The traditional way to determine net carb is to subtract grams of fiber, and other carbs that have negligable impact on blood sugar (such as glycerine, and sugar alcohols) from the total carb count.

If fiber is listed on the nutrition label, just subtract it from total carbohydrate count. Sugar alcohols may be seen on nutrition labels as (these are most common):

• sugar alcohol or polyols
• maltitol
• xylitol
• erythritol
• sorbitol

Here is an example of calculating net carb when both fiber and sugar alcohols are present:

Nutritional Information

Serving Size 100g
Energy	80 Cal
Protein	4 g
Carbohydrate	12 g
Fiber	4 g
Maltitol	5 g
Fat	2g

In this example, net carb count is just 3 g (12 g carbs - 4 g fiber - 5 g sugar alcohol).

Now, having said this, the blood sugar response for some may be higher than others when it comes to sugar alcohols. Some argue sugar alcohols should not be completely disregarded in net carb count, especially if you are diabetic. Some low carb diets, such as Dr. Poon's Metabolic Diet, puts limits on how much sugar alcohols may be consumed per serving. For others, you might simply treat products sweetened with sugar alcohols as simply that - treats that may be consumed on occasion only. Your individual experience sugar alcohols may also differ depending on the type (i.e. Maltitol vs. Xylitol).

In recognition of this, Atkins has recently launched a new patent-pending carb counting system, called Net Atkins Count which uses a more precise way to rate the net carbs in their products. It's also interesting to note that someone in Toronto had a hand in developing it!

But the benefits don't stop there. Imagine a sugar with dental, bone, and other benefits!
Source: Sweet Diabetic Delight Foods product information.

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