The Urban Legend of Net Carbs
You know how they say that kid Mikey, from the old Life cereal commercials, ate Pop Rocks and drank a Pepsi at the same time, and then his stomach blew up? Well, that didn't really happen.
I heard the real truth... that he ate a low-carb wrap with grilled chicken, but realized that the "net carb" amount listed on the package wasn't accurate, and then his stomach blew up. Honest. At least, that's the story my cousin's girlfriend's roommate's kid brother once told me.
Unfortunately, just like poor 'lil Mikey, most people don't realize that the phrase "net carbs" is 100% marketing, with absolutely no legally-agreed upon definition. Even the Food and Drug Administration recognizes that the reasons for listing a product's "net carbs" can vary from company to company. For years, they've been trying (ever-so-slowly) to change that, and apply some type of universal standards.
As a perfect example, let's check out the O.G. of diet plans, Slim-Fast. They (of course) have hopped on the recent low-carb wave and produce a line of low-carb products, including these bars.
Notice that it states, in bright red and yellow, that the bars have "2 grams of net carbs per serving."
But let's flip the box over and look at the actual nutrition label.
- - - - - - - - - -
Calories per Serving: 120
Total Fat: 4.5
Total Carbohydrates: 21
Dietary Fiber: 1
Sugar: <1
Sugar Alcohols: 18
Other Carbohydrate: 2
Protein: 1
- - - - - - - - - -
I'll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor, because you did read that correctly. This "low carb snack" has 21 grams of carbs. That means that nearly 70% of the total calories come from carbohydrates. Are they mothertrucking kidding me? If that qualifies as low carb, I'm a pretty ballerina.
Now, some nutritionists calculate the "net carbs" by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols from the total carb content. In this case, that would be 21 - 1 - 18 = 2. So, with that thought process, the math adds up.
But the problem is that plenty of nutritionists also suggest that you do count the calories from sugar alcohols (and sometimes fiber, too. As with most nutrition theories, it's debatable.) It's just a matter of selective hearing, as far as whose advice Slim-Fast (and other companies) decide to listen to.
The lesson of the day is this... "net carbs" are not an officially-recognized phrase that any decent fitness or diet professional is going to use, it's a phrase used by marketing executives to convince you to open your wallet.
You'd be much better served if you pretended not to even notice that kind of advertising, and instead, evaluate your foods on good, old fashioned label reading.
I heard the real truth... that he ate a low-carb wrap with grilled chicken, but realized that the "net carb" amount listed on the package wasn't accurate, and then his stomach blew up. Honest. At least, that's the story my cousin's girlfriend's roommate's kid brother once told me.
Unfortunately, just like poor 'lil Mikey, most people don't realize that the phrase "net carbs" is 100% marketing, with absolutely no legally-agreed upon definition. Even the Food and Drug Administration recognizes that the reasons for listing a product's "net carbs" can vary from company to company. For years, they've been trying (ever-so-slowly) to change that, and apply some type of universal standards.
As a perfect example, let's check out the O.G. of diet plans, Slim-Fast. They (of course) have hopped on the recent low-carb wave and produce a line of low-carb products, including these bars.
Notice that it states, in bright red and yellow, that the bars have "2 grams of net carbs per serving."
But let's flip the box over and look at the actual nutrition label.
- - - - - - - - - -
Calories per Serving: 120
Total Fat: 4.5
Total Carbohydrates: 21
Dietary Fiber: 1
Sugar: <1
Sugar Alcohols: 18
Other Carbohydrate: 2
Protein: 1
- - - - - - - - - -
I'll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor, because you did read that correctly. This "low carb snack" has 21 grams of carbs. That means that nearly 70% of the total calories come from carbohydrates. Are they mothertrucking kidding me? If that qualifies as low carb, I'm a pretty ballerina.
Now, some nutritionists calculate the "net carbs" by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols from the total carb content. In this case, that would be 21 - 1 - 18 = 2. So, with that thought process, the math adds up.
But the problem is that plenty of nutritionists also suggest that you do count the calories from sugar alcohols (and sometimes fiber, too. As with most nutrition theories, it's debatable.) It's just a matter of selective hearing, as far as whose advice Slim-Fast (and other companies) decide to listen to.
The lesson of the day is this... "net carbs" are not an officially-recognized phrase that any decent fitness or diet professional is going to use, it's a phrase used by marketing executives to convince you to open your wallet.
You'd be much better served if you pretended not to even notice that kind of advertising, and instead, evaluate your foods on good, old fashioned label reading.
posted by Chris Colucci at 10:29 AM
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