What is a net carb?
FDA does not define a net carbs and they have no real legal definition in the nutrition world. Manufacturers of supplement bars and foods define net carbs as “total amount of carbohydrates MINUS the carbohydrates form dietary fiber” So a food with 21g of carbohydrates and 10 grams of fiber would be marketed as 10g net carbs. Sometimes only net carbs are put on the actual food label. Not only that but the calories from the fiber carbohydrates are backed out of the total calories on the label. Sugar alcohols like sorbitol, maltitol, and xylitol are also backed out.
While it may be true that fiber and sugar alcohols have a profoundly less impact on blood sugar levels and insulin they do not just magically disappear when ingested and contrary to what we are told they DO have calories.
These differences in calories can have a very large impact on an individual who has a serious fat loss goal or someone who is eating for performance and closely monitoring their food intake. We speculate that in order to drive the calorie and carbohydrates down for better marketing manufacturers add in undigestible substances to their foods so more dietary fiber grams can be put in the food label. If you are monitoring your calories or macronutrients then you may have to do some quick math so you are not duped by the food labels.
