The Three Golden Rules Of Net Carbs
There’s an important milestone in your Keto journey. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you find yourself asking, “What the heck are net carbs?” It turns out; not all carbs are created equal. And, while you will be eating low quantities of carbs, it’s a good idea to learn fully what a carbohydrate is, and how to tell the difference between a net carb and a total carb. This is especially important if you monitor your blood sugar, as total carbs have a stronger impact on your insulin response than net carbs do. Total carbs are what the name suggests; they are the total number of carbohydrates in a product. Very few items, except for some meat and cheese, are naturally low carb. This is where our friend fiber steps in. When fiber is present, your body uses the total number of carbohydrates less the number of fiber. Or, to put it another way, fiber acts like a buddy system and drives the carbs home (they’re still there, but they are no longer the responsible party). If you take the total carbs and subtract the total fiber (and, where applicable, minus sugar alcohols), you are left with net carbs. In Keto we want to keep net carbs low, not necessarily the total carbs. Note: you can’t add fiber to ice cream and suddenly call it low carb, the two must be exclusive in the same product. Also, you must only subtract sugar alcohols; not sugar. Sugar alcohols are sometimes used in snack foods, and are altered in the chemical process so they act differently from carbohydrates. Most are used to artificially sweeten foods, but some are good for you and others are not. Keep reading to learn the subtle nuances of carbs, and which sugar alcohols to avoid! The Three Golden Rules of Net Carbs The reason net carbs are so important is that they enable you to eat a much wider ran Continue reading >>
Total Carbohydrates In Ketosis
A large bowl of spinach.Photo Credit: baibaz/iStock/Getty Images Grey Evans began writing professionally in 1985. Her work has been published in "Metabolics" and the "Journal of Nutrition." Gibbs holds a Ph.D. in nutrition from Ohio State University and an M.S. in physical therapy from New York University. She has worked at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and currently develops comprehensive nutritional and rehabilitative programs for a neurological team. While you must limit your total carbohydrates when using a ketogenic diet, certain carbohydrates are allowed. Most of your carbohydrates should come from fibrous sources, such as vegetables, which do not count toward your total carbohydrate count. Limit your non-fibrous carbohydrates to no more than five percent of your total daily caloric intake. Certain exceptions to this rule do exist. Consult a health care professional before beginning any dietary plan. Dietary fiber counts as a carbohydrate, but your body has difficulty breaking it down into glycogen, or sugar. Consuming dietary fiber has no effect on your ability to stay in ketosis, and so you do not need to worry about it affecting your diet in any negative way. Vegetables are the most common source of dietary fiber, and should be consumed regularly, for both fiber and vitamins and minerals. Leafy green vegetables are solid choices for most dietary plans. Simple sugars, many grains, lactose and fructose are all carbohydrates that must be avoided, fructose in particular. Fructose is primarily metabolized by your liver, and the longer your liver is burning sugar, the longer you will be out of ketosis. Milk contains lactose, or milk sugar, and is not allowed, nor are cereals or starches. If you are consuming a 2000 kcal/day diet, your total intake Continue reading >>
What Are Net Carbs? The Difference Between Effective And Non-impact Carbs
What are net carbs? Not all carbs are created equal. The word carbohydrate is just a conjunction of the words “carbon” and “hydrate.” Any molecule that contains carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with a 2:1 ratio of hydrogen to oxygen (think H2O) is considered a carbohydrate. But the wide range of molecules that fit in this class have very different effects from your blood and your cells perspective. There’s a very big difference to understand. Some carbs are actually incredibly good for you. Carbohydrates in general, as an innocent nutrient source, are actually very good for you. This post is dedicated to what you need to know about net carbs in ketosis. This may be a little difficult to “digest,” considering most modern diet plans basically treat carbs like the devil. But it’s all about making the right choices: if you eat bad carbs, you’ll receive negative health effects as a result. Eat good carbs, though, and they’ll affect you positively! It’s really the media and the celebrity world that have helped to paint this hugely negative image of carbohydrates. Even when following the ketogenic diet, the idea isn’t to completely remove carbs. Rather, you want to ensure the body no longer relies on them as its primary fuel source. When people follow modern nutrition plans, they often make the mistake of thinking that because a plan is low-carb, it means carbohydrates are bad and should be avoided wherever possible. But that is misguided. In order to free yourself from this limiting pre-conception and enjoy a stress-free life of sensible nutrition, it’s important to learn the difference between carbohydrate types. Impact Vs Non-Impact Carbs There are two types of carbs to consider here: impact carbs and non-impact carbs. Impact Carbs An impact carb is b Continue reading >>
Total Carbs Or Net Carbs: What Really Counts?
