Which one should diabetics count?
People on diabetes are now, more than ever, being given the keto diet as the cure. This is because high-carbohydrate diets lead to more rapid rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, which can increase the risk of developing diabetes or worsen pre-existing conditions.
On a keto diet, the whole goal is to get into ketosis by lowering insulin, which helps cure diabetes.
However, if you’re trying to manage your blood sugar and prevent diabetes complications with keto, you should count net carbs instead of total carbs.
This is because the amount of total carbohydrates in a food isn’t the same as the amount that you’ll use for energy.
That’s why it’s more important to track net carbs, which only include the carbs that have calories & can raise insulin.
When calculating your net carbs, you subtract the grams of fiber from the overall grams of carbohydrates. This drastically improves the accuracy of your carb tracking.
If you have diabetes, follow these tips for counting your net carbs.
What are Total Carbs?
Total carbs are the amount of carbohydrate in a food including the fiber & artificial sweeteners.
Total carbs will typically show up as a specific number on nutrition labels.
However, there is a better option to count carbs: net carbs.
What are Net Carbs?
Net carbs are the amount of carbs minus the fiber & artificial sweeteners. Fiber & artificial sweeteners aren’t digested by the body & have zero calories, so when you track net carbs, you just skip these harmless carbs.
Low-carb vegetables, and artificially sweeteners, like what’s in diet sodas, are naturally low in calories and contain basically zero carbohydrates.
On keto, you can eat these foods as much as you like and still lose weight and improve your diabetes.
Why Track Net Carbs Over Total Carbs With Diabetes?
If you have diabetes, regardless of whether or not you’re doing a keto diet, it’s important to track net carbs over total carbs because some of the carbs in total carbs, like fiber & artificial sweeteners, are harmless. However, all of the carbs in net carbs will raise your blood sugar, so they’re a more accurate way to measure your carbs.
If you’re a diabetic doing keto, I recommend eating around <30 grams of net carbs per day to stay in ketosis.
How to Track Net Carbs
To track net carbs, I recommend just making sure that all of the foods you eat aren’t a direct carb source, like rice, & then you’ll automatically go into ketosis. This is the easiest method since you don’t even have to track it. You can also use apps or websites that allow you to enter & track this information to be sure.
You should aim to eat no more than 30 grams of net carbs per day.
Net Carbs vs. Total Carbs for Diabetes
If you’re trying to manage your blood sugar and prevent diabetes complications with keto, you should count net carbs instead of total carbs. This is because the amount of total carbs in a food includes carbs like fiber & artificial sweeteners, which have zero calories. However, net carbs are the carbs that actually affect you.
When calculating your net carbs, you subtract the grams of fiber & artificial sweeteners, like stevia, from the overall grams of carbohydrates. This improves the accuracy of your carb tracking.
Conclusion
Keto diets can be effective for weight loss and for reducing insulin resistance, so they’re a great long-term solution for managing diabetes. When doing a keto diet, count net carbs instead of total carbs & make sure to eat <40 grams of net carbs per day.
If you’re interested in starting keto as a cure for weight loss & diabetes, check out my article here detailing the benefits of keto & how to start.
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