Carb Confusion

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

Here is a good link explaining the scam.

"This company and their pasta products are perhaps the most successfully falsely advertised low carb foods on the market today. "

 

[Parousia]

I don't count fiber or sugar alcohols, but there are personal preferences on the subject and we all have to find what works best for us.

From wikipedia-

Sugar alcohols are usually incompletely absorbed into the blood stream from the small intestines which generally results in a smaller change in blood glucose than "regular" sugar (sucrose). This property makes them popular sweeteners among diabetics and people onlow-carbohydrate diets. However, like many other incompletely digestible substances, overconsumption of sugar alcohols can lead tobloating, diarrhea and flatulence because they are not absorbed in the small intestine. Some individuals experience such symptoms even in a single-serving quantity. With continued use, most people develop a degree of tolerance to sugar alcohols and no longer experience these symptoms. As an exception, erythritol is actually absorbed in the small intestine and excreted unchanged through urine, so it contributes no calories even though it is rather sweet.[1][4]


Institute of Medicine[5]Dietary fiber consists of nondigestible carbohydrates and lignin that are intrinsic and intact in plants. Functional fiber consists of isolated, nondigestible carbohydrates that have beneficial physiologic effects in humans. Total fiber is the sum of dietary fiber and functional fiber.

*That being said, unfortunately, as with the dreamfields, there's a lot of hogwash and deceptive marketing out there, as well as catch phrases to make people think things are good for them when they don't even make sense.

What Dreamfields is claiming goes way beyond the basic formula of Total carbs - fibre - sugar alcohols = Net carbs (which is pretty straightforward). They seem to be claiming that they have been able to manipulate the indigestible carbs in their pasta to somehow coat the digestible carbs, to somehow make them indigestible in the process! Perhaps there is a way to do that, but it clearly needs to be tested and proven, and that is something they seem unwilling or unable to do.

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

You shouldn't have to worry about net carbs in OZ as it is like the UK and EU, it is already done by food standards that regulate nutritional info, so count all the carbs listed under the bolded carbs. A quick google let me know that.

If you are double subtracting fibre and sugar alcs, you are double deducting and eating more carbs than you think.

 

[Parousia]

You shouldn't have to worry about net carbs in OZ as it is like the UK and EU, it is already done by food standards that regulate nutritional info, so count all the carbs listed under the bolded carbs. A quick google let me know that.

If you are double subtracting fibre and sugar alcs, you are double deducting and eating more carbs than you think.

Yes, I was pretty sure it worked like that here. Just hadn't gotten around to double-checking it, which is why I hadn't mentioned it . I keep a bit of an eye on my carbs, but haven't been counting them as such. Not yet, anyway. I'm using MFP to record what I'm eating, and it doesn't make a distinction between carbs and net carbs, unfortunately (IMO).
How are you doing, 'Roo? I'm glad to see you're online more frequently now. I hope that means you're doing better .

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

Yes, I was pretty sure it worked like that here. Just hadn't gotten around to double-checking it, which is why I hadn't mentioned it . I keep a bit of an eye on my carbs, but haven't been counting them as such. Not yet, anyway. I'm using MFP to record what I'm eating, and it doesn't make a distinction between carbs and net carbs, unfortunately (IMO).
How are you doing, 'Roo? I'm glad to see you're online more frequently now. I hope that means you're doing better .

I'm still feeling pretty sorry for myself if I'm honest. I cry out of frustration at least once a day. I feel so dependent on others that I feel 644lbs again, but worse as I have a huge hole in my body. But after I have my daily cry, I find the strength to get up and feel hopeful for the future.

When it comes to MFP, as long as you are entering UK/EU/OZ foods (you can tell because they are measured in metric lol) then the net carbs ARE the carbs On my MFP I track, carbs, fat, protein and fibre....mostly just for info as the ones I am interested in is carbs (which IS net carbs for us) and protein as the more protein I can swallow, it seems the faster I heal. I hope I am making sense lol, Net carbs are the same thing as carbs for us and MFP will reflect that already without some calculation voodoo

 

[Parousia]

I'm still feeling pretty sorry for myself if I'm honest. I cry out of frustration at least once a day. I feel so dependent on others that I feel 644lbs again, but worse as I have a huge hole in my body. But after I have my daily cry, I find the strength to get up and feel hopeful for the future.

