How Low Carb is Low Carb?

By Dietdoctor @DietDoctor1

Our definition

Here's the way we define different levels of low carb at Diet Doctor:

  • Strict low carb <20 gram carbs per day
  • Moderate low carb 20-50 grams per day
  • Liberal low carb 50-100 grams per day

For comparison a regular Western diet can easily contain 250 grams of carbs or more in a day, most of them bad refined carbs, including sugar.

Fibre

The above numbers refers to digestible carbs, and discount the fibre. You can deduct them from your carb counts, i.e. eat all the natural fibre you want, from vegetables for example.

However, don't be fooled by the label "net carbs" on processed products, like chocolate bars. That's usually just a way to trick you. I'd even suggest not eating anything with the words "net carbs" printed on it.