Latest "Net Carb" Scam?

The label on the Turkey Hill "Carb IQ" Ice Cream got me thinking. It
explains that the company first started out using splenda to sweeten its new
low carb ice cream, then they added fiber and sugar alcohols to bring down
the net carbs.

What this suggests to me is that they are erroneously deducting fiber and
sugar alcohols from the carb count without first adding in the carbs they
contribute.

If this is really what these and other food companies are doing to achieve
net carbs, it might explain all the "low carb" bread we're seeing that has
white flour listed as the first ingredient.

For any newbies here, adding fiber to a food does not reduce its carb count.
Fiber is only deducted if it has been counted into the carb count already.
For example: if a cracker has 6 grams of carbs three of which are fiber, the
net carb count would be 3 grams. However, if we start out with a wheat
cracker that contains 6 grams of carb and add 3 grams of fiber to the
recipe, the total carb count becomes 9, the net carb count is still 6, and
as you can see the addition of fiber has NOT changed the net carb count at
all.
-- Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes,
hba1c 5.4.
Cut the carbs to respond to my email address!

Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips, recipes,
strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

Looking for help controlling your blood sugar?
Visit http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/...0Diagnosed.htm

Jenny wrote:
The label on the Turkey Hill "Carb IQ" Ice Cream got me
thinking. It explains that the company first started out
using splenda to sweeten its new low carb ice cream, then
they added fiber and sugar alcohols to bring down the net
carbs.

What this suggests to me is that they are erroneously
deducting fiber and sugar alcohols from the carb count
without first adding in the carbs they contribute.

If this is really what these and other food companies are
doing to achieve net carbs, it might explain all the "low
carb" bread we're seeing that has white flour listed as the
first ingredient.

For any newbies here, adding fiber to a food does not reduce
its carb count. Fiber is only deducted if it has been counted
into the carb count already. For example: if a cracker has 6
grams of carbs three of which are fiber, the net carb count
would be 3 grams. However, if we start out with a wheat
cracker that contains 6 grams of carb and add 3 grams of
fiber to the recipe, the total carb count becomes 9, the net
carb count is still 6, and as you can see the addition of
fiber has NOT changed the net carb count at all. -- Jenny -
Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes,
hba1c 5.4.
Cut the carbs to respond to my email address!


The only way they could claim reducing the net carbs per serving
is if the addition of sugar alcohols and fiber significantly increased
the total bulk, and therefore the number of servings, spreading
the effective (net) carbs over more servings.

If the addition did not significantly increase the bulk, then they are
likely clueless as you have suggested or just plain dishonest.

BJ

Jenny wrote:

The label on the Turkey Hill "Carb IQ" Ice Cream got me thinking. It
explains that the company first started out using splenda to sweeten its new
low carb ice cream, then they added fiber and sugar alcohols to bring down
the net carbs.

What this suggests to me is that they are erroneously deducting fiber and
sugar alcohols from the carb count without first adding in the carbs they
contribute.


Or.

They're replacing other higher carb contents with the fiber and sugar
alcohols.

Maybe the original Ice Cream had a combo of Splenda and sugar. Now
they've replaced the sugar with sugar alcohols.

As for the fiber... if you bulk something up with fiber, the serving
size will have more fiber than it did before, lowering the proportions
of carb in the serving. Lowering the net carb count.

Now, I have NO experience with Turkey Hill. But this could be what
happened.

Jennifer

"Jenny" wrote in message ...
The label on the Turkey Hill "Carb IQ" Ice Cream got me thinking. It
explains that the company first started out using splenda to sweeten its new
low carb ice cream, then they added fiber and sugar alcohols to bring down
the net carbs.

What this suggests to me is that they are erroneously deducting fiber and
sugar alcohols from the carb count without first adding in the carbs they
contribute.

If this is really what these and other food companies are doing to achieve
net carbs, it might explain all the "low carb" bread we're seeing that has
white flour listed as the first ingredient.

For any newbies here, adding fiber to a food does not reduce its carb count.
Fiber is only deducted if it has been counted into the carb count already.
For example: if a cracker has 6 grams of carbs three of which are fiber, the
net carb count would be 3 grams. However, if we start out with a wheat
cracker that contains 6 grams of carb and add 3 grams of fiber to the
recipe, the total carb count becomes 9, the net carb count is still 6, and
as you can see the addition of fiber has NOT changed the net carb count at
all.
-- Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes,
hba1c 5.4.
Cut the carbs to respond to my email address!

Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips, recipes,
strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

Looking for help controlling your blood sugar?
Visit http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/...0Diagnosed.htm

Take a trip to any grocery store or low carb store and try to
duplicate the net carb count on most products and I suspect you'll
have a hard time coming up with the same counts. (I did.) Low carb is
big business these days and the manufacturers of low carb foods will
do anything to get the lowest "net carb" counts listed, even if it
their way of arriving at the number is patently dishonest.

I know that many people here disagree with me. BUT it's better to be
safe than sorry. I don't eat any of the commercial low carb stuff and
I make it a point to avoid foods that have the words "Net carbs" on
the package.

To me, low carb eating isn't subbing one brand of bread for another.
It's a shift in thinking, a shift in eating patterns.

I hope the folks who consistently eat the commercial low carb stuff
continue to lose weight and can keep it off. It didn't work for me.
Learning to live without ice cream, bread and pasta and most wheat
products isn't a punishment. It's freeing, really. I don't need to
worry if the label is telling the truth on low carb bread. I make a
lettuce wrap instead most days.

My size 6 pants fit like a dream. I don't have cravings anymore. It
works, guys, low carb works.

