How to Find the Net Carbs in Food

One method to lose weight is to eat foods that are low in carbohydrates, as in the popular Atkins Diet. It's important for you to accurately calculate the amount of carbohydrates in your food to achieve and maintain your optimal weight on a low-carb diet. Net carbs are the adjusted carbohydrate count of food after eliminating the dietary fiber carbs that your body doesn't digest. The food nutrition label is all you need to calculate the net carbs in the food you eat.

Things You'll Need

• Nutrition label
• Calculator

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Instructions

• 1

  Locate the total carbohydrate amount listed on the nutrition facts label of your food. This label is printed on the back or side of cans or packages of food. For example, a can of kidney beans lists a total carbohydrate content of 20 grams per ½-cup serving.

• 2

  Find the grams of dietary fiber listed as a subhead under the total carbohydrate section of the nutrition facts label. The can of kidney beans shows 6 grams of dietary fiber per ½-cup serving.

• 3

  Subtract the amount of dietary fiber from the total carbohydrate content to find the net carbs in the food. Using this calculation, the ½-cup serving of kidney beans contains 14 grams of net carbs as determined by subtracting 6 grams of dietary fiber from the 20 grams total carbohydrate content.

• 4

  Use an online net carbohydrates calculator if eating fresh food that has no nutrition facts label. Both the Atkins Diet and Nutrition Data webpages offer helpful net carbs calculation tools.