"Net Carbs" vs "Effective Carbs" vs Carbs

There seems to be some confusion out there on the terminology used in low carb diet plans.

There is a difference between "net carbs" and carbs:

"Net carbs" are the carbohydrates ("carbs") that your body is able to process for nutrients with you eat. Net carbs does not include fiber because your body can not process fiber and it just passes through. Fiber is sometimes called roughage by people like my Grandma. So, for example, when you eat 1/2 cup of chopped steamed broccoli, you are eating 6 total carbs. However, 3 of those carbs are fiber and they are not digestible so there are only 3 "net carbs" in the half cup serving of steamed broccoli.

There is no difference between the term "net carbs" and "effective carbs." They mean exactly the same thing and can be used interchangeably. Sometimes "net carbs" are also referred to as "available carbs" because "net carbs" are those carbs that can be digested and therefore are available to the body to absorb for nutrition. The term "effective carbs" is a term made popular by the Protein Powder Diet whereas a later version of the Atkins Plan used the term "net carbs." I think "net carbs" is probably the most popular term out of the three terms: net carbs, effective carbs, and available carbs.

Calculate Net Carbs

It is easy to calculate net carbs per serving.  Just subtract the number of fiber grams from the total carb found on any food label in the US. Click here for more information about how to calculate net carbs.