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Step 1
Learn why you should count dietary fiber carbs. Dietary fiber cannot be digested and absorbed by the body. Carbs-information.com explains that because of this, dietary carbs can't be converted into glucose and do not contribute calories.
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Step 2
Understand the concept of net carbs. Atkins.com notes that the net carb count is the amount of grams of carbohydrates that actually impact your blood sugar level. A lower net carb count means less impact on your sugar level, reducing your body's need to store energy. The overall effect contributes to weight loss.
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Step 3
Read the nutritional label. You should be able to identify the number of total carbohydrates in grams and the dietary fiber in grams. These are the two key numbers that you should always look for on a nutritional label when getting ready to calculate net carbs.
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Step 4
Calculate net carbs by subtracting the amount of dietary fiber from total carbohydrates. Ifitandhealth.com uses the following example: one cup of blackberries contains 14 grams of total carbohydrates. The dietary fiber is labeled at eight grams. Fourteen grams minus eight grams equals six grams of net carbs. This is the actual carbohydrate impact on your body.
