Calculate Your Optimum Net Carb Intake on Keto | Green Chef (2024)

Calculate Your Optimum Net Carb Intake on Keto | Green Chef (1)

Whether the focus is total carbs or net carbs, counting this macronutrient is a must for many keto dieters. How else can you make sure to stay in ketosis if you're not keeping track of how many carbs you eat in a day?

Whether the focus is total carbs or net carbs, counting this macronutrient is a must for many keto dieters. How else can you make sure to stay in ketosis if you're not keeping track of how many carbs you eat in a day?

Do the math: how to calculate net carbs on keto

By now, you know that the keto diet is an extremely low carb, high fat diet that helps people shed pounds quickly and effectively. But as you dig deeper, you may have seen the term “net carbs” a few times. What exactly are “net carbs” and how do you calculate them? Are they different from total carbs? How many carbs am I allowed to have per day on keto? Read on to find all the answers.

Calculate Your Optimum Net Carb Intake on Keto | Green Chef (2)

Total carbs vs. Net carbs

Total carbs versus keto net carbs

For those on the keto diet, the most important thing to consider is the amount of “net carbs” in your food. This number can be quite different from the amount of total carbs, and here is why: Net carbs are the ones that are absorbed into your body. Some sources of carbohydrates like fiber and sugar alcohols are not absorbed into your bloodstream, therefore they are not part of your daily allowance of net carbs.

On the keto diet, you are allowed to have no more than 50 grams of net carbs per day – and the fewer, the better! But by focusing on “net” rather than “total” carbs, you won’t be denying your body the essential fiber it needs for proper function. Try meal planning ahead of time so you can always track how many net carbs you're consuming.

Calculate Your Optimum Net Carb Intake on Keto | Green Chef (3)

Calculate Net Carbs

How to calculate keto net carbs

There are, of course, numerous online databases that tell you how many net carbs a food has. However, sometimes you’ll have to do it on your own. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to do! To calculate a food’s number of net carbs, look at the label and follow these two simple steps:

  1. Determine the carb content: take a look at the number of total carbohydrates, then the amount of fiber and any sugar alcohols (sometimes shown as “Erythritol” on nutrition labels). These things together equal the “total carb content.” (Any sugar shown is already included in the total carbohydrate amount).
  2. Subtract the amount of dietary fiber and half the amount of sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrate amount. The result is the amount of net carbs in the food.

Take a look at the example on the side:

Net Carbs = Total Carbs - Dietary Fiber - Half Sugar Alcohols
Net Carbs = 20g - 8g - 5g = 7g

Your net carb amount will always be less than or equal to the total carb count. Remember, you can consume 50g of net carbs each day on a keto diet.

Calculate Your Optimum Net Carb Intake on Keto | Green Chef (4)

Low Net Carb Foods

What foods are low in net carbs?

Just because you now know how to calculate keto net carbs doesn’t mean you have to do so for everything you eat. There is a range of delicious, healthy foods that are positively encouraged on the keto diet.

Meats such as beef, veal, lamb, pork, chicken, and turkey, and fish such as cod, sardines, tuna, and salmon have very low net carbs. Most green and leafy vegetables also have an extremely low keto net carb count and can be enjoyed freely. And don’t forget, you can also include delicious high fiber, low fructose fruits in your keto diet plan.

Calculate Your Optimum Net Carb Intake on Keto | Green Chef (5)

Green Chef

Lose weight and regain your health with the keto diet

As you can see, the principles of the keto diet are pretty straightforward: Keep your intake of keto net carbs below 50g per day and focus on high fat foods. Let us at Green Chef make it even easier for you. Choose delicious, hearty keto meals from our meal plans and have them delivered right to your doorstep. We take the math out of keto!

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Table of Contents

Keto Diet Guide

Keto 101
Keto Meal Planning
Weight Loss
Carbs
Intermittent Fasting
Keto Health Benefits
Side Effects
Keto Foods
Snacks
Drinks
Keto Diets
Keto Variants
Comparison with Other Diets
Ketosis
Keto Recipes and Dinner Ideas

Green Chef is a USDA certified organic company. We work with farmers to source sustainable, delicious ingredients.

Green Chef is a USDA certified organic company. We work with farmers to source sustainable, delicious ingredients.

Calculate Your Optimum Net Carb Intake on Keto | Green Chef (2024)

FAQs

Calculate Your Optimum Net Carb Intake on Keto | Green Chef? ›

Net Carbs = 20g - 8g - 5g = 7g

How do you calculate net carb intake? ›

“Net carbs” refers to carbs that are absorbed by your body. To calculate the net carbs in whole foods, you subtract the fiber from the total number of carbs. To calculate the net carbs in processed foods, you subtract the fiber and a portion of the sugar alcohols.

How do I calculate my keto carb limit? ›

Finding Your Keto Carb Limit

This keto carb limit is 35 grams of total carbs and 25 grams of net carbs. (Net carbs are found by subtracting the grams of the fiber from the total grams of carbs.) If net carbs are further limited to less than 20 grams, then most people will get into ketosis even more quickly.

