Total Carbs vs Nett Carbs vs Glycemic Carbs - What's the Difference

If you've ever picked up a sugar-free product and tried to make sense of the nutrition label, you've probably noticed that carbohydrates are listed in several different ways. Total carbs, glycemic carbs, available carbs, nett carbs - what do they all mean, and which one actually matters for diabetics and people following a banting or keto lifestyle?

Here's a plain-language breakdown of each term.

Total carbohydrates refers to every type of carbohydrate present in a product - including dietary fibre, sugars, sugar alcohols (polyols) and starches. This is the headline number you see on most nutrition labels.

The important thing to understand is that not all of these carbohydrates are absorbed, digested or converted to glucose by the body. A product with a high total carbohydrate count is not necessarily high in blood-sugar-raising carbs - which is where the other terms become important.

Glycemic carbohydrates are the carbohydrates that are actually absorbed, digested and converted to glucose in the body - in other words, the ones that raise blood sugar levels. This is the figure that matters most for diabetics and people on a low-carb or banting diet.

A good example is xylitol. Xylitol has approximately 99g of total carbohydrates per 100g - which sounds alarming. But only around 0.04g of those carbohydrates are actually absorbed and converted to glucose, giving it effectively 0g of glycemic carbohydrates. This is why xylitol is considered safe for diabetics and banting-friendly despite its high total carb count.

Available carbohydrates refers to the carbohydrates that the body can actually digest and use as energy - primarily sugars and starches. Dietary fibre is technically a carbohydrate, but most of it passes through the digestive system without being absorbed, so it is generally not counted as an available carbohydrate.

This concept is particularly relevant when reading the labels of sugar-free products that contain sugar alcohols. Because sugar alcohols are only partially absorbed by the body, they can be subtracted from the total carbohydrate count to give a more accurate picture of the product's true carbohydrate impact.

Nett carbohydrates (also written as "net carbs") are calculated by subtracting dietary fibre and sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrate count. The result is an estimate of the carbohydrates that will actually impact blood sugar levels.

This is the number that banters and keto followers typically use to track their carbohydrate intake, and the figure we display on our own product labels at Caring Candies. When we say our hard candy and lollipops have "zero nett carbs", this is what we mean - the isomalt used to sweeten them is not absorbed by the body and has no glycemic impact.

The formula: Total Carbohydrates - Dietary Fibre - Sugar Alcohols (Polyols) = Nett Carbohydrates

✔ Total carbs - the full carbohydrate count including fibre and sugar alcohols. Not the most useful number on its own for diabetics or low-carb eaters.

✔ Glycemic carbs - the carbs that actually raise blood sugar. The most important number for diabetics.

✔ Available carbs - the carbs the body can digest and use as energy. Useful for understanding sugar-free products with sugar alcohols.

✔ Nett carbs - total carbs minus fibre and sugar alcohols. The number most commonly used by banters and keto followers to track daily carb intake.

For most people following a banting or keto lifestyle, nett carbs is the figure to focus on. For diabetics, glycemic carbs or the glycemic index (GI) of a product gives the most accurate picture of blood sugar impact.

Please note: Always consult your doctor or dietitian if you have a medical condition that requires you to manage your carbohydrate intake carefully.

At Caring Candies we display nett carbs prominently on all our own-branded products because we know this is the number that matters most to our customers. Our hard candy and lollipop range is made with isomalt and has zero nett carbs. Our no added sugar chocolate range is made with powdered maltitol and contains only 1-3g nett carbs per serving.

All our own-branded products are Kosher and Halaal certified, made in Cape Town and delivered nationwide across South Africa.

Shop: caringcandies.com/collections/sugarfree