Carbohydrates on a Keto or Low-Carb Diet : CARBS VS. NET CARBS

Carbohydrates exist in some form in almost every food source. Total elimination of carbs is impossible and impractical. We need some carbohydrates to function. It’s important to know this if we want to understand why some foods that fall into the restricted category on a keto diet are better choices than others.


Fiber counts as a carb in the nutritional breakdown of a meal. What’s important to note is that fiber does not significantly affect our blood sugar—a good thing, since it’s an essential macronutrient that helps us digest food properly. By subtracting the amount of fiber from the number of carbs in the nutritional tally of an ingredient or finished recipe, you’re left with what’s called net carbs.


Think about your paycheck before taxes (gross), and after (net). A terrible analogy, perhaps, since no one enjoys paying taxes, but an effective one in trying to understand carbs versus net carbs and how to track them. You put a certain number of carbs into your body, but not all of them affect your blood sugar level.


This doesn’t mean you can go crazy with whole-grain pasta. Even though it’s a better choice than white-flour pasta, overall, you should be limiting your net carbs to 20 to 25 grams per day. To put that in perspective: two ounces of uncooked whole-grain pasta have about 35 grams of carbohydrates and only 7 grams of total fiber. Probably pasta and bread are the two main things that people will ask you if you miss. Best way to answer them is by sharing all the things you can eat (see the Keto Cheat Sheet here).

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