Disclaimer: You should consult any dietary changes with a health professional, especially if you have a health condition such as diabetes or heart disease. You may need an adjustment to the medication you are taking. Critical thinking is key to separating facts from personal opinions and unproven theories. With the ever increasing amount of misinformation, it's easy for people to get confused and fall for a diet or lifestyle dogma. My advice is to always do your own research and learn what works best for you - no diet plan fits all and you always need to make small adjustments to fit your needs. Here's a couple of examples that are frequently discussed within the low-carb community: One of the myths is that if you follow a low-carb diet, you can eat unlimited calories, while losing weight and staying healthy. Although it's not common to overeat due to natural appetite control of low-carb diets, this belief results in overconsumption which is never beneficial no matter which diet you follow. A great example of a post questioning the effects of high cholesterol and saturated fat intake can be found at Low Carb Dietitian. About 25% of people following a low carb diet experience very high cholesterol levels. There is increasing evidence that cholesterol and saturated fat do not cause heart disease. Does this mean that very high cholesterol levels are completely safe and even desirable? Not necessarily - even if your C-reactive protein test shows that your inflammation is low, it doesn't mean that it's safe to have very high cholesterol levels. Keep in mind that low-carb diets are not just about eating foods rich in saturated fat found in butter or fatty meat. In addition to saturated fats, many experts, including doctor Jeff Volek, emphasise the importance of heart-healthy Continue reading >>
The Easiest Way To Track Carbs On A Keto Diet
In this day and age, technology is at an all-time high and constantly improving our lives. An example of this is an easy way to count your daily calorie and macronutrient intakes. Calorie counting tools are a fantastic way to see just exactly what you are putting into your body on a daily basis. Counting your calories, carbs, fats, and proteins can be a huge hassle when you’re transitioning into a keto diet, but we’re here to help. There are tons of benefits to knowing exactly how many calories are going into your body, but there’s even more from knowing where the calories come from. Using a simple tool, we can track our daily intake of calories, carbs, proteins, and fats – and most importantly see how many left we have in the day. Now, you want the secret sauce don’t you? MyFitnessPal easily and effectively does this for you right at the disposal of your fingertips. I’ve been using their website and mobile app for a long time now, and I have to say it’s the best I’ve come across by far. They have a built in database of almost every food, so its cake walk to maintain a daily journal of your diet. Why Track Your Carbs? You might be asking me, “What’s the point of using a calorie counter?” Well, there are numerous reasons to, including: Portion Control: As you increasingly read nutrition labels, you’ll realize that serving sizes are tiny. Manufacturers do that on purpose to get their counts low, and to get more people to buy. This app can help you follow proper portion control, resulting in proper diet control. Ninja Carbs: Some labels show that their products have 0 carbs, but you’d be surprised at how many things actually have carbs in them. Remember, 1g of carbs can really add up over a day’s worth of eating! Splenda used to be one of my fav Continue reading >>
What Is Erythritol
Erythritol is a low calorie, low carb, gluten-free sugar substitute used by many dieters anywhere they want a little easy, added sweetness. What is it? Erythritol is a sugar alcohol (most molecules whose names end in -ol are classified as alcohols), but this isn’t the kind that can get you drunk. It’s found in some fruits and plants or made from fermenting starches. Molecules like erythritol can’t be digested by humans, as we don’t have that particular necessary enzyme, so it is passed through the body without wrecking sugar’s harmful effects. Most of it is actually released unchanged through our urine, making it effectively 0 net carbs! It has a glycemic index of 0 (meaning it does not spike blood sugar) and it’s not metabolized by oral bacteria so it doesn’t cause tooth decay (dentists love it!). Where does erythritol come from? Erythritol is naturally derived from some fruits and plants. It’s found in trace amounts in grapes, melons, mushrooms, and fermented foods such as wine, beer, cheese, and soy sauce. The final product looks just like granulated sugar; you can buy it in granulated or powdered forms though. We prefer powdered, as erythritol is a little harder to dissolve than regular sugar and that’s important for baking. If you’ve only got access to granulated, you can get the best of both worlds by buying granulated and then pulsing it a few times in a food processor, or Nutribullet. Powdered erythritol in seconds! How does it taste? Not much to say here other than- it’s sweet, with a bit of a cooling sensation. Most brands of erythritol are about 70% as sweet as regular sugar. Many people report noticing no difference in the taste and use it as a direct sugar substitute in their food prep. They also say it tastes a lot better to them than Continue reading >>
What Are Macros
