Quite a few of you lovely people ask questions about carbs, and specifically how the carb counts of Proper Good meals relate to the keto and other carb-restricted diets... so, here's all the info... grab a cup of bone broth to sip and then read on...
We try to make meal solutions for lifestyle needs, which incorporates Keto, Low-Carb, Plant-Based, Gluten-free and others too :-) Of course, not all these lifestyles overlap so some of our creations don't work for every unique need. The level of carbs desired varies dramatically by these lifestyles and hence we are often trying to make the carbs work for everyone.
To see all of our low carb and keto-friendly options click HERE
So, what’s the deal with Carbs anyway?
Quick overview of carbohydrates (carbs) and what the regular and special diets need…
Total Carbs is just a simple calculation of the carbohydrates of all ingredients in the outlined serving size, for Proper Good this is the entire pouch as it’s intended to be a meal. Make sure to check the nutritional panels of other foods as many will be a ‘2 servings per container’, so you must do the math to make sure you eat the quantity you think you are!
Net Carbs is simply total carbs minus the fibre. Both these numbers are on the nutritional panel so you can just subtract fibre from the total carbohydrates. Net carbs is usually an important number for people on low or ultra low carb diets, such as Keto. Net carbs are the carbs that your body actually uses for energy, instead of just passing through the digestive system.
'It’s important to remember not all carbs are equal - for example, carbs from veggies and grains are certainly different to carbs from fried chips and added refined sugar.'
It’s important to remember not all carbs are equal - for example, carbs from veggies and grains are certainly different to carbs from fried chips and added refined sugar. The easiest way to tell is usually the fibre content, if there’s a lot of carbs but no fibre it’s likely a overly processed snack food or similar, but if there is a good amount of fibre it’s likely the carbs come from the real ingredients such as beans, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Hopefully, it will be no surprise to you that at Proper Good we use only the good carbs!
According to the Mayo Clinic, and based on the Dietary Guideline for Americans, the ‘average adult’ should consume between 225g to 325g of carbohydrates per day.
Consumers on ‘low-carb’ diets tend to cut that by around 50% and aim for 100 - 150 grams of carbs per day.
Individuals on the Ketogenic, or Keto, diet tend to keep below 25g of net carbs per day. Instead of deriving energy from carbs, on Keto the body produced energy from fat, thought to be a better source of fuel for the body, and hence on Keto 80% of the daily calories are from fat.
Onto Proper Good Meals
Our highest carb soup is the Meatball Minestrone - packed with beef meatballs, farro grains, kidney beans and tasty veggies, for a truly filling meal. This soup has 53g of carbs for the entire pouch, and just 34g net carbs. A great item for anyone enjoying a regular or low-carb diet, but too high carbs for the keto diet.
Our soups made with Keto in mind, such as the Red Pepper & Meatball and the Chicken & Mushroom, have just 9g and 8g of net carbs, respectively, for the entire pouch. That’s less than a third of the keto allowed daily net carbs for a complete meal, and of course if you're eating 100g carbs on low-carb, or 300g carbs on a regular diet then 8g net carbs is a very low number!
We also add other helpful ingredients such as grass-fed bone broth, and heavy cream to help consumers get the function and nutritional benefits they need, all this with zero added sugar and zero artificial ingredients.
To recap on hidden carbs, if knowing the exact carb count is important to your needs remember to check net carbs in all foods, as many have lots of hidden carbs which can add up quickly... for example just a 1/2 cup of peas has 12g of carbs, more than an entire Proper Good meal!
A few others that may surprise you...
- condiments are particularly sneaky for carbs... just one tablespoon of ketchup usually has 5g of carbs! And who eats just one tablespoon of ketchup?
- not all cheeses are made equally, check the nutritional panel as while some cheeses are almost zero carbs, many have over 5g for a small serving size.
- many vegetables have carbs that are problematic for the keto diet, for example just one cup of chopped onion is over 12g of net carbs!
- fancy a cup of organic whole milk for a delicious nutritious drink? 12g of net carbs! More than all the Proper Good keto-friendly items.
We're doing our best to make foods that work for everyone's needs, and net carbs is certainly a tricky one - we hope this little overview was helpful and please do check out all our low-carb options HERE, with more to come soon :-)
From the Proper Good Team-