Is 30 net carbs too much for keto? ›

Keeping daily carb intake under 50 grams on the ketogenic diet is recommended, although some people may need to restrict their intake to 20-30 grams. Different tools, such as carb manager, MyFitnessPal, and NutritionLabel.com, can accurately track carb intake.

How many carbs should I eat a day on a low carb diet? ›

A daily limit of 0.7 to 2 ounces (20 to 57 grams) of carbohydrates is typical with a low-carb diet. These amounts of carbohydrates provide 80 to 240 calories. Some low-carb diets greatly limit carbs during the early phase of the diet.

What should my net carb intake be on keto? ›

Some sources of carbohydrates like fiber and sugar alcohols are not absorbed into your bloodstream, therefore they are not part of your daily allowance of net carbs. On the keto diet, you are allowed to have no more than 50 grams of net carbs per day – and the fewer, the better!

How do you calculate recommended carb intake? ›

Your carbohydrate need can be based on your caloric intake. 4 If you know how many calories you need each day, you can figure out how many grams of carbs you need: Start by determining your daily calorie need and divide that number in half. That's how many calories should come from carbohydrates.

How many net carbs for a keto female? ›

To stay in ketosis, a person requires up to 50 grams (g) of carbs per day. A person following a keto diet eats foods with high levels of fats and very low levels of carbohydrates. The diet excludes a wide range of foods, including some fruits and vegetables, as well as bread, beans, and legumes.

How do I calculate what to eat on keto? ›

The typical keto macros ratio is 70% fats, 5% carbohydrates, and 25% protein. You can compare it with the typically recommended values presented in the macro calculator. Once the structure of your macros changes, your body will enter a state called ketosis.

How many carbs will kick you out of ketosis? ›

Eating more than 50 grams of carbs may disrupt ketosis.

With keto diets, however, carb restrictions vary from person to person. Some people can eat more and still stay in ketosis, whereas others may need to restrict their carb intake more in order to stay in ketosis.

What does 20 net carbs a day look like? ›

Just one large potato contains 20 grams of net carbs, the daily limit on a keto low-carb diet. As does one half of a large hamburger bun. Or half a cup of rice or pasta. These foods practically can't be included at all on a keto low-carb diet, and only in small amounts – if at all – on a more liberal low-carb diet.

How to get deeper into ketosis? ›

Strategies for encouraging the body to enter ketosis include:
  1. Significantly reducing the carbohydrate intake. ...
  2. Increasing physical activity. ...
  3. Fasting for short periods. ...
  4. Increasing healthful fat intake. ...
  5. Testing ketone levels. ...
  6. Checking protein intake. ...
  7. Consuming more MCT oil.

Can you be in ketosis with 25 net carbs? ›

For most people, keeping total carbs below 35g and net carbs below 25g (ideally, below 20g) will get them into a deep ketosis after about a week. (To figure out your net carb consumption, simply subtract total fiber intake from total carbs.)

How to calculate net carbs? ›

Net carbs refers to the total amount of fully digestible carbohydrates contained within a product or meal. People can calculate net carbs by subtracting the whole amount of fiber and half the amount of sugar alcohols from the amount of total carbs on a product's nutrition label.

What do 50 grams of carbs look like on keto? ›

If you occasionally want to “carb up,” or if you can maintain ketosis at a higher level of carbs, eating 50 grams of carbs means you're still staying relatively low carb. Here's 50 grams of refined or higher carb foods: three slices of bread, three potatoes, a cup of rice and a cup of pasta.

What happens if I eat no carbs for a month? ›

Low energy: Carbs are your body's primary source of energy. Therefore, a no-carb diet may lead to low energy and fatigue. Insufficient nutrients: A no-carb diet may not provide enough vitamins and minerals, such as potassium, B vitamins, and vitamin C, which are abundant in fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods.

How many net carbs should I eat to lose weight? ›

As far as how many carbohydrates to eat, Pratt says 100 to 150 grams of carbohydrates is safe for most people who are trying to lose weight. It may be better for some people to eat carbs consistently throughout the day. “You can also break it up evenly with 40 to 50 grams of carbs per meal,” she says.

Do you count net carbs when counting carbs? ›

The FDA recommends using total carbohydrates on the nutrition facts label. “Net carbs” are determined by subtracting any fiber or sugar alcohols on the label from the total carbohydrates.

Is zero net carbs really no carbs? ›

Because fiber isn't digested, under the “net carbs” approach it can be subtracted from the total carb count in a food. Occasionally, you can even find a food with zero net carbs. This means the fiber content “cancels out” all the other carbs.

What is the formula for carbohydrate counting? ›

(Divide the carb. per 100g figure by 100; then multiply this figure by the weight of the ingredient (g) figure. This will give you the amount of carb.

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