Among people who follow keto and other low-carb diets, you often hear the terms “total carbs” and “net carbs.” Here’s a quick breakdown of what those two terms mean.
Total carbs is exactly what it sounds like: a calculation of all the carbohydrate in a food, including dietary fiber, sugar, and sugar alcohols.
To arrive at the amount of net carbs in a food, you subtract dietary fiber (and sugar alcohols, if applicable) from the total amount of carbohydrate in that food, as shown in the example below. Dietary fiber and sugar alcohols generally have a minimal impact on blood sugar; therefore, some people choose not to count them as part of their target carbohydrate intake. Instead, they focus on net carbs.
TOTAL CARBOHYDRATES — DIETARY FIBER — SUGAR ALCOHOLS = NET CARBS