Label Confusion
 

I saw a box of WW cereal that looked interesting, but confusing. It's sweetened with Splenda - ya hoo! I would love some cold cereal w/half & half, but I can't figure out if it's OK or not. Here's what the label says:
17 g carb
9 g dietary fiber
3 g soluble fiber
6 g insoluble fiber
How many countable carbs is that??? I'm sure it's probably in my book, but since all the girls I work w/have seen my progress, they've borrowed it so I can't look up what's countable.

Package #2 - Dreamfields Pasta
42 g. total carbs
4 g dietary fiber
BUT, the box says that there are 5 g of digestible carbs per serving. I'd be a happy camper if I could have some mac & cheese, but digestible carbs??? :?:

If y'all could help me figure out the labels, I'd appreciate it!!

Tenn

Hi Tenn, I checked my Atkins book and it doesn't differentiate between soluble and insoluble fiber so it looks like the cereal would be 8 net carbs. The pasta is a mystery to me though. :)

What is fiber?
Fiber is a substance that's only found in plants and cannot be digested or absorbed by the human body. (my understanding is Fiber would not be considered a digestable carb).

What's the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber?
The main difference between the two is how they move through the digestive tract. Insoluble fiber, also known as roughage, does not dissolve in water and moves more quickly through the digestive tract. Soluble fiber, on the other hand, mixes with liquid and binds to fatty substances to help remove them from the body. Again, it's important to include both types of fiber in a healthful diet.

http://www.barleyfoods.org/article-3.html

The WW cereal would be 17 - 9 giving you a net of 8. I'm kinda lost with the pasta tho because those #'s don't add up to 5??:?: I've never heard of it & would need to see the box/nutrition listing to make heads or tails of it.

HTH!

I am also confused about netcarbs. An Atkin Bar has 17 Total carbs, 9 Dietary Fiber, 1 Sugar and 0 Sugar alcohols. The package states 2 grams of net carbs. Can anyone explain this? Thanks, Mcmac

Mcmac....NO sugar alcohols? Usually that is what makes the Atkins bar "drop" in carb count. The info you've given would seem like it has 8 G of net carbs.

I've got to admit I'm always confused also. So I have to say--sorry all, I can't help!!

McMac - I saw the same thing and was confused, so I left it on the shelf. If I can't figure it out, it's not worth the risk for me. Welcome, btw, so nice to have new people, and I hope you'll stay and play :)

Thanks for figuring out the cereal for me Stacie, that's not too bad. Not something I want to eat at this stage, but nice to know about for the future, especially since it's not that expensive and is readily available.

"Nutrition never tasted this good. Savor an Atkins Advantage(TM) Caramel Fudge Brownie Bar that has the perfect combination of sweet decadence & superior nutrition. Each fudge brownie bar is topped with gooey caramel and drenched in a coat of rich chocolate. And would you guess it's high in protein, has 9g of fiber, and is made with no sugar alcohols? Nutrition Advantage. Taste Advantage. This is the Atkins Advantage."

This was on the Atkins site, so it must be. It used to be sugar alcohols were what kept the carb count low, but they don't offer an explanation of how they get a net of only 2 without sugar alcohols? Not that I've found yet anyway. This doesn't make any bloody sense at all?!?!?! :?: :dizzy:

I have an email into Atkins website to see if they can explain. Thanks for all your thoughts!!!

Net carbs
 

Most of the conflicts with the subtraction method and Atkins' net carbs listed on the package are due to glycerine. Sugar alcohols are listed on the nutritional information, but glycerine is not. Atkins' net carb are *impact carbs* (the carbs that affect the blood-sugar level).

From Atkins' Website: "However, since controlling blood sugar is a primary goal of the Atkins Nutritional Approach™, Atkins began using the term net carbs to describe the carbohydrates in food products which spiked blood sugar. To obtain net carb levels, Atkins used the low-carb industry standard formula that subtracted the low-glycemic carbs (fiber, sugar alcohols and glycerine) from the total carbs to arrive at a number that Atkins consumers could count when following the Atkins Nutritional Approach™. "

my 2cents....a carb is a carb. If the atkins bar is 35 carbs, and net 3 (for example) you are best to count the entire carb count!! As far as Im concerned, if its a carb, it gets counted...then I take the fibre count away. Thats it! No messing and guessing. Most folks will stall out eating that many carbs, even when they think they arent. (hidden carbs?) Not really....a carb is a carb.

Just stick with the line Dietary Fiber and nothing else. You'll be safe. All that other stuff and alcohol sugars is evil, beware !!!.