All carbs are not created equal

Or are they?

This is the question that I have been asking myself since I purchased my first Atkins TV dinner a few weeks ago. I remember when I was a kid and my dad was following the Atkins diet (back in the late 90's) he used to constantly tell me that Ranch dressing really only had 1 gram of carbs because it naturally had 3 grams of Dietary Fiber which counteracted the 4 grams the dressing held

To be honest...I never understood this...

I never really bought into it to be honest.

Until today that is...

When the FDA made the requirements on how the nutrition label on food should look and what information it should contain they decided that while total carbohydrates are required it also lists dietary fiber and sugar separately  They both attribute to the total number of carbohydrates in that particular food.

It is the difference of how they affect the body that is key...

Sugar is easily digestible. It spikes your over all blood sugar and raises insulin levels...higher insulin levels lead to fat storage...That is why we should strive to keep our sugar intake low.

Dietary fiber is a carbohydrate...however, unlike the easily digestible sugar...it can't be digest. It simply travels though the stomach, small intestine, and colon and out of the body. Not calories or glucose are processed by the body.

My conclusion, and this is only my opinion, Dietary Fiber doesn't count...at the end of the day you can take the total number of carbohydrates and subtract the total number of fiber to determine the carbohydrates that have affected your blood sugar levels over the day.

Do with this information what you will but I found it interesting...

Keep an eye out for my Many Things Monday...it will happen I promise!