Atkins Advantage Bars...gotta clear this up!

[Nonerz]

Just curious if anyone has an opinion on the Atkins Advantage Bars. They are very tasty (especially Peanut Butter) and seem to be very nutritious as well:

Serving Size: 1 bar (60 g)
Calories: 240
Fat Cal: 110
Total Fat: 12g
Sat. Fat: 6g
Cholest: <5mg
Sodium: 180mg
Potassium: 260mg
Total Carb: 21g
Fiber: 10g
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 19g

Vit A: 25%
Vit C: 25%
Calcium: 30%
Iron: 15%

**Net 2g carbs
sweetened with Splenda

Someone told me that these were "the worst bars because they raise your insulin levels because of all the sugar." This really puzzled me because I thought they were specifically designed NOT to do this...and they is next to no sugar in them!

Am I crazy? or is this person way off base?

 

[MrMakaveli]

Its true. They contain hidden carbs that do raise insulin.

 

[Stryc-9]

Its true. They contain hidden carbs that do raise insulin.

In what form? Do you mean polyols?

 

[Babyfaced Assassin]

well th eold saying if it tastes like candy it probably is probably goes.
personally (and im not on a strict low carb diet but i do keep my carbs moderately low)
i'd rather have an apple than a protein bar
protein bars are usually full of glycerine and other stuff which i dont really think does anyone any favours

 

[Nonerz]

I love fruit...not much protein though and too many carbs/sugar for my goals.

I'd love to find out about the hidden carbs Mr. Mak! Please do tell.

 

[Cro Magnon]

Nonerz: You've got me curious. Tell you what I'll do: tomorrow morning I'll test my blood sugar level (upon waking), then I'll eat an atkins bar, then I'll test it again an hour later.

Will let you know . . .

CM

 

[B0ARDIN087]

These other carbs do increase your insulin levels, but they dont increase them as much as sugars and more than fiber, its somewhere in between and on most diets must be counted. that bar doesn't seem like it serves much purpose in my diet, same with slimfast bars, 210 cals and lots of fat/carbs no protein. I am finding these bar companies to be retarded :/

 

[kidvilla]

raises insulin as do all foods

i'm a fanatical diet logger and one thing i've learned at least with myself is these diet bars will definitely raise my insulin levels by about 10-15 points for about 2 hours before my glucose levels drop back to ketosis levels... i've tried the atkins bars, those bars that taste like french toast (i really like those), and the myoplex ones (i have cases of those). here is what i've figured out though.....

regardless of what i eat, my insulin will rise (evidenced by rising glucose levels). I can eat pork (like i ate an hour ago) and my glucose rose from 89 to 105 and will stay there for about an hour or so before going back down. so for me, i know my glucose levels will rise with everything, including lard (i tested myself one day just to satisfy scientific curiosity and my glucose rose about 5 points). with that in mind, i realized that sweet tasting things will also raise my insulin regardless of sugar content, but here is the interesting difference:

1. a snickers bar will raise my glucose 20 points for 2.5 hours before glucose level returns to keto levels (85mg/dl for me)

2. a sugar-free (aspartame) soda will raise my glucose levels 15 points for 1 hour before glucose returns to keto levels.

3. strong coffee (one packet of splenda, but coffee is still strong and doesn't taste sweet to me) will only raise my glucose 12 or so points

4. an atkins bar, myoplex bar, or other bars will raise my glucose levels 10-15 points for about 2 hours before my glucose returns to keto baseline.

5. meat (chicken, pork, beef) will raise my glucose levels 5-12 points for 1-2 hours depending on how fatty it is and how hard the meat is (jerky is least affecting).


my conclusion?
1. sweet tasting things seem to elicit glucose release in much the same way as sugar does. the only difference is that since i don't have sugar (it just tastes sweet), my body drops back to keto levels quicker than when it deals with sugar

2. something else i didn't include... if in severely starving myself (below 1400 cals), my glucose levels seem to move less (the same snickers bar only raises me 10 points and doesn't last more than an hour, probably due to the starvation and resulting high absorption)...


keep in mind, everybody's physiology is different, because as you can tell, i go into ketosis (ketonemia) at 85mg/dl , and others must dip to less than 70 (although this is more a result of the fact my body is extremely efficient at recovering glucose, and is not an indicator that i have it easier than others... quite the opposite, it's harder than hell for me to get there)

 

[JJFigure]

I actually found a "diabetic" friendly meal replacement bar for when I'm traveling. I don't trust other people's food (especially restaurants), so I forgoe my morning eggs for a protein bar when I'm "hoteling" it. Anyway, the bar is Think! Thin and they are sweetened with malitol. Unfortunately, they do contain glycerin too, but since I only rely on them in a pinch, I live with it. I found them in a Bread and Circus when I was traveling in Boston.

I have a really hard time finding them elsewhere though - pretty much have to get them online from lowcarb stores. They are pretty decent tasting; worth the effort.

 

[Cro Magnon]

For what it's worth, here were my test results this morning:

BGL upon waking: 85.

Consumed . . .
1 Peanut Butter Atkins bar
1 8 oz. can of diet 7up
1 tab of NYC

BGL 35 minutes later: 79.

Seems strange. Perhaps 35 minutes isn't long enough. Or maybe the NYC tinkered with the results. Thoughts?

CM