Most all food manufacturers are focusing on advertising the “Net Carbs” of foods. But what is Net Carbs and why is it important? Not all foods are converted to blood sugar and therefore to do not contribute to blood glucose levels. These are considered non impact carbs.

The non impact carbs are fiber and sugar alcohols. Therefore, you subtract the fiber and sugar alcohol carbs from the total carbohydrate to get the total Net Carbs. For example, suppose you had eaten a candy bar and some fiber rich crackers. Both have 15 grams of carbohydrates.

The crackers also have 5 grams of fiber while the candy bar has no fiber. The net carbs for the candy bar would be 15 while the net carbs for the crackers would be 10.