Some online calculators remove 100% of sugar alcohol carb grams, however, research says that only 50% of sugar alcohol grams should be removed in the equation. We have used this thinking to create the keto net carb calculator below.
The Net Carb Calculator
Related Calculator: mmol/l to mg/dl Conversion
How to Use the Net Carb Calculator
- Look at the nutrition facts label at the back of your food item
- Enter the total carbohydrate number in grams
- Enter the total dietary fiber number in grams
- Enter the total sugar alcohol number in grams
- Click calculate for the formula to run and display your net carbs in grams result.
How to Calculate Net Carbs on Keto
The basic formula used to calculate net carbs is:
Example Net Carb Calculations on Low Carb/Keto Food Labels
Here are things you need to note when reading a nutrition label and ingredient list on foods marked as keto-friendly or low-carb.
1. Ample Keto Meal Replacement
Here is an example of how to read the Ample K meal replacement drink label to see how many net carbs it has.
In this case, the result is there are 3 g net carbs per serving of Ample K.
Please Note: you must also read the ingredients list of various keto meal replacement shakes to see what sweetener has been used. In this case it is Monk Fruit and Stevia extract, which don’t count towards net carbs.
2. Avocado
Here is an example of how to read the California avocado food label.
In this case, the result is there is 1 g net carb per 50 g serving of avocados.
Please Note: you need to count the serving amount you will actually eat since if you eat more than 50 g of avocado you will be eating more than 1 g net carb.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Net Carbs?
Net carbs are also known as digestible carbs and are the measurement in grams of the total amount of digestible carbohydrate in food.
What Are Total Carbs?
Total carbs is a combined measurement of all the types of carbohydrates found in a single serving of food. This includes the different carbohydrates of sugar, sugar alcohols, dietary fiber and starches.
How Many Net Carbs Do You Need for Ketosis?
To be in a state of nutritional ketosis it is recommended to eat between 20–50 grams of net carbohydrates per day. However, individual tolerance to carbohydrates varies.
Does Fiber Count as a Net Carb?
No, dietary fiber does not count towards net carbs as it does not affect blood glucose levels since it is not absorbed by the body.
What Are Sugar Alcohols?
Sugar alcohols, are also known as polyols, and are hydrogenated carbohydrates that are used in foods primarily as sweeteners and bulking agents. They are metabolized in an insulin-independent fashion and have little or no effect on plasma glucose.
Do Sugar Alcohols Count as Net Carbs?
Yes, nearly all listed sugar alcohol amounts on a nutrition food label should be divided by two to get the gram value that counts towards the net carb measurement of a food. For example, total of 3g of maltitol / 2 = 1.5g net carbs of maltitol.
The only sugar alcohol exception to the rule is erythritol, which you do not count any labelled erythritol grams of carbs to the final net carb equation.
Examples of Sugar Alcohols
- Erythritol
- Sorbitol
- Xylitol
- Mannitol
- Isomalt
- Maltitol
- Lactitol
- Glycerin
Do Stevia and Monk Fruit Count as Net Carbs?
No, stevia and monk fruit are sweeteners that do not raise insulin or blood glucose levels and can be excluded from the net carb calculation.
