One of the most common product-related questions we get at Low Carb Luxury are those from people wondering what Dreamfields' "Digestible carbs" are, and how they differ from "net carbs", "effective carbs", "impact carbs", etc. The fact is, there are so many companies making claims right now, that it's become a sea of confusion out there. How can the typical consumer make heads or tails of it?

In the case of Dreamfields, we've taken several months of looking over research, speaking with consumers and the company, and learning all we can. The company has been exceptionally helpful in supplying us with answers and we've appreciated their candor and their approach. Over the coming months, we'll be doing some in-depth interviews with the principals and the R&D team at Dreamfields in an effort to help our readers understand more about how and why this pasta can achieve the digestible carb count it does while delivering phenomenal taste. But for now, we wanted to give you a brief overview of what you should understand about digestible carbs...

How are "digestible carbs" different from "net carbs"?

Dreamfields "Digestible carbs" are determined by a clinical method that measures the blood glucose response of the whole food to establish its glycemic load or content of digestible carbohydrates. This is unlike net carbs, which is simply determined by estimating the digestibility of individual food components. The clinical testing is conducted at an independent clinical laboratory.

In contrast, the "net carbs" of a food are typically not established by testing the food using a clinical approach involving validated methods, but are arrived at by summing the estimated digestible carbohydrate levels of a food’s individual components. Thus "net carbs" becomes a rough estimate of the food’s glycemic load or digestible carbohydrate content. It is not unusual for ingredients to be declared as having negligible blood glucose effects when they actually could have a significant impact. Therefore, it is believed that the clinical testing method is a more accurate measurement.

How does Dreamfields make its pasta lower in carbohydrates?

Dreamfields pasta is lower in digestible carbohydrates. What that means is that while the total number of carbohydrates is the same as typical pasta, our unique blend of dietary fibers and proteins protects all but about 5 grams of these carbohydrates from being digested. These protected, or "controlled," carbohydrates pass to the colon where they provide the health benefits of fiber.

How is the level of digestible carbohydrate established for Dreamfields pasta?

A clinical testing method utilizing healthy human subjects is used to measure the levels of digestible carbohydrate contained in Dreamfields pasta. The clinical tests are designated as "in vivo" testing or testing that utilizes a living being, as this is the only known way to establish how the body will process a specific food to create a blood glucose response. The shape and area under a blood glucose response curve is used to determine the level of digestible carbohydrate in a food and if the body is properly processing digested carbohydrates appropriately. Dreamfields clinical testing is conducted at an independent laboratory that complies with FDA guidelines.


We at Low Carb Luxury, hope this helps begin to clear up some confusion. It should be recognized that "digestible and controlled carbs" are new terms to the carb counting lingo. Labeling based on clinical study and true glucose reaction seems to be more easily "digestible" to us than basing on a simple mathematical equation. Look for more insight into this innovative company over the coming months, as we continue to build our relationship with Dreamfields, and bring you interviews and more.