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Babyfaced Assassin
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Glycerin (or Glycerol) is a syrupy liquid that is used as a sweetener and a moisturizing agent. Glycerin adds texture and chewiness to the bars (so it's not like biting into a brick)
According to the Food & Drug Administration, Glycerin IS a carbohydrate and what you've read on the labels of those bars is misleading and dishonest.
According to the FDA office of food labeling, "FDA nutrition labeling regulations require that when glycerin is used as a food ingredient, it must be included in the grams of total carbohydrate per serving."
Basically, the supplement companies want you to believe that their "high protein, low carb" bars are lower in carbohydrate than they really are.
These companies often defend themselves by saying it's ok not to count glycerin in the carb content because glycerin is not metabolized the same as other carbohydrates: (Glycerin has very little effect on insulin compared to other carb sources). Nevertheless, glycerin is still a carbohydrate and still provides 4.32 calories per gram.
Many supplement companies have changed their labels in the past year as a result of pressure from the FDA and various consumer groups, but others have not budged and the FDA doesn't seem to be enforcing it's rules very strictly.
Karl Warren has recently put up a website at www.fatwatch.net, which has links to several articles about this problem, including articles from the National Consumers League and Consumer's Lab. Karl writes:
"Our First Initiative is to help raise public awareness about False Labeling by many of the Low-Carb Bar Manufacturers. These manufacturers are deceiving consumers by NOT counting Glycerin as a carbohydrate within the Nutritional Facts on the back of the packaging. Glycerin is a carbohydrate and is contained in all of the mislabeled bars listed below (see website). These companies are making up their own rules, and the FDA is NOT enforcing these infractions, which places the onus on the Consumer to make correct buying decisions by NOT purchasing deceptively marketed Low-Carb Bars. We ask, "What is next? Not counting sugars?"
Karl continues,
"Understandably, the consumption of these bars is prohibitive to weight loss as people are taking in more carbohydrates then they think they are."
Karl also has links to the actual warning letters from the FDA to the supplements companies about their labeling violations.
The people who are defending these bars are usually the people who are selling them. High protein, low carb bars are the fastest growing segment of the sports nutrition industry. According to a report by ABC news, the sale of all varieties of nutrition bars now tops $600 million per year. Once only found in gyms and health food stores, these bars have gone mainstream and are now found on supermarket and convenience store shelves almost everywhere.
Mislabeled carbohydrate content isn't the only reason to avoid most nutrition bars: Here are a few more:
1)Many contain disease-promoting saturated and trans fatty acids such as partially hydrogenated oils, palm kernel oil, palm oil or fractionated vegetable oils.
2) Some bars are very high in refined sugars including high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, rice syrup, or sucrose.
3) The coating of many bars is nothing more than pure chocolate.
4) In a recent test conducted by Consumer lab, 60% of the bars tested did not meet their label claims.
5) Even the bars that are the lesser of evils are still processed foods. Processed foods should never be a regular part of yoru daily diet.
If you were on a diet to lose body fat, would you eat chocolate, saturated fats and refined sugars? Of course not! But that is often exactly what you are getting with these so-called nutrition bars.
Take it from someone who has no vested interest in selling any kind of supplements: At best, bars are a nutritional compromise; at worst they are candy in disguise.
According to the Food & Drug Administration, Glycerin IS a carbohydrate and what you've read on the labels of those bars is misleading and dishonest.
According to the FDA office of food labeling, "FDA nutrition labeling regulations require that when glycerin is used as a food ingredient, it must be included in the grams of total carbohydrate per serving."
Basically, the supplement companies want you to believe that their "high protein, low carb" bars are lower in carbohydrate than they really are.
These companies often defend themselves by saying it's ok not to count glycerin in the carb content because glycerin is not metabolized the same as other carbohydrates: (Glycerin has very little effect on insulin compared to other carb sources). Nevertheless, glycerin is still a carbohydrate and still provides 4.32 calories per gram.
Many supplement companies have changed their labels in the past year as a result of pressure from the FDA and various consumer groups, but others have not budged and the FDA doesn't seem to be enforcing it's rules very strictly.
Karl Warren has recently put up a website at www.fatwatch.net, which has links to several articles about this problem, including articles from the National Consumers League and Consumer's Lab. Karl writes:
"Our First Initiative is to help raise public awareness about False Labeling by many of the Low-Carb Bar Manufacturers. These manufacturers are deceiving consumers by NOT counting Glycerin as a carbohydrate within the Nutritional Facts on the back of the packaging. Glycerin is a carbohydrate and is contained in all of the mislabeled bars listed below (see website). These companies are making up their own rules, and the FDA is NOT enforcing these infractions, which places the onus on the Consumer to make correct buying decisions by NOT purchasing deceptively marketed Low-Carb Bars. We ask, "What is next? Not counting sugars?"
Karl continues,
"Understandably, the consumption of these bars is prohibitive to weight loss as people are taking in more carbohydrates then they think they are."
Karl also has links to the actual warning letters from the FDA to the supplements companies about their labeling violations.
The people who are defending these bars are usually the people who are selling them. High protein, low carb bars are the fastest growing segment of the sports nutrition industry. According to a report by ABC news, the sale of all varieties of nutrition bars now tops $600 million per year. Once only found in gyms and health food stores, these bars have gone mainstream and are now found on supermarket and convenience store shelves almost everywhere.
Mislabeled carbohydrate content isn't the only reason to avoid most nutrition bars: Here are a few more:
1)Many contain disease-promoting saturated and trans fatty acids such as partially hydrogenated oils, palm kernel oil, palm oil or fractionated vegetable oils.
2) Some bars are very high in refined sugars including high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, rice syrup, or sucrose.
3) The coating of many bars is nothing more than pure chocolate.
4) In a recent test conducted by Consumer lab, 60% of the bars tested did not meet their label claims.
5) Even the bars that are the lesser of evils are still processed foods. Processed foods should never be a regular part of yoru daily diet.
If you were on a diet to lose body fat, would you eat chocolate, saturated fats and refined sugars? Of course not! But that is often exactly what you are getting with these so-called nutrition bars.
Take it from someone who has no vested interest in selling any kind of supplements: At best, bars are a nutritional compromise; at worst they are candy in disguise.
