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 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 I calculate my keto carb limit? ›

Most people will need to go under 50 grams per day to reach ketosis. Keep in mind that this doesn't leave you with many carb options — except vegetables and small amounts of berries. To calculate your net carbs, subtract fiber, sugar alcohols, and other nondigestible carbs from the total amount.

How do you calculate how many net carbs you should eat? ›

Summary: A portion of fiber and sugar alcohols can be subtracted from total carbs to calculate net carbs. Formula: total carbs minus fiber (or half of IMO) minus half the carbs from sugar alcohols (other than erythritol) = net carbs.

Is 30 net carbs too much for keto? ›

The recommended daily carb intake for ketogenic diets varies depending on individual goals, activity levels, and health status. Generally, it is recommended to keep daily carbs intake under 50 grams. However, some people may need to restrict their daily carb intake to 20-30 grams for optimal ketosis.

What happens if you go over 20 carbs on keto? ›

Consuming too many carbs can kick your body out of ketosis — and it takes several days to 1 week to get back into it. In the meantime, your weight loss may be disrupted.

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.

Should I count net carbs or total carbs on keto? ›

The most important thing to keep in mind when trying to understand the ketogenic diet is that it's specifically net carbs that are counted when calculating your daily intake. Net carbs are the grams of total carbohydrates in a food minus its grams of total fiber.

What is the number of net carbs for 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!

What percentage of net carbs should you have on keto? ›

The ketogenic diet typically reduces total carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams a day—less than the amount found in a medium plain bagel—and can be as low as 20 grams a day. Generally, popular ketogenic resources suggest an average of 70-80% fat from total daily calories, 5-10% carbohydrate, and 10-20% protein.

Is zero net carbs really no carbs? ›

Examples include fruit and vegetable skins, brown rice, and grains. 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.

Can you go into ketosis eating 50 net carbs a day? ›

You'll need to stay under 50 grams of carbohydrates per day to enter and stay in ketosis. That's about three slices of bread, two bananas or 1 cup of pasta.

Can you lose weight on 30 net carbs a day? ›

You may lose weight faster on 50 g of carbs a day or less, but it depends on what else you're eating, how many calories you're consuming, how active you are, and many other factors. In addition, eating slightly more carbs may lead to lower but more sustainable weight loss.

What happens if you go over net carbs on keto? ›

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that puts your body into a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. Consuming too many carbs can kick your body out of ketosis, which can stall your weight loss progress.

Can I eat one French fry on keto? ›

Are French Fries Keto? If we're talking about traditional french fries made with potatoes, then the answer to this question is no. French fries made with potatoes are delicious, however potatoes are very high in carbs and a keto diet is low carb. However, these rutabaga fries are low carb and definitely Keto friendly!

Can you do keto 5 days on 2 days off? ›

Keto cycling doesn't have a strict definition. Some people choose to have five or six days on keto followed by a day or two off. Others will do keto for 10 to 12 days followed by three to four days off. Devine typically doesn't recommend taking more than two days off keto.

Will one slice of pizza take you out of ketosis? ›

Regular Crust

This type of pizza crust can have up to 33g of carbs without any added sauce or cheese. If you're limiting your carbs to 20-50 grams per day, one slice of this type of crust will likely kick you out of ketosis.

How do I calculate my keto numbers? ›

To calculate your macros a percentage, just divide the calories from each macro into your daily calorie needs and multiply by 100%. For example: (80/1800) x 100% = 5% of calories from carbs. (600/1800) x 100% = 33% of calories from protein.

What do 50 grams of carbs look like? ›

Bread: Around 2 to 3 slices of white or whole wheat bread typically contain around 50g of carbohydrates. Oats: Approximately 50g of dry oats (about 1/2 cup) provides around 50g of carbohydrates. Fruits: Consuming around 2 medium-sized bananas or 3 medium-sized apples can give you close to 50g of carbohydrates.

Is 100 carbs a day low-carb? ›

The range of evaluated studies – all published between 2002 and 2022 – found that most trials defined low-carb as having 100 grams or less of carbohydrates daily. But many also had much stricter definitions, with carbs taking up only 40-60 grams per day.

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