Duffy
182/124
size 16/6
since 12-01-01

On 23 Jun 2004 14:35:12 -0700, Duffy wrote:

"Jenny" wrote in message
...
The label on the Turkey Hill "Carb IQ" Ice Cream got me thinking. It
explains that the company first started out using splenda to sweeten
its new
low carb ice cream, then they added fiber and sugar alcohols to bring
down
the net carbs.

What this suggests to me is that they are erroneously deducting fiber
and
sugar alcohols from the carb count without first adding in the carbs
they
contribute.

If this is really what these and other food companies are doing to
achieve
net carbs, it might explain all the "low carb" bread we're seeing that
has
white flour listed as the first ingredient.

For any newbies here, adding fiber to a food does not reduce its carb
count.
Fiber is only deducted if it has been counted into the carb count
already.
For example: if a cracker has 6 grams of carbs three of which are
fiber, the
net carb count would be 3 grams. However, if we start out with a wheat
cracker that contains 6 grams of carb and add 3 grams of fiber to the
recipe, the total carb count becomes 9, the net carb count is still 6,
and
as you can see the addition of fiber has NOT changed the net carb count
at
all.
-- Jenny - Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight. Type 2
diabetes,
hba1c 5.4.
Cut the carbs to respond to my email address!

Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips, recipes,
strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/

Looking for help controlling your blood sugar?
Visit http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/...0Diagnosed.htm

Take a trip to any grocery store or low carb store and try to
duplicate the net carb count on most products and I suspect you'll
have a hard time coming up with the same counts. (I did.) Low carb is
big business these days and the manufacturers of low carb foods will
do anything to get the lowest "net carb" counts listed, even if it
their way of arriving at the number is patently dishonest.

I know that many people here disagree with me. BUT it's better to be
safe than sorry. I don't eat any of the commercial low carb stuff and
I make it a point to avoid foods that have the words "Net carbs" on
the package.

To me, low carb eating isn't subbing one brand of bread for another.
It's a shift in thinking, a shift in eating patterns.

I hope the folks who consistently eat the commercial low carb stuff
continue to lose weight and can keep it off. It didn't work for me.
Learning to live without ice cream, bread and pasta and most wheat
products isn't a punishment. It's freeing, really. I don't need to
worry if the label is telling the truth on low carb bread. I make a
lettuce wrap instead most days.

My size 6 pants fit like a dream. I don't have cravings anymore. It
works, guys, low carb works.

Duffy
182/124
size 16/6
since 12-01-01

I've given up on all that stuff except low carb bars. Every once in a
while, I'll have a bar, when I can't keep other things cool.

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

For any newbies here, adding fiber to a food does not reduce
its carb count. Fiber is only deducted if it has been counted
into the carb count already. For example: if a cracker has 6
grams of carbs three of which are fiber, the net carb count
would be 3 grams. However, if we start out with a wheat
cracker that contains 6 grams of carb and add 3 grams of
fiber to the recipe, the total carb count becomes 9, the net
carb count is still 6, and as you can see the addition of
fiber has NOT changed the net carb count at all. -- Jenny -
Low Carbing for 4 years. At goal for weight. Type 2 diabetes,
hba1c 5.4.

I totally agree about the scamming lowcarb 'bread' merchants, but I
thought the principle behind eg purgatives as taken by eating disordered
persons (like me at 17) was that you digested less of what you ate.
Maybe some muddled thinking like this is afoot. (If so, there may be
something to be said for the dreadful bars after all!)
--
Jane Lumley

Hello,
Jenny wrote:
If this is really what these and other food companies are doing to
achieve net carbs, it might explain all the "low carb" bread we're
seeing
that has white flour listed as the first ingredient.

Duffy replied:
Take a trip to any grocery store or low carb store and try to
duplicate the net carb count on most products and I suspect you'll
have a hard time coming up with the same counts. (I did.) Low carb
is big business these days and the manufacturers of low carb foods
will
do anything to get the lowest "net carb" counts listed, even if it
their way of arriving at the number is patently dishonest.
SNIP

Silly Duffy! Didn't you know that if the net carbs don't check out
using the Total Calories figure as the basis you just say; "I guess
the manufacturer put fiber calories in there too." Voila! All
better. We oldtimers have been doing it wrong the whole time.
Really. A newbie said so. ;-)

Take care,
Carmen

"Carmen" wrote in message .. .
Hello,
Jenny wrote:
If this is really what these and other food companies are doing to
achieve net carbs, it might explain all the "low carb" bread we're
seeing
that has white flour listed as the first ingredient.

Duffy replied:
Take a trip to any grocery store or low carb store and try to
duplicate the net carb count on most products and I suspect you'll
have a hard time coming up with the same counts. (I did.) Low carb
is big business these days and the manufacturers of low carb foods
will
do anything to get the lowest "net carb" counts listed, even if it
their way of arriving at the number is patently dishonest.
SNIP

Silly Duffy! Didn't you know that if the net carbs don't check out
using the Total Calories figure as the basis you just say; "I guess
the manufacturer put fiber calories in there too." Voila! All
better. We oldtimers have been doing it wrong the whole time.
Really. A newbie said so. ;-)

Take care,
Carmen

Ah....Unfortunately, math just isn't one of best subjects. However,
sometimes even the fiber calories aren't enough to make the wonky net
carb equations work out. At least with the Duffy calculation method.
Too much trouble. It's easier to just say NO.

As to doing it wrong, well, if what you say is true, I'm doomed to
continue to screw up. And continue keeping my weight and cravings
down........Go figure!

How are things at your house? Life here continues in much the same
vein as before. I just finished a book project that has me half-dead
(book will be at a store near you October 1) AND I started an online
business with two friends. Oh and my full time job has me hopping. And
of course, CERT continues to be a big part of my life. I haven't had
much free time for ASDLC.

Duffy