SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/diab-total-carb-includes

On a Nutrition Facts label, what does 'Total Carbohydrate' include?

Sugar, starch and fiber, all rolled into one number.

  1. Only sugars
  2. Sugar, starch and fiber ✔
  3. Only starch and sugar

Why: Total carbohydrate includes sugar, starch and fiber. Under it, the label breaks out dietary fiber, total sugars and added sugars. If you count carbs, ADA says use the total grams.

Huh, didn't know that: Starch doesn't get its own line on the label, so MedlinePlus says to use only the total number.

The dad joke
What does bread do on vacation? It loafs around.
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Sources

  1. Reading and Understanding Food Labels (ADA) https://diabetes.org/food-nutrition/reading-food-labels/making-sense-food-labels
  2. Counting carbohydrates (MedlinePlus) https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000321.htm

Test yourself in the game

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That's stuff everyone should know.