Breakfast bars

[LissyO]

I picked up two boxes of Atkins morning breakfast bars. One is Chocolate chip crisp and the other is cinnamon bun. The cinnamon bun says on the back "For those following the Atkins Nutritional Approach, this product is appropriate for Induction(phase 1)". So cool, I thought I saw the same thing on the box of Chocolate Chip Crisps but now I can't find it anywhere on the box. I looked on the Atkins website and it looks like they are ok for Induction, but I wanted to ask if anyone else knew for sure......also, how about that hot chocolate recipe? Is that ok for indution too? Found it in the Dr. Atkins new diet cookbook, heres the recipe:

1/3c cream
2/3c water
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa
1 packet sugar substitute
1/2 tsp vanilla

If they are all ok for Induction that'd be great, something quick for me to eat for breakfast on days that I work early. Thanks for any responses.

[Elizellen]

check the actual ingredients of the bars before deciding - as far as I know NONE of them only contain ingredients on the allowed list for induciton so should be left till you are on the OWL level/rung applicable to all the ingredients.


Your hot chocolate recipe does only contain ingredients on the allowed list (if you count unsweetened cocoa powder as a spice) so would be fine as long as you dont go over your daily 'allowance' of cream and splenda.

[LissyO]

check the actual ingredients of the bars before deciding - as far as I know NONE of them only contain ingredients on the allowed list for induciton so should be left till you are on the OWL level/rung applicable to all the ingredients.


Your hot chocolate recipe does only contain ingredients on the allowed list (if you count unsweetened cocoa powder as a spice) so would be fine as long as you dont go over your daily 'allowance' of cream and splenda.

Well the Cinnamon bun breakfast bars say that they ARE ok for induction, and on the website it says the chocolate chip crisp breakfast bars are too... here are the ingredients for the chocolate chip crisp breakfast bars:

INGREDIENTS:SOY NUGGETS (ISOLATED SOY PROTEIN, TAPIOCA STARCH, SALT), GLYCERINE, DRY ROASTED SOYBEANS, PROTEIN BLEND [HYDROLYZED COLLAGEN, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE (MILK)], CHOCOLATE CHIPS (LACTITOL, CHOCOLATE LIQUOR, COCOA BUTTER, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLA EXTRACT, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM), POLYDEXTROSE, DEHYDRATED COCONUT (SODIUM METABISULFITE), PALM KERNEL AND PALM OIL, SUNFLOWER OIL, MALTITOL, COCOA POWDER (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), CELLULOSE, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SOY LECITHIN, SUCRALOSE, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM. NUTRITION BLEND: VITAMIN A PALMITATE, ASCORBIC ACID, NIACINAMIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, FOLIC ACID, ALPHA TOCOPHERYL ACETATE.

And here is what it says on the Atkins web site:

Atkins Advantage® Morning Bars
Good for Atkins™ Phases: (has a box with 1,2,3,4)
Enjoy a nutritious and convenient breakfast with one of our 2 NEW flavors: Oatmeal Raisin & Peanut Butter Crisp or any of our 8 Atkins Morning Bars. Loaded with great taste, high fiber, high protein, calcium, and without added sugar. Superior nutrition, convenient for your on the go lifestyle.

Our breakfast bars have real ingredients you can see and taste. Try our newest flavor: Peanut Butter Crisp and you will experience great taste and healthy nutrition. Among our other flavors are the best selling Chocolate Chip Crisp bars, or try the Apple or Strawberry Crisp, Cinnamon Bun, Cranberry Almond or Triple Berry bars. You'll enjoy the delicious flavor and feeling of fullness you get with these bars. They are all delicious and all packed with good nutrition! Why not start your day right, or enjoy a healthy snack? Click the drop down menu for great choices.

Eight energy boosting flavors to chose from for a delicious and different treat every day of the week!

5 Pack

Is it safe to assume that they're ok then?

As for the hot chocolate, I plan on only having 1 glass per day, so I don't see it really affecting my weight loss, but good point, if I see it's hindering I'll just give it up. Its a nice combo with those breakfast bars though. :) Is unsweetened cocoa concidered a spice or were you poking fun? I just figured it was ok since it was in the Atkins cookbook and I'm doing Atkins.

[jkmfrog]

My feeling - they are not ok for induction. They are really only ok if you have no other options for breakfast. lol. Sorry. I have eaten them on occasion, back in the days before I decided that I was not a fan of soy. The main reason folks are concerned about them is that they contain a lot of sugar alcohols. Some folks find that sugar alcohols are much more highly absorbed by the body than the package would lead you to believe: so instead of 2 or 4 grams of carbs, you body absorbes them as if they are 15 or 20 grams of carbs. Not good.