When it comes to MFP, as long as you are entering UK/EU/OZ foods (you can tell because they are measured in metric lol) then the net carbs ARE the carbs On my MFP I track, carbs, fat, protein and fibre....mostly just for info as the ones I am interested in is carbs (which IS net carbs for us) and protein as the more protein I can swallow, it seems the faster I heal. I hope I am making sense lol, Net carbs are the same thing as carbs for us and MFP will reflect that already without some calculation voodoo

Yep, makes perfect sense, thanks .

Sorry you are feeling so bad . I do understand what you are saying about the open wound. I had two after my umbilical hernia repair in August 2012 - one just above and one just below my belly button. I had nurses coming to dress the wound until well into February 2013! I hope yours heals quicker than mine did, but in any case - you will get there! It does make it all just that much harder, though, I know.

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

Yep, makes perfect sense, thanks .

Sorry you are feeling so bad . I do understand what you are saying about the open wound. I had two after my umbilical hernia repair in August 2012 - one just above and one just below my belly button. I had nurses coming to dress the wound until well into February 2013! I hope yours heals quicker than mine did, but in any case - you will get there! It does make it all just that much harder, though, I know.

omg....that's an AGE!!!!! yeah I was told I shouldn't travel until Autumn which sucks as I was going to see my aunt in July.

I have nurses come daily to pack and dress my huge wound and my belly button lap wound that refuses to heal and is infected. ugh. So frustrating!!!

 

[Parousia]

omg....that's an AGE!!!!! yeah I was told I shouldn't travel until Autumn which sucks as I was going to see my aunt in July.

I have nurses come daily to pack and dress my huge wound and my belly button lap wound that refuses to heal and is infected. ugh. So frustrating!!!

It seems strange that they don't stitch up such a large wound. I know when I asked about mine they said something about it needing to drain, but I would think there would be other ways to accomplish that.

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

It seems strange that they don't stitch up such a large wound. I know when I asked about mine they said something about it needing to drain, but I would think there would be other ways to accomplish that.

Well, not to completely hijack the thread-SORRY!

Mine WAS done up...but got massively infected so they had to undo it And now, it's too late for any of that so it is daily packing and letting it heal from the bottom up. Saw the TVN (tissue viability nurse) today and she was very happy with my progress, I seem to be the only one who is not happy with the time frame :/

Anyways, back to carbs

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

Looks like it's the USA and Canada that deal with the Net Carb voodoo, the rest of us are set.

Net Carbs, where, how and why.

Here is the catch: When it comes to food labeling, in countries like US and Canada, carbohydrate values also include fiber (i.e. total carbs). These countries use the indirect method of calculating carbs which means that carbs are calculated "by difference" after they measure protein, fat, water and ash per 100 grams. To get the value for net carbs, you will need to subtract fiber from total carbs. However, this food labeling doesn't apply universally. In other places like Europe, Australia and Oceania, it's common to exclude fiber. They use the direct method of calculating carbs, and therefore "carbs" on food labels refer to net carbs. Keep in mind it doesn't matter where a certain product is sold but where it's imported from. (as copied/pasted from link above)

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

So, when eating American things ie. Quest Bars, I would add an entry into MFP with Net Carbs figured for my future use. You can do that

 

[southernlady]

Easiest method...just count ALL carbs...and stay away from heavy carb foods such as pasta and stay under 100.

 

[DuodenalSwitchaRoo]

Easiest method...just count ALL carbs...and stay away from heavy carb foods such as pasta and stay under 100.

Well yes, lol, but outside of N. America, net carbs IS carbs so 1 quest bar could skew everything wrongly because it is made in the USA...that's all I was sayin

 

[brooklyngirl]

What Dreamfields is claiming goes way beyond the basic formula of Total carbs - fibre - sugar alcohols = Net carbs (which is pretty straightforward). They seem to be claiming that they have been able to manipulate the indigestible carbs in their pasta to somehow coat the digestible carbs, to somehow make them indigestible in the process! Perhaps there is a way to do that, but it clearly needs to be tested and proven, and that is something they seem unwilling or unable to do.

Yup, sounds like a load of crap once you read about it, but the packaging made it so enticing! I know lots of people that bought it (myself included) when it first came out. Actually, I should make sure my parents aren't still using it

 

[brooklyngirl]

Well yes, lol, but outside of N. America, net carbs IS carbs so 1 quest bar could skew everything wrongly because it is made in the USA...that's all I was sayin

A lot of those products that have lots of fiber or sugar alcohols to make them low carb can be found on MFP when you search for the name and "net" or "net carb" added, that's how I enter my quest bars.