Carbs v Net Carbs

from Women's Health May 2013 issue:

What's the difference between carbs and net carbs?  Which one matters?  "Net carbs" is the amount of total carbs minus fiber, which helps you gauge the impact a food will have on your blood sugar.  That's because fiber, while technically a carb, slows digestion and lessens the post-meal blood sugar spike and crash that can lead to cravings.  If net carbs aren't listed, you can still look at grams of carbs and fiber.  In general, the higher the ratio of fiber to carbs, the less of an impact a food will have.