Beware The Net Carb Trap

The terms “net carbs”, “net effective carbs”, and “impact carbs”
are causing some confusion about how to count carbohydrates for
those of us on any one of a dozen weight loss or diabetic diets.
With the growing popularity of the Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet
and other low carb diets, it’s very important that you understand
food package labeling.

Food manufacturers probably initially created these “carb” terms
so they could be used as sales marketing on the labels of “low
carbohydrate” protein nutrition bars. With the current explosion
of interest in low carbohydrate diets, unfortunately, this
labeling use has expanded to hundreds of other foods and may lead
you to believe you are consuming fewer carbs than you actually
are.

Here is the “skinny” on “net Carbs”:

Some products replace natural carbs with more protein, higher fat
content, fiber, or alternate carbs such as polyols and sugar
alcohols. Since most sugar alcohols are only partly absorbed,
manufacturers may advise you to ignore these ingredients and
treat them as if they are not absorbed. In reality, sugar
alcohols provide about one half the calories of regular sugar and
if you ignore these calories, you may be going way off your diet.

Sugar alcohols are often added to sweeten foods, provide bulk or
filler, and help retain moisture. These “dietetic sugars” include
maltitol, mannitol, sorbital, xylitol, isomalt, lactitol,
erythriol, glycerol or glycerin, and hydrogenated starch
hydrolysates. While they do have less of an effect on blood sugar
levels and total absorbed calories, excessive amounts can cause
diarrhea, gas and bloating. If you want to be accurate in your
carb counting, these must be counted as 50% absorbed.

If fiber has been added to take the place of calories you’re in
luck! The dietary fiber found in most cereals and breads is not
always completely digested and may not be absorbed unlike fruit
and vegetable fiber. If the “Nutrition Facts Label” shows less
than five or six grams of dietary fiber per serving, then you’re
probably getting few calories from the fiber and can ignore it
when counting carbs. If the label shows added fiber from fruits
and vegetables, then you are indeed getting a small amount of
carbs from these sources.

At this time, the terms; “net carbs”, “impact carbs” and “net
effective carbs” have not received U.S. Food and Drug
Administration approval and do not generally provide an accurate
estimate of carbohydrate content.

Overall, the best and most reliable source of information about
the “real carbs” contained within a packaged food is found on the
back of the package and not the advertising label on the front.
Look closely at the Nutrition Facts label to determine the “real
carb count”! Happy dieting!!

Dr. Frank


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