Low Carbs vs. Low Sugar vs. Net Carbs

There is so much confusion about what is Low Carb or Net Carbs or Low Sugar. There is no set definition by the FDA for Low Carbohydrates.There is a specific definition for Low Sodium and Very Low Sodium but not for carbohydrates.So here is our concept on carbohydrates at Carbessentials.net.On a label you will have Carbohydrates listed. Underneath that, indented, are the items that make up the carbohydrates: sugars, sugar alcohols, and fiber.Net Carbs is when you take the Total Carbohydrates and subtract the items that do not effect blood sugars. This will be the fiber and the sugar alcohols and what is left are the Net Carbs. Net Carbs affect blood sugars.Example Carbohydrates: 20 gramsSugars: 12 gramsFiber: 3 gramsSugar Alcohols: 5 gramsNet Carbs = 20 grams - (3F + 5SA) = 12 grams net carbs.It can get rather complicated and the more math you have to do the more complicated it becomes.But what if all the numbers underneath the Total Carbohydrates do not add up to the totals? That is when it gets even more confusing.I talked to one of the nutritional manufacturers we use and he explained it like this. There are other items within the carbohydrate family that are not required to be listed if they don’t add up to an appreciable amount (greater than 1 gram). There can be several of these items and they can add up to several grams of carbohydrates but they are not required to be listed. These are carbohydrates that do not effect your blood sugars. Examples of these type of ingredients are sugar alcohols, glycerin, tapioca starch, potato starch, and I am sure many more.So what we have done at Carbessentials is pulled out all of our products that have 5 grams of sugar or less.So when you see the Low Sugar list you will know that it means: 5 grams of sugar or less.These specialty lists that we have created truly put Carbessentials.net to a higher level than any other on-line nutritional site. It is a labor of love for us.These are being added to the Carbessentials.net website under the heading of Low Sugar Sneals.