Newks Eatery is a fast casual restaurant chain that serves sandwiches, salads, and pizzas. One of their most popular menu items is the shrimp avocado salad. This salad contains mixed greens, tomatoes, boiled shrimp, avocado, feta cheese, and Newks homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. With its fresh ingredients and creamy avocado, this salad is a tasty and satisfying low-carb option for those looking to limit their carb intake. But exactly how many net carbs are in Newks shrimp avocado salad? Let’s take a detailed look at the nutrition information to find out.
Calculating Net Carbs
To determine the net carb count in any food or meal, you need to look at the total carbohydrates and fiber. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting the fiber grams from the total carbohydrates.
Fiber is a type of complex carbohydrate that our bodies cannot digest. So we don’t count these toward the net carb count. By subtracting the fiber from total carbs, we are left with the net digestible carbs that affect blood sugar levels.
Here is the formula:
Total Carbohydrates – Dietary Fiber = Net Carbs
So for the Newks shrimp avocado salad, we’ll need to look at the amount of total carbs and fiber to find the net carbs.
Nutrition Information for Newks Shrimp Avocado Salad
According to the nutrition information on the Newks website, here are the carb counts for a full serving of the shrimp avocado salad:
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Carbohydrates | 17g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6g |
Now let’s calculate the net carbs by plugging these numbers into our formula:
Total Carbohydrates: 17g
Dietary Fiber: 6g
Net Carbs = Total Carbs – Fiber
= 17g – 6g
= 11g
So there are 11g net carbs in a full serving of Newks shrimp avocado salad when accounting for the fiber.
Understanding Serving Sizes
It’s important to note that the nutrition information provided is for the full restaurant serving size. The serving size for the shrimp avocado salad is listed as 1 bowl (624g).
If you order this salad at Newks, you’ll likely get a large bowl as their servings are quite generous. But if you were to weigh out a 624g portion at home, it would be a very large salad.
So your net carb count may be lower if you eat a smaller portion. The net carbs in a 300g portion for example would be approximately half of the full serving amount.
In summary, a full 624g restaurant serving of Newks shrimp avocado salad contains about 11g net carbs. The net carbs in a smaller 300g home portion would be approximately 5-6g.
Reasons for Lower Net Carbs
Now that we know the net carb numbers, you may be wondering why the carbs are on the lower side for a salad. There are a few reasons for this:
- It contains non-starchy vegetables like lettuce, tomato, cucumber which are very low in carbs.
- There is no croutons, grains or high-carb toppings.
- The shrimp and avocado add healthy fats and protein rather than extra carbs.
- The balsamic vinaigrette is lower in carbs than creamy dressings.
- The 6g of dietary fiber help offset some of the total carbs.
Focusing the salad ingredients on non-starchy veggies, lean protein, and healthy fats helps keep the carb count down. The generous serving size leads to a higher total carb count, but the net carbs remain low in comparison to other salad options.
Daily Net Carb Recommendations
To put the 11g net carbs into context, here are some recommended daily net carb intake levels for different diets:
| Diet | Recommended Net Carbs Per Day |
|---|---|
| Standard Low-Carb | 50-100g |
| Moderate Low-Carb (Paleo) | 100-150g |
| Keto | 20-50g |
As you can see, the shrimp avocado salad would provide about 11-55% of your daily net carb intake on a standard low-carb diet. On keto it would use up about 22-55% of your daily allowance.
So you may need to account for it in your meal planning if closely tracking net carbs. But overall it can be a great lighter carb option for low-carb and keto diets when eating out.
Tips for Decreasing Carbs
Here are some tips if you want further reduce the net carbs in Newks shrimp avocado salad:
- Request dressing on the side and use less than the standard serving.
- Ask for sliced avocado instead of a whole half which reduces portion size.
- Avoid the bread options that come with meals.
- See if lettuce wrap is an option instead of bread.
- Get a side salad instead of starchy side like fries or rice.
- Order a smaller sized salad or split with someone.
Making adjustments like these where possible can help cut down on the overall carb content of your meal.
Other Low-Carb Newks Options
In addition to the shrimp avocado salad, here are some other lower-carb choices at Newks worth considering:
- Any salad topped with grilled or blackened chicken, salmon, tuna etc.
- Unwich lettuce wrapped sandwiches
- Italian Chop salad with grilled chicken
- Simple vinaigrette dressings over creamy dressings
- Meatball & Marinara Pizza without the crust
- Grilled chicken soft taco without the tortilla
Focus on getting protein-centric dishes over those with bread, tortillas, or starchy toppings to keep the carbs down. And be mindful of portion sizes, as even lower carb dishes can add up in net carbs with large servings.
The Verdict on Carbs
To summarize, a full serving of Newks shrimp avocado salad contains about 17g total carbs and 6g fiber. This makes the net carb count around 11g. Consuming a smaller portion would reduce the net carbs to around 5-6g.
For a nutritious restaurant salad, this represents a fairly low amount of net digestible carbohydrates. It can be part of a well-balanced low-carb or keto diet when accounting for the carbs properly in your daily totals. Focus on pairing it with other fresh non-starchy vegetables, healthy fats, and lean proteins for delicious lower carb meal.
Conclusion
When dining out at Newks Eatery, the shrimp avocado salad is one of the best choices for limiting carbs. A full serving contains about 11g net carbs. Opting for a smaller portion, selecting lower carb add-ons and sides, and reducing high-carb dressings and breads can further drop the carbs down to keto-friendly levels. Pairing this nutrient-packed salad with smart customizations makes it easy to stay on track with a low-carb or ketogenic eating plan at Newks.