Sometimes an idea comes along and it sticks in your brain, starts to shift how you think and act, and eventually settles in as ONE BIG IDEA that becomes a regular part of life.

Every now and then, we’ll drop a big idea here related to one of our Thrive Pillars. We promise to always break these ideas down into easy, digestible, and actionable chunks that parents can use.

Let’s get started!

What are net carbs?

Net carbs are only the carbohydrates in a food that will easily increase blood sugar in your body.

On the back of packaged foods, the nutrition facts include “total carbohydrate.” We know carbs raise blood sugar and insulin, but not all nutrients listed as carbohydrates do this. Fiber and zero-glycemic sweeteners like erythritol and allulose don’t raise blood sugar, but they’re included in the total carbohydrate count.

So, we want to know how many carbs are digestible and will raise blood sugar. These are net carbs, which we find by subtracting fiber and zero-glycemic sweeteners like erythritol and allulose from total carbohydrate.

Net carb = Total carbohydrate - fiber - erythritol/allulose

Some packaged products will advertise net carbs on their packaging and will subtract sugar alcohols like maltitol that still raise blood sugar. So when calculating net carbs, it’s best to stick to subtracting fiber and only erythritol and allulose, which are typically clearly labeled by manufacturers.  

Where did the idea of net carbs come from?

It emerged as an idea in the low-carb dieting world as a way to demonstrate how whole foods like broccoli and kale and packaged foods like a low-carb protein bar won’t raise blood sugar as much as their total carb count might imply.

Why should parents care about net carbs?

The idea of net carbs can help parents make better choices around using whole foods in meals and in purchasing packaged products.

The common nutrition advice from experts is to focus on whole foods and stay away from packaged products. But for busy parents, quick and easy packaged foods can make life way easier. Net carbs give us a way to quickly check whether a packaged product is going to meet our nutrition goals.

How can parents use the idea of net carbs in their daily lives?

It’s a concept that is most helpful when comparing whole foods (like regular rice vs. cauliflower rice) and packaged foods (like regular cereal vs. low-carb/high-protein cereal). The lower the net carb, the better. A really good meal or packaged product will have at least as many grams of protein as net carbs and fat.

Low-carb product = Less than 10 grams of net carbs

Excellent Meal or Product = More protein than net carbs + fat

The next time you’re looking at a new product in the store, give the net carb approach a try!

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