What Are Macros? Macronutrients are molecules that our bodies use to create energy for themselves – primarily fat, protein and carbs. They are found in all foods in varying amounts, measured in grams (g) on the nutrition labels. Fat provides 9 calories per gram Protein provides 4 calories per gram Carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram Counting Calories vs. Counting Macros If you eat less calories than you burn, you will likely lose weight. But counting calories can only tell you so much; if you’re not careful and don’t eat the right calories, you’ll likely lose muscle too! To maintain, lose or even gain weight, many people rely on counting macros to make sure they’re eating correctly. 100 calories of avocado (fat) is a lot better than 100 calories of a doughnut (carbs). On a ketogenic (low carb, high fat) diet, it’s very important to know how many carbs you’re eating in comparison to fat and protein. Many people aim for less than 50g of carbs to maintain ketosis. When counting macros, you simply add up how many grams of fat, protein and carbs you ate that day. Let’s take an example: If you ate 10 Ritz crackers and wanted to calculate your macros for that meal, you would first determine how many servings you ate. If the serving size is 5 crackers and you ate 10, you would multiply every number on that label by 2. You would have eaten 8g of fat, 20g of carbs, and 2g of protein in that snack. In your log, you would then add all your grams of carbs, protein and fat up to a total so far. By seeing your macros visually, you can easily tell when you’re running a little high in carbs and know when to slow down. How to Calculate Your Optimal Macros Your optimal macronutrient intake depends on many different factors- your age, gender, weight, BMI and activit Continue reading >>
Ketogenic Diet Beginners Guide
Brief Overview A ketogenic diet is a way of eating that promotes a state of ketosis in the body. Generally speaking a ketogenic diet will have the following macronutrient ratios: High Fat – 60%-80% of total calories come from fat. Moderate Protein – 15%-35% of total calories come from protein. Low Carbohydrate – 5% or less of total calories come from carbohydrates. Everyone’s macronutrient breakdown will be different and depends on a variety of factors. Reference our Keto Macro Calculator to figure out what yours are! Eating in accordance with these macronutrient ratio’s will deplete your body of glucose and force it to start producing ketones. Your body will then use these ketones for energy. What is Ketosis From Wikipedia: Ketosis is a metabolic state in which some of the body’s energy supply comes from ketone bodies in the blood, in contrast to a state of glycolysis in which blood glucose (sugar) provides most of the energy. With the abundance of high carbohydrate foods available in modern times, virtually all human beings that don’t make a concerted effort to restrict carbs are always in a state of glycolysis. There are a number of reasons why ketosis is beneficial when compared to glycolysis, which we will get into later. What are Ketones? Ketones are the fuel source your body is running on when it’s in a state of ketosis. They are produced in the liver when glycogen is depleted and are characterized as a slower burning fuel source when compared to glucose. Insulin and Keto This is where the magic happens. Eating a high carb diet means you’re always producing insulin to transport the glucose around your body. The fat can just sit around and watch because insulin is doing all the work. The fat is eventually stored, which leads to weight gain. In a Continue reading >>
How To Calculate Net Carbs On Keto
This part can get a little bit confusing in the beginning but gets easier with practice. Net carbs are the carbohydrates that our bodies can digest and turn into sugar, where total carbs include sugar, fiber or indigestible starch. Fiber does not increase your blood sugar levels. It’s a type of carbohydrate that your body cannot digest, therefore you might subtract the fiber from the total carbohydrate (1). There are two types of fibers: Soluble fiber (dissolves in water). This type of fiber can help lower blood cholesterol and improve blood glucose control (2, 3) Insoluble fiber (does not dissolve in water). This type of fiber can help promote regularity by making food move better through your digestive system and therefore help prevent constipation. Net carbs, or the carbs you can digest, are the ones we’re concerned with since too many will inhibit ketosis and may stall weight loss efforts. Net Carbs Formula for Most Natural Foods To calculate net carbs, you would subtract Fiber from the Total Carbohydrates on the nutrition label. Net Carbs = Total Carbohydrates – Dietary Fiber Some smart companies have already begun adding a net carbs line on the label, making this far easier to track. However, sometimes you need to pay close attention to the nutrition label because it can be a bit confusing. Some food labels show total carbs whereas some show net carbs. It all depends on the country you live, the companies, and where the food is manufactured. In some countries in Europe and Australia, they separate the fiber amount from total carbs (see image 1), so you don’t have to do the calculation. The carbohydrate amount in the label is also the net carbs. In the US and Canada, most companies put the fiber included in the total carbs (see image 2), so you have to dedu Continue reading >>
11 Low Carb Vegetables You Can Still Eat On A Ketogenic Diet
