How we score foods & calculate net carbs
How we calculate net carbs
Net carbs are total carbohydrates minus fiber, measured for a realistic serving of the food. Fiber isn’t digested into glucose, so it doesn’t count against ketosis. Where sugar alcohols like erythritol or allulose are present, we subtract them too, following standard keto labeling. Net carbs is a practical guide, not an official FDA term, so we always show the serving the number applies to.
The KarbZilla Keto Score (1–100)
The Keto Score turns a food’s numbers into a single, comparable rating. It starts from net carbs per serving, rewards fiber, and is anchored to our keto verdict:
- Keto-friendly foods start near 100 and lose ~3 points per gram of net carbs.
- “In moderation” foods center in the 50–70 range and fall as carbs climb.
- Not-keto foods sit below ~45 and drop with every extra gram of net carbs.
- Fiber adds back up to 6 points, because it blunts the carb impact.
Bands: 85–100 Excellent · 70–84 Great · 50–69 OK in moderation · 30–49 Limit · under 30 Avoid.
“Fits a keto day”
We also show how many servings of a food fit inside a standard 20g net-carb keto day — so you know not just whether a food is keto, but how much of it you can actually eat.
Review & sourcing
Nutrition values are based on USDA-style reference data for the stated serving. Food entries are reviewed by the KarbZilla team, and health-related content is reviewed by a registered dietitian. Values can vary by brand and portion, so treat them as a reliable guide rather than a lab result.
Put it to work: look up a food in the food database, check if a whole meal is keto with the meal checker, or build a day with the Keto Day Builder.