When Eating Low-carb Do You Follow The Actual Carbs Or Effective Carbs?

Low-carb diets usually provide between 20 g and 100 g of carbs a day. The theory behind low-carb diets is that carbohydrates result in an increase in your blood sugar levels, which then trigger the release of insulin from your pancreas. Insulin has the role of clearing the excess sugar from your blood by making it enter your body cells, where it is either used for energy or stored as body fat. Because the standard American diet is rich in carbohydrates, advocates of the low-carb approach claim that carbs result in high insulin levels, which promote fat storage and hinder weight loss.

Total Carbohydrates

When looking at food labels you will see the amount of total carbohydrates per serving. Total carbs include sugar, starch and fiber. Check how your own serving size compares to the suggested serving size. Often, the suggested serving size is less than you might normally eat, which will make your carbohydrate intake higher that what appears on the nutrition facts label. For example, if the label indicates that 14 potato chips contain 28 g of carbohydrates, but you eat double or tripe that quantity, your total carbohydrate intake will be 56 to 84 g.

Available Carbohydrates

While the total carbohydrates include all type of carbohydrates, the available carbs, also called net carbs or effective carbs, only represent the portion of the carbohydrates that has the ability to raise your blood sugar levels and provide calories to your body. Available carbs are made up of sugar and starch, but exclude fiber. You can easily calculate the available carb content of a serving of food by subtracting the grams of fiber from the grams of total carbs. Don't forget to adjust the amount of available carbohydrates to the serving size you eat.

Total vs. Available Carbs

Most low-carb eating plans will recommend you count available carbs. With low-carb diets, the goal is the lower your blood sugar and insulin levels to allow you to lose weight. Only the sugar and starch portion of the carbohydrates can influence these levels. The fiber, which is part of the total carbs, but not included in the available carbs, does not directly raise your blood sugar and insulin levels. If you want to track your carb intake, count the grams of available carbs you eat to give you a better picture of the extent to which a food can increase your blood sugar levels and trigger the release of insulin.

Sources of Carb on a Low-Carb Diet

Counting available carbs, rather than total carbs, allows you to include many fiber-rich foods into your low-carb diet. For example, nonstarchy vegetables may constitute a significant source of total carbs, but most of these carbs are fiber, which makes their available carb content relatively low. Most low-carb eating plans emphasize the importance of including generous amounts of nonstarchy vegetables at each meal, as it constitutes the main source of available carbs and fiber for most low-carb dieters. Nonstarchy vegetables include leafy greens, tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, cabbage and kale, and provide a variety of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Depending on your carb budget, you may be able to include small amounts of berries and fruits, milk, yogurt and whole grains. Calculate the available carb content per serving for each of these foods to track your carb intake and lose weight successfully.