The "net carb" BS

I am not a scientist, so I know that everything I say should be taken with a grain of non-salt seasoning.

But this whole "only blah blah net carbs" claim is total BS in my opinion and experience.  For example, Quest Bars (which I think are awesome, just not accurate with the net carb claim) list that they have 20g of carb, but because of the fiber "cancelling" out the carbs, they only have a net of 4 or 5 grams, depending upon the flavor.  People, I am here to say that if you are counting and keeping track of your carbs, these must be counted for the full amount of 20. 

What do I base this on? I am a juvenile diabetic.  I have been for over 40 years.  I will always need insulin (or at least until they actually discover a cure).  Even when I was heavy, I always have had to keep track of the carbs that I eat so I can give myself the proper amount of insulin to "cover" them.  I wear an insulin pump, as well as a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor.  Folks, a carb is a carb is a carb.  Period.  Some are absorbed slower of faster than others based upon how complex they are or how much fat and protein is also being ingested, but the carbs will be absorbed and will behave like any other carb, regardless of what that packaging will lead you to believe.  I know this 100% because if I were to take the amount of insulin for 5 carbs (the net they claim), my blood sugar would sore.  I need to take every bit of insulin that I would require with any other 20 carb gram meal when I eat a Quest Bar.  I have had many, and I know that I personally need 3 units to cover 1 quest bar and keep my blood sugar stable. 

So if you are watching carbs as part of your overall routine to keep your weight in check (and I know for sure that if I eat too many carbs I instantly stop losing weight and can very well gain), then by all means, enjoy your Quest Bars (or any products you choose), but don't be drawn into the packaging.  Figure the full amount of the carbs and ignore that Net Carb crap.  A carb is a carb is a carb.  Period.

Again, I am no scientist, just one who knows very well how carbs affect blood sugar.  If anyone disagrees with my assessment, I would really be interested in hearing why and will certainly listen to reason and good science.

Yup - agree on this completely. 

Plus, often what they are calling fiber is low quality junk that really does nothing for you.  If you have to have it - work it into your daily totals and count the full carb amount.

Thank you for posting that. I have severe RH post op RNY and the quest bars will cause that. 

For years I have been trying to tell people that the "net low carbs " is total BS. Based on my own experience... 

Same with some Sugar alcohols..that most people don't consider as carbs ...(sorbitol, xylitol, etc) 

When it comes to Quest bars and other processed foods, I completely agree with you. However, I do not believe that the same reasoning applies to all sources of fiber. I would be interested to hear if you have had this same type of experience with whole foods such as chia seeds or plain beans. There really are certain fibers that our body is unable to process, but they don't come in a package. They come straight from nature. I would guess that some of them we process better than others, but I am much more comfortable eating these natural fibers than any processed fiber. If you have thoughts on this, please share.

It has been my experience pretty much across the boards, with the exception of something like celery where I don't give myself any insulin for minimum carbs they contain, that pretty much everything else that has carbs requires insulin regardless of fiber content.  The only difference that I have ever been able to note is the SPEED of the absorption.  Foods that contain carbs and high amounts of fiber do take longer to break down.  So if I take a full dose of insulin all at once, I run the risk of going low, only to bounce high when the carbs do become fully absorbed.  For certain foods like that I can program my pump to give me my bolus dose over a chosen period of time...say slow release over an hour.  So to answer your questions, my person experience tells me it is also hype and hooplah.  But...that is not to say that slower absorption of carbs is not a good thing.  It is actually a GREAT thing.  the more complex the carbs, the slower they are absorbed, which means the less your blood sugar will spike, which of course means the less it then has to come back down triggering hunger.  This is a major reason why as I diabetic, I have been told many times by doctors and nutritionists that I NEED fat when I eat certain foods.  For example, thinking I am being good and trying to lose weight, I may have had half a baked potato with no butter on it.  Worst thing I could do.  Putting a bit of butter on that potato would add fat to the mix and significantly slow the absorption of all of those really simple white potato carbs.  Disclaimer---I no longer eat regular white potatoes. 

There is my 2 cents worth...though I doubt its worth even that.

This is one of the reasons a plain baked potato will spike blood sugar more than french fries will. Not that fries are healthier, they just create a different blood sugar reaction.

Thanks for sharing. That makes sense when it comes to something like nuts and seeds because they also contain fat to slow the absorption of the carbs. It's all very food specific, so I agree that it is better to avoid the net carb trap.

I agree completely. The "fiber" in some of these things is not fiber at all. It actually used to be much worse. Quest now uses "soluble corn fiber," which actually affects blood sugar less than their previous formula, which used iso-malto oligosachharides as "fiber." But it's still pretty bad.

I think most people really do want to stay low carb, but struggle. So they latch on to net carbs, to convince themselves they are low carb, yet still eat more.

I tried the new quest bars and...my BS did not spike as much as before... but it stayed higher for app 2 hours after I ate it... and the gas..OMG the gas and indigestion I got... 

corn is not my friend... corn fiber is made from corn...

No popcorn? We can't go to the movies without popcorn.