11 Low Carb Vegetables You Can Still Eat on a Ketogenic Diet When it comes to the ketogenic diet and low carb foods there is one food group I refuse to give up. Eating low carb vegetables has been (and will be) a part of my keto diet because of the valuable nutrients they provide. As long as you know which vegetables are low in carbohydrates and stick to your daily macro numbers, there is no reason why you cant continue to eat them. For example, I try and stick to a 75% fat, 15% protein, and 10% carb keto diet. So for a 2,000 calorie diet per day, I need to limit my daily carb intake to 50 grams or less. Many of the great tasting veggies listed below can (and probably should be) eaten on a low carb ketogenic diet. There are however several vegetables that do contain a high amount of carbohydrates that should be watched. I cant remember where I read it now, but a great way to remember low/high carb veggies is like this Above Ground Vegetable If it is growing above ground, it is likely very low carb (i.e. celery, spinach) Below Ground Vegetable Root vegetables growing below ground are likely high in carbs (i.e. potatoes, beets, carrots) This doesnt mean you cant eat root vegetables on a keto diet, but you will need to carefully track your macros. Which brings me to an important topic when it comes to the ketogenic diet and tracking your macros net carbohydrates. It is important to understand that not every carb is created equal, which is why we need to discuss counting net carbs. When it comes to counting carbs on the ketogenic diet, most people track net carbs. In order to calculate the net carbs you are eating, you take the total carbs and subtract any dietary fiber. Both of these numbers can be found on ingredient labels. So if 1 Tbsp. of your favorite almond butter c Continue reading >>
How To Figure Net Carbs Ketogenic Diet Resource
Want to know How To Figure Net Carbs? Check this out; we’re going to go in depth and teach you everything you need to know about figuring out net carbs. There is some debate amongst low carbe’rs and keto dieters everywhere about the idea of net carbs. When I first started the keto diet, I was hard-core. I didn’t care what kind of carb we were talking about I hated and avoided them all. Thankfully, I don’t live like that anymore. Initially, I considered net carbs a way to cheat and an excuse to eat whatever I wanted. It took me a few months of research to decide that net carbs were the way to go. Should I Trust Net Carbs? So what are net carbs? That’s the question I asked myself when I first started this keto lifestyle. The first time I saw the term was on an Atkins Diet Pizza box. After reading the ingredients I quickly made the assumption that net carbs were a crappy marketing tool. I was right and wrong. I’ll go ahead and tell you now that I don’t endorse any of the Atkin’s diet products. You have to be careful with prepackaged products that tout net carbs right on the box. Most of them are highly processed. If you’re trying to live a healthy lifestyle that is a step back in my opinion. I do plan to research further these premade products. I will let you know if I find even one that is good for you! The Facts: A carbohydrate is “any of a large group of organic compounds occurring in foods and living tissues and including sugars, starch, and cellulose. They contain hydrogen and oxygen in the same ratio as water (2:1) and typically can be broken down to release energy in the body.” So a carb is a macronutrient in your foods that the body breaks down into sugar to fuel itself throughout the day. When you consume a diet high in carbohydrates, and you Continue reading >>
Net Carbs Vs Total Carbs And What Counts On Keto
Trying to define the carbs on nutrition facts labels can be thoroughly difficult to understand. There’s a figure for total carbs but also subheadings for dietary fiber, sugars, and sometimes sugar alcohols. You may have heard questions people ask such as, “how many carbs should you eat daily?” and “should you count net carbs or total carbs?“. Counting net or total carbs is a debatable topic with low carb dieters. People have different reasons for counting macros, calories, and net carbs. Usually to increase health, fitness and try to drop some pounds. People with diabetes particularly need to monitor carbohydrate intake. Whatever your reason and whatever diet you follow, we aim to increase your knowledge of calculating net and total carbs. Carbs For Health Carbs are a complex thing in the low carb world. People say there good and bad, make you fat or thin, healthy and unhealthy, the list goes on. For weight loss, it comes down to how soon your body can use the carbs. The more simple the carb, the faster your body can convert it to energy and the more likely it can be an obstacle to losing belly fat. The quick and simple carbs such as soda, white pasta, cereals, and rice produce insulin in the blood. You want to avoid these for sharp insulin spikes. Carbs aren’t always bad if eaten in moderation along with a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables. The acquired insulin spike isn’t inevitably a bad thing. It can effectively help power you through workouts, and even promote fat burning. Save LowCarbAlpha How your Body Manages Carbs and How Many To Eat? The first thing you need to realize there is no such thing as essential carbs. Your body uses essential fats and proteins but does not need any carbohydrates at all. You could even eat no fruits and vegetables an Continue reading >>
On The Ketogenic Diet, Do You Subtract Fiber From The Total Amount Of Carbs?
