Carbs vs. NET Carbs on Induction? Confused and need help

[BBSwany]

Tried searching but to no avail. I'm currently in the induction phase of Atkins and learning what I can and cannot eat. In the book, I need to remain under 20 carbs per day. Now, is that 20 NET carbs or 20 carbs TOTAL? Because from what I understand, Carbohydrate count includes Dietary Fiber, which the body doesn't use. So if I have something that is 20g carbohydrates with 10g dietary fiber, am I eating 20 carbs or 10?!? I just don't want to sabotage myself during this. Thanks in advance!

[FwL]

Go with net carbs.

The concern with carbs during induction is that they raise the blood sugar. You want to keep the blood sugar low and stable. Fiber doesn't effect the blood sugar... so no need to be concerned with it.

[msanjelpie]

I don't trust net carbs... especially in things like the Atkins bars etc... people eat them and then don't lose - I think it's because of the whole 'net carb' thing...

Net carbs are Carbs minus fiber. But what if you are constipated and the fiber stays in your system? This was always something I wondered about...

Anyway, most atkineers go by 20 net carbs on induction...

[Elizellen]

If you stick to fiber carbs then you are doing it according to the book

As msanjelpie said there are products around that use the'net carb concept' to claim lower carb counts for those products using sugar alcohols in them which can be a slippery slope for some people, but deducting only the fibre is the safe way to do it.

BTW for anyone outside the USA do check where on the nutrition label the fiber/fibre is mentioned.

In UK and Europe fibre is not counted as being a carbohydrate so our labels liste them in a different section of the label and do not include them in the carb count, so we do not deduct them.

In UK 'total carbs' on a label = 'net carbs' according to Atkins.

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by msanjelpie

I don't trust net carbs... especially in things like the Atkins bars etc... people eat them and then don't lose - I think it's because of the whole 'net carb' thing...

The carbs in the Atkins bars are mostly sugar alcohols, so different individuals metabolize them to a different degree. This is one of the reasons why they stall some people. Another is the chemicals they contain, to which many folks have an intolerance.

Dr. Atkins was aware of this issue, which is why he was not a big supporter of these products and recommended eating whole, natural, minimally processed foods instead.

Net carbs are Carbs minus fiber. But what if you are constipated and the fiber stays in your system? This was always something I wondered about...

Carbohydrate digestion does not happen in the rectum, nor in the colon. The amylase starts doing its job in your mouth and this job continues as saccharides are further broken down in your stomach and small intestine. The easiness with which these sugar molecules are digested depends on their complexity. All mono- and disaccharides will have an effect on your blood sugar. Polysaccharides on the other hand can only be broken down into smaller bits (to be then converted into glucose) if they have a special kind of bond between the 6C units. This is where the difference between polysaccharides like starch and dietary fiber comes into play. 6C units in polysaccharides can be connected via an alpha linkage or via a beta linkage. Humans have the enzymes necessary to break down alpha bonds, but not beta glycosidic bonds. Dietary fibers have beta glycosidic bonds, hence they cannot be broken down into smaller sugar units and will not increase your blood sugar levels.

Soluble dietary fiber will undergo fermentation in the colon and, because a chemical reaction takes place, there will be some change in enthalpy, which means soluble dietary fiber contributes with calories to one's diet (less than other saccharides though). However, the products of fermentation are not sugars, so there will be no negative impact on blood sugar.

[liv]

Thanks for the info G. So that explains why we do count some calories coming from the fibre as well.

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by liv

So that explains why we do count some calories coming from the fibre as well.

Yep, that's how I read about this, looking for the soluble/insoluble fiber info.

[BBSwany]

Originally Posted by Elizellen

As msanjelpie said there are products around that use the'net carb concept' to claim lower carb counts for those products using sugar alcohols in them which can be a slippery slope for some people, but deducting only the fibre is the safe way to do it.

That's another thing I found when I was shopping the other day. What on earth is Sugar Alcohol?!? I have seen it on gum but was utterly perplexed by how many products have it. I didn't buy them because it had sugar in the title, but how do I compute sugar vs. sugar alcohols?

[liv]

Here is a sticky from our FAQ on sugar alcohols
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-alcohols.html (What are Sugar Alcohols?)

[Elizellen]

Originally Posted by liv

Here is a sticky from our FAQ on sugar alcohols
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-alcohols.html (What are Sugar Alcohols?)

and here is another one
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-them-not.html (What about Sugar Alcohols...Count them or not?)