Work out the net carbs on any label
Net carbs are the carbs that count on a low-carb diet: without the fiber and, if there are any, without the sugar alcohols. What hardly anyone explains is that it matters where the label comes from, because Europe and the US do not mean the same thing by “carbohydrate”.
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How are net carbs calculated?
It depends on the label. In the US (FDA), “Total Carbohydrate” includes fiber and sugar alcohols, so net carbs = total − fiber − sugar alcohols. In the European Union (Regulation 1169/2011, and the UK follows the same rule), “carbohydrate” means the carbs the body uses, sugar alcohols included, and fiber is listed separately: it is already left out. So on a European label, net carbs = carbohydrate − sugar alcohols. The same product with 20 g of total carbs, 8 g of fiber and 5 g of sugar alcohols on its US label shows 12 g of carbohydrate on its EU label: both give 7 g net. The classic mistake is subtracting fiber from a European label, which takes it off twice. “Net carbs” is not a legal term in the US or in Europe: it is the low-carb convention. The table uses the USDA database, which gives carbs with the fiber included, like a US label.
Net carbs per 100 g: 16 foods
Total carbs (with fiber included, as on a US label), fiber and net carbs per 100 g. Avocado, spinach and chia are almost all fiber; banana and oats are not.
| Food | Total carbs | Fiber | Net carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avocado | 8.5 g | 6.7 g | 1.8 g |
| Spinach | 3.6 g | 2.2 g | 1.4 g |
| Broccoli | 7.2 g | 3.3 g | 3.9 g |
| Cauliflower | 4.1 g | 2.3 g | 1.8 g |
| Raspberries | 11.9 g | 6.5 g | 5.4 g |
| Strawberry | 7.7 g | 2 g | 5.7 g |
| Almond | 21.6 g | 12.5 g | 9.1 g |
| Walnut | 13.7 g | 6.7 g | 7 g |
| Chia seeds | 42.1 g | 34.4 g | 7.7 g |
| Apple | 13.8 g | 2.4 g | 11.4 g |
| Banana | 22.8 g | 2.6 g | 20.2 g |
| Oats | 67.7 g | 10.1 g | 57.6 g |
| Lentils, cooked | 20.1 g | 7.9 g | 12.2 g |
| Chickpeas, cooked | 27.4 g | 7.6 g | 19.8 g |
| Brown rice, cooked | 25.6 g | 1.6 g | 24 g |
| Dark chocolate | 45.9 g | 10.9 g | 35 g |
USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy): carbs “by difference”, which include fiber. Oats dry; lentils, chickpeas, rice and broccoli cooked; dark chocolate 70-85% cocoa. These are reference ranges for healthy adults, not a diagnosis or individual advice.
FAQ
How do you calculate net carbs?
On a US label, total carbs minus fiber minus sugar alcohols. On a European label fiber is already outside the carb figure: you only subtract the sugar alcohols. For example, 20 g total, 8 g fiber and 5 g sugar alcohols give 7 g net.
Should I subtract fiber on European or UK labels?
No. In the EU and the UK carbohydrate is declared without fiber, which has its own line. If you subtract it, you count it twice and end up with fewer net carbs than there really are.
Which foods have the fewest net carbs?
Leafy greens, avocado and high-fiber nuts and seeds. 100 g of avocado has 8.5 g of carbs, but 6.7 g are fiber: 1.8 g net. 100 g of almonds, 9.1 g net; chia seeds, 7.7 g. By contrast, 100 g of banana has 20.2 g net.
Do you subtract all sugar alcohols?
That is the usual convention, but they are not all alike: erythritol is barely absorbed and provides almost no energy; maltitol and sorbitol are partly absorbed. If a “sugar-free” product is full of maltitol, its real net carbs are somewhat higher than subtracting all of it suggests.
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