Foodie Fridays - Mushrooms count.....but how much?
When you start keto, and indeed at any point when you are following a keto lifestyle, you will struggle to find out the carb count for certain products.
It's important.
If you are on a low carb diet of [say] no more than 20g a day, you'd be surprised just how easy it is to break through this limit without really knowing about it.
Indeed, when I read forums on social media, there are always people asking how to count carbs and net carbs.
It's not easy
For UK labels you would deduct polyols from the carb number (but not always on a 1 for 1 basis, depending on the type of sweetener used).
For US labels you would also deduct the fibre count, as this is included in the overall carb number on American labels.
Easy.?Yeah?
Well not always!
If, for example, you shop at Costco, some of their products will be from the US so you need to stay sharp and work out what approach you need to take.
There are also two other areas that just make it harder
Food Carb labels...
Take mushrooms as an example.
If you go online these have 3.3g per 100g. My favourite App has them at 1g per 100g. And the label on the back of the packet have them at 0.3g per 100g.
So who do you trust?
I've done some research. UK producers use data supplied by the UK Govt - there's even a massive spreadsheet you can download if you really wanted to. And yes, they show the 0.3g figure
Apps...
Even Apps get it wrong. My favourite App (again) has some issues!
If I use Hellman's Mayonnaise (there is no other I there!?!) my App lists this as having 3.6g per 100g.
But if I look on the back of the bottle.....guess what..... it's only 1.4g
So what's a keto-following-boy to do? I have adapted my approach to...
Look at the actual labels more than the web
Remember a recipe book may have it wrong! Especially if the carbs count just 'feels' too low
Remember that UK and US do it differently
Use an App that lets you add your own ingredients - so in mine I have added 'J Mayonnaise' at 1.4/100g - This way the ingredients I have added are easily identifiable by the 'J" this is the one I select when calculating overall carbs
Keep a list, on a bit of paper, a black board etc...... of the carbs in the things you use the most
Have a look in our book - there's a handy chart listing many carbs
Don't get fanatical or too worried about it...... somethings you'll over-count, other times under-count. As my Gran used to say "it will all come out in the wash"
So tell me..... how have you found counting carbs?