Just an FYI. Now that Dr A is gone, that company called "Atkins" is in the buisness of selling a product: namely thier brands of shakes, bars, etc. And are responsible to thier stakholders, not their founder. Dr A (and I used to be a devout follower of the plan) never suggested that you needed to do this way of eating with anything that came in a box.

I would be very cautious about making these product a regular part of your eating plan. Are they ok for occasional use? Probably. (unless you shun soy)

[KvonM]

be VERY cautious of any atkins nutritionals product that the site claims is "ok for induction." chances are either they're using ingredients that aren't ok, they're using sugar alcohols which cause problems for a lot of people, or they're a substitute carb food.

giving yourself a full 2 weeks of a good, clean induction using whole foods does two things... it helps your body get rid of all the glucose and start burning fat, allowing carbs from natural vegetable sources, and it also gets you out of the habit of requiring high-carb foods at every meal. as far as i'm concerned, the bars, breads, and low-carb tortillas that are available do a lot more psychological harm to the idea of sticking with a low-carb way of life than a lot of people realize... but that's just me.

others have done just fine on the bars, but i'd call them the exception rather than the rule. give yourself the full two weeks of induction, build yourself new low-carb eating habits, and then determine if you want to incorporate the bars after that.

[LissyO]

My feeling - they are not ok for induction. They are really only ok if you have no other options for breakfast. lol. Sorry. I have eaten them on occasion, back in the days before I decided that I was not a fan of soy. The main reason folks are concerned about them is that they contain a lot of sugar alcohols. Some folks find that sugar alcohols are much more highly absorbed by the body than the package would lead you to believe: so instead of 2 or 4 grams of carbs, you body absorbes them as if they are 15 or 20 grams of carbs. Not good.

Just an FYI. Now that Dr A is gone, that company called "Atkins" is in the buisness of selling a product: namely thier brands of shakes, bars, etc. And are responsible to thier stakholders, not their founder. Dr A (and I used to be a devout follower of the plan) never suggested that you needed to do this way of eating with anything that came in a box.

I would be very cautious about making these product a regular part of your eating plan. Are they ok for occasional use? Probably. (unless you shun soy)

Good point....goes back to the "everything in moderation" theory I guess. I'll just keep them around just in case I don't have any time, maybe keep one in the car just in case I get shaky.

[LissyO]

be VERY cautious of any atkins nutritionals product that the site claims is "ok for induction." chances are either they're using ingredients that aren't ok, they're using sugar alcohols which cause problems for a lot of people, or they're a substitute carb food.

giving yourself a full 2 weeks of a good, clean induction using whole foods does two things... it helps your body get rid of all the glucose and start burning fat, allowing carbs from natural vegetable sources, and it also gets you out of the habit of requiring high-carb foods at every meal. as far as i'm concerned, the bars, breads, and low-carb tortillas that are available do a lot more psychological harm to the idea of sticking with a low-carb way of life than a lot of people realize... but that's just me.

others have done just fine on the bars, but i'd call them the exception rather than the rule. give yourself the full two weeks of induction, build yourself new low-carb eating habits, and then determine if you want to incorporate the bars after that.

I think that is a good idea. I don't need the bars, but I thought they'd be a good addition so I have more variety. I'll try without for at least the first two weeks, but keep them handy in case I get stuck in a situation where I have no other option.

[Elizellen]

INGREDIENTS:SOY NUGGETS (ISOLATED SOY PROTEIN, TAPIOCA STARCH, SALT), GLYCERINE, DRY ROASTED SOYBEANS, PROTEIN BLEND [HYDROLYZED COLLAGEN, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE (MILK)], CHOCOLATE CHIPS (LACTITOL, CHOCOLATE LIQUOR, COCOA BUTTER, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLA EXTRACT, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM), POLYDEXTROSE, DEHYDRATED COCONUT (SODIUM METABISULFITE), PALM KERNEL AND PALM OIL, SUNFLOWER OIL, MALTITOL, COCOA POWDER (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), CELLULOSE, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SOY LECITHIN, SUCRALOSE, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM. NUTRITION BLEND: VITAMIN A PALMITATE, ASCORBIC ACID, NIACINAMIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, FOLIC ACID, ALPHA TOCOPHERYL ACETATE.Apart from the chemicale etc that bar contains coconut (nuts/seeds OWL rung) soya beans (legumes OWL rung) and Tapioca starch (from a root veg so from the starchy veggies OWL rung) so it would be allowed once you reach the starchy veggies OWL rung if you are following the rules of Atkins according to the book!!

