hiro, there are times where I like to track Net Carbs. White rice has very little fiber. Total Carbs and Net Carbs for a quarter cup are about the same at 25g.
Broccoli is at the other end of the spectrum. Total Carbs and Net Carbs are dramatically different. You actually have to eat about 2 pounds of broccoli to get 25g of Net Carbs. And spinach is even more interesting when it comes to the difference between Total Carbs and Net Carbs.
So if I’m dieting and limiting my carbs, anal individual that I am, I like to give myself what I call the “fiber credit.” It’s an extra step to subtract the fiber from Total Carbs, yes, but when you’re carb depleted/deprived, you don’t seem to mind doing the math quite as much. (grin)
Wow - so much to learn here! Very interesting - I thought fiber was a zero nutrient since we don’t posses the enzyme that breaks down cellulose. Though it won’t make a hill of beans (pun) unless you are chomping several tons of vegetation!
BTW, I didn’t mean to be misleading by stating to disregard counting net carbs from legumes. I believe most legumes are +/- 50% fiber, so there are still some net carbs there. I actually meant that carbs can more easily get racked up when consuming grains and milk.
Good stuff!
TopSirloin
The “Net Carbs” description is a by product of the Atkins and other keto style diets. They are meant to somehow translate the impact on blood sugar levels of various foods. Fiber is exclude from this calculation. Sugar Alcohols are treated the same way. (ie excluded from this net carb calculation.)
This attempt to denote the impact on blood sugar levels (Net Carbs) is seperate from caloric values. All carbohydrates, whether sucrose, fiber, or sugar alcohol have 4 calories per gram.
The real question becomes how do you approach your nutritional goals. If you are pursuing a keto-style diet, maybe “Net Carbs” means something to you in your quest for ketosis. However, if you use another diet style, you will likely utilize some caloric guidelines and count these non-Net Carbs in your total. Using either approach, I’d suggest you make an effort to include plenty of fiber in your diet plan.
As usual, Tampa-Terry offered the real jewel; keep track of what you eat, monitor the impact in relation to your goals, adjust as necessary.
Good Luck.
old_dogg
I don’t know where you are getting your facts from. Sugar alcohols count for roughly 1.5 cals per gram, not 4. That’s why they are used in “light” foods, such as chewing gum, MRP bars, and pancake syrups. Also, fiber DOES NOT count as calories (unless it ferments in the gut as most of us just learned, but I am still in need of references/studies on this…?!).
According to Cy Willson,
“The main thing to realize is that we humans don’t possess beta-glucosidases [enzyme that breaks down cellulose]. Instead, we possess alpha glucosidases, which allow us to hydrolyze starches to d-glucose. So what does this mean? We can’t digest cellulose and thus we consider it a “fiber.” That’s right, cellulose is the “fiber” contained in the various plants that you consume.”
Most carbohydrate rich foods are dominated by amylose and amylopectin with some fiber. Therefore 90-95% of the calories from carbs will count. In other words, most foods will not have enough fiber to actually bother subtracting the values, unless you get anal about it like TT! 
What I’m getting at is that we should stay on the conservative side and count all carb grams at 4 cals/gram, unless we are eating nearly all dark green veggies. In any event however, remember that not all carbs (alcohol, cellulose/fiber) get processed the same way and some aren’t processed at all.
TopSirloin