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For people who might get 50-60% of their daily calories from carbs, a few extra grams might not seem like a big deal. But for anyone following a keto or low-carb diet, their carb intake might be just 5% to 20% of their daily calories.
That can mean as low as 25 to 50 grams of net carbs per day for a keto diet, and potentially up to 100 grams (of total carbs) per day for a low-carb or carb-cycling diet. For comparison, a small apple contains about 17 grams of net carbs.
That can add up quickly, even when avoiding carb-rich foods like grains, fruits, and legumes.
How do I count carbs?For counting purposes, carbs are typically categorized in two ways:
Total carbs: all the carbohydrates in a food
Net carbs: the total carbs minus the dietary fiber
Since dietary fiber isn't absorbed in the same way as sugars and other simple carbs, it doesn't have the same effect on blood sugar levels. As a result, many people who are limiting carbs don't include fiber in their carb count, and track their net carbs instead.
Some carb sources can contain both, so it's a good idea to check labels if you're not sure.
Some examples include...