How to Calculate Net Carbohydrates

If you've decided to count your carbohydrates -- whether you're following a weight loss diet or for any other reason -- you need to learn to calculate the "net" carbs in the foods you eat, not the total carbs listed on the nutrition label. The reason is this: The total carbohydrates listed on the label include digestible carbs as well as undigestible carbs, also known as fiber. Because undigestible carbs don't have the same effects on your body as the others, you don't count them. The calculation of digestible carbs in a serving of food is called the net carbohydrates.

Things You'll Need

• Food label

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Instructions

• 1

  Look at the food label and note the total number of carbohydrates in a serving of food. For example, let's say you look at a can of green beans, and the total carbs in a half-cup serving are listed as 3.9 grams.

• 2

  Look at the food label and note the grams of dietary fiber in the serving of food. For the serving of green beans, let's say the fiber listed is 1.9 grams.

• 3

  Subtract the total fiber grams from the total carbohydrate grams. This will give you the number you want to know: the net carbs in your serving of food. For example, you subtract 1.9 grams from 3.9 grams, to get a net carb value of 2 grams in a serving of green beans.