosis by the amount of carbohydrates you consume.
When you consume plenty of fibrous foods such as vegetables, using net carbs may be the ideal lifestyle choice. And, if you are on keto, and you are constipated, it might be beneficial to eat more food. You might have skipped some carbs to stick to your macros, and also missed fiber in the process.
Whether or not you choose to use net carbs, do make the dietary choices that best fit your own lifestyle and goals. The best diet is always the one that you can stick to for the long run.
Related topics:
References:
en.wikipedia.org
mport.com
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