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Low-carb labels often use `creative accounting'.

The Seattle Times (Seattle, WA)

| October 16, 2003 | COPYRIGHT 2007 The Seattle Times. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)Copyright

Byline: Judith Blake

If you're thinking of trying some of those low-carb products now flooding the market, you may wonder what's in them and how they achieve their low carbohydrate levels.

The chief way to find out: Carefully read the labels.

One way they attain lower carbs is through their method of calculation. Many of the labels list total carbohydrates, then subtract certain items from the total to arrive at "net," "effective" or "useable" carbs, often bannered on the front of a package.

Usually there's wording somewhere on the package explaining why the "total carbohydrate" and "net carbohydrate" amounts differ.

Some nutrition experts disagree with this calculating system. And since there's no legal definition of "low-carb" or any official way of figuring it, consumers are a bit on their own.

The "net" carb level often results from subtracting a product's grams of fiber and sugar…

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