Answered Mar 20, 2017 Author has 909 answers and 578k answer views Most people are missing the point of the question - the question was not about the benefits of fiber - the question was specifically around a ketogenic diet . Because fiber is not affecting your blood glucose levels, your body does not produce insulin in response. Production of insulin is what shuts off your ketosis. So, from that perspective - yes, you do subtract fiber from total carbs when calculating your carb limits that would still require you to stay in ketosis. Answered Mar 21, 2017 Author has 968 answers and 344.4k answer views The net carbs theory gets a bit ambiguous nowadays. The fiber you find in nuts and vegetables, two things commonly eaten on a ketogenic diet, can legitimately be subtracted from your carbohydrate total. These fibers are not digested, regulate bowel movements, aid in the prevention of heart disease etc. Things get weird when we start bringing sugar alcohols into play. These sugar alcohols are listed as fiber on the label, but do not act in the same way as the common soluble/insoluble fibers in whole foods. Ive seen reports of people having blood sugar spikes despite only consuming these fibers. My advice would be to avoid protein bars and other things containing these net carb labels while on a ketogenic diet. Getting into ketosis is a bit of a skill and can be quite difficult at times. I wouldnt want to blow it by eating a protein bar. Continue reading >>
Counting Carbs
Counting carbs is easy to do. All you need is a source of information that gives the carbohydrate and fiber counts in grams of specific portions of foods. It can be a book, or a database or website on the internet.. I can recommend the following since I have them in my own library or use them frequently: Dana Carpender's Carb Gram Counter: Usable Carbs, Protein, Fat, and Calories - Plus Tips on Eating Low-Carb! by Gary Scheiner, MS CDE. FitDay or other food counting software Food labels; but be aware food manufacturers have a bad habit of not being truthful about how many carbs are in their products. And you have to remember to check serving sizes as well. If you are looking at a large container of yogurt, and it says 16 carbs per serving, make sure you check to see if there is more than on serving in the container. If there are two servings, than the total carb count for that container is 32, not 16. Total versus "Net" or "Effective" Carbs The most important part of counting carbs is to understand the difference between total carbohydrate measures, and the measure of usable, impact, effective or "net" carb carbs. Total carb is the count of all of the carbohydrate grams available in the food, including fiber, sugar alcohols, and other indigestible carbohydrate. Usable, impact, effective or "net" carbs are a measure of the total carb grams MINUS the indigestible carb grams. So in most carb counting books, you'll see a measurement of total carb grams, fiber grams and then the net or usable carb grams. To count carbs accurately, use the net or usable carb number when adding up your carb intake. Aww, Do I Have To? If you are eating a ketogenic diet for weight loss, and you are new to counting carbs, I recommend that you keep track of what you are eating in order to be to co Continue reading >>
How Do You Count Carbs On A Ketogenic Diet?
If you are using the Keto Zone Diet for weight loss then you are probably paying a lot of attention to how many carbohydrates you are consuming. You are likely already aware of the myriad of benefits of a ketogenic. They include weight loss, improved energy, and enhanced cognitive performance. However, in order to reap the benefits, you need to keep your daily consumption of carbs below 20 grams per day, especially for the first 2-4 weeks. Keto Macros The macronutrient ratios (macros) of daily caloric intake for a successful ketogenic diet look like this: High healthy fat intake at 60%-80% of calories. Moderate clean protein intake at 15%-35% of calories. Low carbohydrate intake at 0%-5% of calories Many people initially scoff at these ratios as ridiculous or even impossible. The fact is, however, that it is not only possible, but once the body is adapted it is actually incredibly easy to maintain. This is because once the body has adapted to using ketones (fat) for fuel instead of glucose (sugar), hunger diminishes dramatically and cravings virtually disappear. But first, you must make it through the keto adaptation phase. Keto Adaptation The human body is designed to efficiently burn fat for fuel. That is actually why the body stores fat to begin with, as a backup fuel supply when no food is available. For those of us in the Western world, food is always available, so most of us never tap into our body fat reserves and instead pile on body weight from all the excess calories. The easiest way to access these fat reserves would be to simply not eat (i.e. fast), but that is simply too difficult for most people with busy lives. A ketogenic diet restricts carbohydrates and protein to a degree that mimics the metabolic effects of fasting. This allows the body to remember ho Continue reading >>
