Net Carbs Vs Total Carbs: Which Should You Calculate?

You may have never heard of “net carbs” before starting the ketogenic diet. It’s a term that refers to the number of carbohydrates that are actually absorbed by the body and thus affect blood sugar levels. There’s a lot of mixed information out there about how to calculate net carbs and whether or not you should even track your net carb intake. So, you might be wondering what’s the difference between net carbs vs total carbs, and which one should you be tracking?What are Total Carbs?Total carbs refer to everything that can be labeled as a carbohydrate on a nutrition label. This includes fiber and sugar alcohols. What are Net Carbs?Net carbs refer to the number of carbohydrates that are actually digested and absorbed by the body. Not all carbohydrates are created equal and some are broken down differently from others. Fiber, for example, is not digested the same as sugar.When carbohydrates are digested, they are broken down into glucose, the simplest sugar molecule. Some sugar alcohols and fibers, however, are not broken down […]…