HELP! Very Confused about NET CARBS

[Danielle2842]

Hey there everyone,

I know that the simple way to figure net carbs is to take the total amount of carbs per serving and subtract the fiber, correct? Well, it really confuses me to see all of these products that say "Low Carb!" on them when they really don't seem to be at all!

For example, this "low carb" ice cream I looked at had "2 carbs per serving!" in big, bold letters on the front of the package, but when I read the nutritional label on the back, it said 1/2 cup is 19 g. carbs with 1 g. of fiber. How in the HECK are they getting 2 per serving? Are they allowed to flat out lie on packages to get your attention so maybe you just grab and buy the product??

[Jace]

Try checking the ingredients list, I'd be willing to bet there's some sort of sugar alcohol (xylitol, maltitol, lacitol etc...) included in the product that acts as the sweetener. I won't get into the benefits and drawbacks of consuming sugar alcohols as there are a litany of posts on the boards about them you can easily find with the search function.

Technically it's lying, but legally it isn't...if that makes sense...some people are able to subtract sugar alcohols from the total carb count with no adverse reactions while other will find that their body absorbed each and every one of those 19g of carbs per serving. Eating that low carb ice cream would be akin to playing Russian Roulette with your weight loss. It really is best to stay away and break the sweet tooth rather than indulging it if you want optimal results.

All the best,

~Far la bella figura!