I Suppose this is an old question about reading food labels:

How does one count actual carbs (that contribute to blood sugar)
from a food label?

Example: Atkins Advantage almond brownie bar:
Totals: Fat=8g, Protein=21g, Carbs 21g ( Fiber 7g, Sugars 0g ).

As Atkins states : Count only 2 g,
I assume Hidden Carbs = (21-2)=19g...
Is that correct? I was GIVEN the hidden carbs
but don't know how to count using only the label info...

Counting Hidden Carbs as
Total-Fiber = (21-7)=14g does not work. So either I
DON't know how to compute from the given OR
the label is HIDING the actual numbers?

I need some wisdom from those veterans out there...

Hi there Babejoe, welcome!

The missing, or hidden, carbs are sugar alcohols. According to Dr Atkins sugar alcohols produce no insulin reaction, and therefore can pretty much be ignored.

Alas, for some folk, that is not so, and they stall when they eat food containing them. But for many others, there is no problem. It's very much a YMMV (your mileage may vary) situation.

How do you know if you'll be affected? The only way is to try them and see.

One more thing: sugar alcohols tend to also be laxatives and many folk (such as yours truly) avoid them for that reason.

If you go to "Low Carb Tips" on the orange bar at the top of the screen, you'll find some more sugar alcohol information.

Cheers.

Rosebud

I am new to the group. Hello! I've been doing a low carb lifestyle since January and am very happy with my results. I have always been confused over the "other carbs" listed on labels. I see where you told someone what they actually were, in terms of cereal. But my question is, do we count them? I was looking at a box of Cheerios, where the vast majority is "other carbs". If total carbs is 28 and other carbs make up 22 - do I subtract or not? This is the only part I've never quite had a handle on.

Thanks.

some people subtract sugar alcohols, others do not... i think you'll find the majority of people don't subtract sugar alcohols or 'other carbs' from the total carb count... only fiber... to get net carbs

I have read the book and have stuck to the induction plan and have lost weight.

Now going into plan 2 I have a question, Im confused about a label on one of the Atkins bars.

I have been taking total carbs and subtracting fibre to get net carbs. Example: 20g of carbs - 2 grams of protien = 18g of net carbs.

On the lable of the Atkins Endulge Coconut Bar it states:
5g protien, 1g sugar, 170 cal, 3g net atkins count

In the Nutritional facts it reads:
5g protien, 1g sugar, 170 cal, 19g carbs, 2g fibre

I would subtract fibre from carbs and come up with 17g of carbs.

My question is why the pakage reads 3g net atkins count.

What am I not getting here.

Thank you for any help.....need to understand to move forward, I'm afraid to eat this bar.....lol

Hi Kim Welcome to the board!

You need to check the list of ingredients to discover what it is that makes up the extra carbs that the Atkins company is claiming can be deducted as well as the fibre in the bar. Then decide if you will deduct those extra carbs, assuming your body is not processing them, or whether to count every pesky carb in them except the fibre ones.

Personally I only deduct fibre (actually in UK and many other countries fibre is not even counted in our labels as being a carbohydrate at all) plus any sugar alcohols that pass straight through me, meaning if they make me spend the night in the loo or give me bad gas or other digestive problems I can deduct their carbs but if they do not give me the bathroom effects then I have to count them!

Also it might be an idea to look at the ingredients to decide if the bar really does only contain induction allowed ingredients. As far as I know all the bars have non induction ingrediemts so would be better left till at the appropriate OWL RUNG.