[LissyO]

Apart from the chemicale etc that bar contains coconut (nuts/seeds OWL rung) soya beans (legumes OWL rung) and Tapioca starch (from a root veg so from the starchy veggies OWL rung) so it would be allowed once you reach the starchy veggies OWL rung if you are following the rules of Atkins according to the book!!

Ok... I had to look up what OWL was. I am not at that yet since I am only doing induction now and, well, I guess I need to read ahead so I can get into these terms... Right now I'm like a tourist in a foreign nation looking in the index to see if I can find out what that means. So I'm going to back off the bars and save them for later, even though the Atkins company says they are ok for induction...liars! That peeves me a little, especially with the cinnamon bun ones since the box actually says that they are ok for induction. I'll act like today is my day one and start clean from here.

From your earlier post, would unsweetened cocoa be concidered a spice? Like I said, I just used it b/c it was in a recipe from the Atkins cookbook that I have. The thing with that cookbook is they don't say with the recipes what phase it is ok for.

[Redrose81]

I would have to agree to, that the bars are probably not the best idea. The way I approach is this: Is it processed? How processed it is? What's the fat content?

If it isn't fresh or whole, I don't eat it. I don't eat things like pepperoni, pork rinds and "LC" protein bars, no SF anything unless it's Jell-o and that's a rarity. I am not saying that you do or need to exclude these food items, just giving examples of what has worked for me. I eat nuts ocassionally as well because a little goes a long way. I would say it's safe to say don't buy if it is wrapped in plastic or has a lot of ingredients. There are exceptions to that rule, but mainly anything pre-made (such as those frozen entrees, are a no no as well). Really there is not right and wrong thing to eat or eliminate for all of us. What might be allowed may not encourage weight loss for you, or it might for others, etc. The hardest part I believe next to starting a new way of eating (woe), is tailoring it so that you are always a fat burning machine. If there are any questions at all that you have, don't hesistate to ask. We love to help and wish you well on your way to a thinner and healthier you!

[Elizellen]

From your earlier post, would unsweetened cocoa be concidered a spice?Many of us count unsweetened cocoa powder as a spice as long as we are only using it in small quantities (up to one tablespoonsworth) on induction but in larger quantities I would treat it as a nut and so wait to use it in larger amounts once you reach the nut level/rung of OWL.

Sorry I confused you by using the abbreviation OWL for the second phase of Atkins (Ongoing Weight Loss). :blush:

[LissyO]

I would have to agree to, that the bars are probably not the best idea. The way I approach is this: Is it processed? How processed it is? What's the fat content?

If it isn't fresh or whole, I don't eat it. I don't eat things like pepperoni, pork rinds and "LC" protein bars, no SF anything unless it's Jell-o and that's a rarity. I am not saying that you do or need to exclude these food items, just giving examples of what has worked for me. I eat nuts ocassionally as well because a little goes a long way. I would say it's safe to say don't buy if it is wrapped in plastic or has a lot of ingredients. There are exceptions to that rule, but mainly anything pre-made (such as those frozen entrees, are a no no as well). Really there is not right and wrong thing to eat or eliminate for all of us. What might be allowed may not encourage weight loss for you, or it might for others, etc. The hardest part I believe next to starting a new way of eating (woe), is tailoring it so that you are always a fat burning machine. If there are any questions at all that you have, don't hesistate to ask. We love to help and wish you well on your way to a thinner and healthier you!

I think I am going to take everyones advise and just keep them around in case of emergnecy after I'm done with induction, but I probably won't buy them again after they're gone. I just don't like wasting things so I won't throw them away.

Many of us count unsweetened cocoa powder as a spice as long as we are only using it in small quantities (up to one tablespoonsworth) on induction but in larger quantities I would treat it as a nut and so wait to use it in larger amounts once you reach the nut level/rung of OWL.

Sorry I confused you by using the abbreviation OWL for the second phase of Atkins (Ongoing Weight Loss). :blush:

I'm only using a tsp or two, so I guess it'd be concidered a spice, and I don't plan on making hot cocoa every day. Thanks for the info, I would have never thought to treat it as a nut in larger quantities.

As for the OWL thing, I seriously looked it up when I saw that....I was thinking, now what the heck does that mean?! Tried to figure it out on my own, but when all else failed my book was here to help. Thanks!