Finding Hidden Carbs
I’ve noticed a lot of people saying that because their cheese,
mayo, etc. says it has 0 carbs on the label, they assume it really
has no carbs. Wrong! It has carbs. It may be only 1/2 gram, but
when you are only eating 20 a day, it really adds up quickly.
I thought I would post the formula for finding hidden carbs
(frequently in the form of hidden sugars) in packaged foods,
along with some other good info.
Carbs and sugars are considered low level ingredients by the
USDA and FDA so the food manufacturers and processors can
legally list the contents incorrectly by up to 140%. They are
allowed to do so, because of allowances for margin or error, and
the low level designation. Companies further manipulate the
figures by listing unreasonable or very small serving sizes. You
need to be really aware, and do a little homework to get the
accurate carb and calorie counts.
Formula for determining hidden carbs:
[ (Fat X 9) + (Carb X 4) + (Protein X 4) = Calories ].
Take total fat and multiply by 9
Take carbs and multiply by 4
Take protein and multiply by 4
Add them all up
They should equal the total calories listed.
If they don’t deduct the number you got from the total calories and
divide it by 4 — this is your hidden carbs. Those can be either in
the form of added sugars or refined flours. (* the formula is
approximate, but short of taking a package food to a lab, it is the
best I’ve found.)
If you prefer, here are two web sites with calculators that will
figure the hidden carbs for you:
Hidden Carb Calculators
http://www.geocities.com/msweathe/fiber-calc.html
http://www.lowcarb.ca/low-carb-tools/hidden_carbs.html?calorei
s=100&fat=11&protein=0&carbs=0&fiber=0&category_id=0100&
action=result&calculate.x=10&
BTW, The definitive list (better than any of the books out) for
figuring carbs, calories etc. is the USDA search for food
nutritional contents (the definitive in
calorie and carb counts.)
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl
Most fillers and preservatives are also processed by the body as
sugar or carbs, so really watch out for those. Especially watch
out for the sugar alcohols. (maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, Xylitol,
HSH, Lycasin, glycerin etc.) While many bodies do process them
more slowly than regular carbs/sugars, they are still processed
as carbs/sugars. They are particularly dangerous for people
with IRS, (Insulin Resistant Syndrome) Also, in most artificial
sweeteners, such as Equal or Splenda, whether in bulk or those
little packets, the filler has carbs. Count 1 per packet, unless it
lists a higher count.
A real shocker to many is the number of carbs/sugars that are
really in wine and spirits. : ( The standard would to be consider
20 grams for every ounce of 100 proof spirits so, one ounce of
scotch actually contains 16.8 grams, and 4 oz of wine contains
19.2. Ugh! No wonder some of us get such violent hypoglycemic
reactions from a glass of wind. Ugh!
Yes, Atkins and other low carb guru’s say that we can count
licquor as 0 carbs because it is digested first. The bottom line
is, it is still sugar, and it is still digested, it still is processed by
the liver into carbs. The calories, carbs and sugars all eventually
count.
Some Foods with “Hidden” Carbs
* Cream — 0.6 grams per ounce
* Cheddar Cheese — 0.5 grams per ounce
* Swiss Cheese — 0.9 grams per ounce
* Eggs — 0.6 grams each (large egg)
* Sugar-Free Jello (mix) — 1 gram per 1/2 cup serving
(maltodextrin)
* Sugar-Free Tang — 1 gram per cup (maltodextrin)
* Coffee — 0.7 grams per cup
* Metamucil — 2 grams per serving; not counting fiber
(maltodextrin)
* Artificial Sweeteners — 1 gram per packet (dextrose or
maltodextrin)
One additional point — although not technically “hidden” because
the carb count is contained on the label, many people mistakenly
believe that just because it’s meat, it must be carb-free. That is
not always the case. Highly-processed meats, like hot dogs and
lunch meats, contain carbohydrates.
For example…
* Deli Ham — 1 to 3 grams per 2-oz serving
* Deli Turkey — 1 to 3 grams per 2-oz serving
* Deli Beef — 1 gram per 2-oz serving
* Hot dogs — 1 to 4 grams per dog
* Spam — 1 gram per serving
* Smoked Sausage — 4 grams per serving
So, before you order your shaved turkey or ham, ask to read the
label on the meat package. Imitation crab meat is also rather
high in carbs. That’s important to remember because the
seafood salads in many restaurants are made with “fake” crab
meat. In addition, liver contains carbohydrates, because that is
where the animal starch (glycogen) is stored. A point to
remember is not to assume anything. ALWAYS read the label,
then assume the label is going to be wrong and do the math for
yourself.
As long time low carbers say if it doesn’t have a face, if you
don’t have to kill it to eat it, iit has carbs.
Hope that helps out!
J