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

 

[Nonerz]

Cro Magnon, I admit, I don't know jack shit about ketosis or even BSL's for that matter, so I won't be much help. It seems that just about everything you eat will raise your insulin level...so it doesn't seem to be unreasonable that the Atkins bar would do the same.

kidville, that was really cool what you did...all those different tests...sounds like something I would do (I'm really into analyzing things to death).

okay, so compared to other protein bars...how do they rate? I was told that the balance bars are supposedly the "best" for you. my ideal requirements are: moderate calories, high protein, low carbs, moderate fat, high fiber (a real bonus).

 

[kidvilla]

you'll want to monitor your glucose over 30 minute periods for 4 hours over a while (like a week) to get a good idea of how your glucose fluctuates... i typically take my readings at an hour after a meal because like you, i will also get a glucose depletion at about 30 mins sometimes (usually about 5-10 points), which leads me to believe that at least for me, the spike afterwards is my body attempting to compensate rather than actual glucose (the same thing that puts you in a shitty mood if you eat too much candy).... but since glucose fluctuates madly anyways, it's a good idea to buy a ton of strips (i get mine from canada to make it cheaper, or i ask a diabetic friend of mine to get them for me) and test yourself like crazy and graph it...... if you'd like, i might include a graph of some tests i took, which might show how i did it ..

but suffice it to say, test yourself alot ... i know the strips can be expensive, but there is nothing like knowing your body better ...(which is probably why i can't exercise without a heart rate monitor either, well i could, but i looooove knowing what my heart is doing )

 

[Nonerz]

I have a HR monitor too...love it!

So the strips are the ones that diabetics use? My mom is diabetic, so maybe I can get some from her...

So 30 minutes for a period of 4 hours...do you test it right before you eat, then start the 4 hour period 30 minutes after you eat? Is there a different scale for men and women...any good links?

I know this is a bit off topic and I really should do a search...thanks for your help!

 

[Cro Magnon]

No need to consult your mother, Nonerz. You can order everything you need online (diabetic supplies are perfectly legal). Here's a decently priced website:

www.hocks.com

Test strips run about $.50 a piece.

CM

 

[kidvilla]

well, i can't say what i do is ethical, but i have a friend who is on medi-cal who can get me the glucose testing strips for free (all i do is buy her dinner and repair her computer once in a while), and occasionally also gets me bottles of Glucophage (tastes like ass, but is the worlds best appetite suppresant on an empty stomach, and i have a ravenous appetite, so i use it mostly for that). since i use the Precision Xtra (the one that measures both glucose and ketones in blood), that alone saves me tons of money.

the way i concluded how my glucose fluctuates was i got a pack of 100, then i just started testing myself almost every half hour.... and graphed the glucose levels and compared them to my ketones on ketostix. eventually i started noticing that whatever i ate, i would get a dip in glucose about 30 minutes later then the spike would happen about an hour later (my guess again is insulin reacting to food or sweets), and this was fairly consistent with most foods.

again, what you should do is invest in a bunch of test strips, then test yourself till you get a good idea of your glucose patterns... it took me about a week and a half to trace out a pattern, and by then, my fingers were all holey from the lancet stings (ouch, uncomfortable, but you get used to them quickly if you don't think about it), oh, and about the lancet stings, learn from me and carry alcohol prep pads (the ones the nurses use to prepare for injections)... it seems your lancet stings will heal much quicker if you use these (common sense, yes, but some of us forget)... even if you don't use them you won't scar due to the small stings, but its better to use them anyways....

as for testing foods, always test one food on an empty stomach (at least 4 hours). this is why its good to test while dieting as you are already eating very little anyways... remember, you're trying to eliminate as many variables as possible, and the body is already variable enough as it is (which is why you need to test yourself a bunch of times to see where and how it varies), you don't want to mux up your results by mixing foods...

 

[kidvilla]

although my precision xtra measures ketones, i tried to avoid using it as the ketone test strips are rare and expensive, and even my friend couldn't hook me up with those to frequently, so this is why i used ketostix ... they are not nearly as reliable, but can be useful if used wisely ....

as always, test yourself , there are no true graphs for women and men as glucose is one of the most volatile (in terms of levels) liquids in the body....

as for balance bars, they are good on a low calorie diet, but poison if you want to maintain ketosis as they contain enough glucose to knock you out of ketoneuria (ketones in blood as opposed to ketones in urine ) for most of your time you use them because your body will burn up the sugars in them as fuel (instead of using up your body's stores of fat, and also for athletes, arresting the anti-catabolic effects of ketosis....

this is not to say they are bad... it just depends on your goal... if you just want to go low cal, then they are great (and tasty and inexpensive), but if you want to go low carb, then they are counter-productive....

but all diets return to one basic premise, whether low carb or low cal...

calories in < calories out = weight loss

simple law of thermodynamics, no diet can escape this... it's just that some diets work better for some folks (and ketogenic diets suppress my hunger better and spare my muscles better than high carb low cal diets), and some may not, so decide your goal, test yourself, and follow it.....

 

[Nonerz]

No need to consult your mother, Nonerz. You can order everything you need online (diabetic supplies are perfectly legal). Here's a decently priced website:

www.hocks.com

Test strips run about $.50 a piece.

CM

I know they aren't illegal...I'm just a cheap ass (notice the hint of Chinese in my avatar) and my mom gets all her Rx's for $1! I think she even has an extra glucometer...hmmmmm

kidvilla...you are the man! thanks for taking the time to post all that info! Very helpful.

 

[Deleted member 33117]

cro-mangan, hmmm...perhaps I'll try the adkin's bar next.... I have an active thread right now where I ate a few low carb snack foods to see how they impacted my blood glucose levels if you want to check it out...I'll post the link in a minute... I used carb solution bars though, just because I had some around.

 

[Deleted member 33117]

http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=239082

 

[Euphanasia]

So does splenda actually affect insulin levels or no ?

 

[Deleted member 33117]

So does splenda actually affect insulin levels or no ?

splenda has no glycemic index, no calories, no impact on blood sugar levels, no insulin response. Good stuff.

 

[Nonerz]

then where are the "hidden carbs" that raise insulin levels????

 

[bignate73]

then where are the "hidden carbs" that raise insulin levels????

the glue that holds the wrapper shut.

 

[Stryc-9]

then where are the "hidden carbs" that raise insulin levels????

The hidden carbs come in the form of polyols (sugar alcohols like maltitol, etc.,) which the companies do not include in the total carbohydrate count. And whether or not these polyols affect insulin levels - they still have calories (4.2 per gram I believe).

 

[JJFigure]

Basically, the person who told you they'd raise your insulin levels because of all the hidden sugar was wrong. Yes, there are ingredients that have a carbohydrate value, but have negligible impact on your insulin levels. It's the same stuff they use in diabetic candies, for the most part. You just have to be careful about consuming too much of sugar alcohols like malitol because they can wreak havoc on your bowels.

 

[Nonerz]

Thanks JJ...that's what I thought--it says something to that effect on the wrapper, which is why I was very surprised to hear that these bars raise your insulin leveks.

As far as the amount I consume...I usually will have only one bar in the afternoon (meal #4) but occasionally in the late morning if I am in a pinch (meal #2) and I've never had any problems with my bowels...yet! So eating them in moderation shouldn't be an issue, right?

Okay, I'm ordering a couple boxes next week...yaaay!