How to count carbs when different supermarkets have conflicting carb count??

[Emilymay]

Been looking at making lower carb version of mash potato for my meal prepping. Was thinking Swede mash since I like swede, anyway.
100g Swede-

Tesco - 2.3g
Asda - 3.9g
Sainsburys - 4.8g
Morrisons 4.3g
Google - 9g

So what value to take when supermarkets carbs are so different? It’s Swede/vegetables surely carbs can’t differ by supermarkets?? In what case what values to take?
(Not just Swede, veg and fruit and meat in general)

Thank you.

 

[Leadinglights]

Been looking at making lower carb version of mash potato for my meal prepping. Was thinking Swede mash since I like swede, anyway.
100g Swede-

Tesco - 2.3g
Asda - 3.9g
Sainsburys - 4.8g
Morrisons 4.3g
Google - 9g

So what value to take when supermarkets carbs are so different? It’s Swede/vegetables surely carbs can’t differ by supermarkets?? In what case what values to take?
(Not just Swede, veg and fruit and meat in general)

Thank you.

They may add different ingredients which could account for the difference but the way carb values are 'estimated' is not an exact science as it will also depend on moisture of the finished product.
Just buy a swede, peel, chop it up, boil, drain, mash up and add butter, pepper and salt. Then you know exactly what is in it.
A few grams either way won't make a huge difference anyway for most people.

 

[rebrascora]

Carbs can vary by variety of swede or carrot or potato or apple of whatever. Some will be sweeter than others, so will have a slightly higher value. Also, the decimal place is almost certainly not accurate for any given value and I would be extremely surprised if each supermarket had had their swedes analyzed to get those values, so they are likely copied from another source.
You are just looking for a rough guide and from the info you have listed above I would suggest you assume that swede is about 5g carbs per 100g. The important thing is that you are choosing a low carb item (swede) to replace a higher carb item (potato). Try not to get bogged down in trying to be overly precise.

Same thing with the decimal place with BG meters if you are testing. The number after the decimal point is really not reliable and merely allows you to round up or down to the nearest whole number and your actual reading would likely be within 1-2mmols of that rounder number. I know it takes a bit of getting your head around but none of it is an exact science.

 

[Martin.A]

I found that the lowest carb option is mashed cauliflower, the highest mashed celeriac due to it being, like swede, a root vegetable.

 

[Emilymay]

I found that the lowest carb option is mashed cauliflower, the highest mashed celeriac due to it being, like swede, a root vegetable.

I was thinking of doing mashed cauliflower, broccoli, carrot and some swede all mixed in.

 

[rebrascora]

Cauliflower is also quicker and easier to cook and mash, you just have to drain it really well before mashing and use a good dollop of cream cheese (and a teaspoon of mustard if you like it) instead of butter.

 

[Emilymay]

They may add different ingredients which could account for the difference but the way carb values are 'estimated' is not an exact science as it will also depend on moisture of the finished product.
Just buy a swede, peel, chop it up, boil, drain, mash up and add butter, pepper and salt. Then you know exactly what is in it.
A few grams either way won't make a huge difference anyway for most people.

Thank you.

 

[Emilymay]

Carbs can vary by variety of swede or carrot or potato or apple of whatever. Some will be sweeter than others, so will have a slightly higher value. Also, the decimal place is almost certainly not accurate for any given value and I would be extremely surprised if each supermarket had had their swedes analyzed to get those values, so they are likely copied from another source.
You are just looking for a rough guide and from the info you have listed above I would suggest you assume that swede is about 5g carbs per 100g. The important thing is that you are choosing a low carb item (swede) to replace a higher carb item (potato). Try not to get bogged down in trying to be overly precise.

Same thing with the decimal place with BG meters if you are testing. The number after the decimal point is really not reliable and merely allows you to round up or down to the nearest whole number and your actual reading would likely be within 1-2mmols of that rounder number. I know it takes a bit of getting your head around but none of it is an exact science.

Ok, just roughly guesstimate in between those figures?

 

[Robin]

Google - 9g

The reason the Google amount is so much higher is that it’s from an American site, and in the US, they include fiber (always look for the US spelling as a clue) in the total carb count, whereas in the U.K., it’s been deducted already.

 

[Inka]

Are you on any meds for the diabetes @Emilymay ? If you’re diet only or just on Metformin, for example, then you don’t so much have to count carbs as just get a rough idea of how many you’re eating, so the differences wouldn’t matter.

 

[Docb]

I'll throw my usual two penneth in with the comment that carbohydrate cannot be measured with any accuracy and is almost certainly "estimated" on any label that you see. You can forget the number after the decimal point and round the whole number to the nearest five.

So, @Emilymay, the values you quote for swede are effectively the same and best read as saying the carbohydrate content of swede is around 5 grams/100gm and as such is quite low. Ordinary bread for example is up around 60 to 70g/100gm and is in a different league.

It is too easy to get hung up on numbers especially when they are quoted to a precision that it is impossible to measure to. And do not forget that quantity comes into the equation - cutting down on the portion size of high carb content food can be far more effective in reducing carb intake than worrying about whether something has 4.2 or 5.8 g/100g of carbohydrate.

 

[barrym]

I'm with @Docb.

Most root veg 10%, parsnip & potatoes 20%, anything green and leafy 5%, etc. Works generally for most food groups. For example biscuits. I use 10g unless it is obviously more luxurious or larger. Obviously you have to have consistent helpings. My wife is great at giving me 100g helpings of potatoes, carrots etc.

The only time I look at the info is first time, or more processed. Usually for confirmation that I won't have any!

I find this generalising works for me so that I can work out (guess?) a meal in seconds.

Have fun.