Understanding fiber
On Nutrition Facts food labels, the grams of dietary fiber are already included in the total carbohydrate count. But because fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body can’t digest, it does not affect your blood sugar levels. So should you subtract the grams of fiber from the total carbohydrate?
Here’s the best advice about fiber:
For people with diabetes that are treated with "Insulin therapy" insulin, getting the most accurate carbohydrate count may help control blood sugars better. Every gram of carbohydrate may mean a change in your insulin dose. So if you are managing your diabetes with insulin before meals, try subtracting the grams of fiber from the total carbohydrate.
To summarize – you need to take the total amount of carbohydrate in a serving MINUS the carbohydrate in the fiber.
Now let’s practice using the sample food label:
- Locate the total carbohydrate in one serving. You will see that the total carbohydrate is 10 grams.
- The dietary fiber is 5 grams per serving.
- Count this product as 5 grams of carbohydrate (10 grams total carbohydrate minus 5 grams dietary fiber equals 5 grams of carbohydrate).
- **Import Food Label highlighting the fiber section, and how to subtract from total carb**