Hi Everyone, just finished doing some calculations, so I thought I'd share:

There's not much mystery about why these bars cause stalls - they contain a lot more carbs than the labels indicate. The statements about why the carbs from glycerine,
polydextrose, maltitol, litese, etc...are not included in the carb count are very questionable. If it counts as a calorie, and you digest it, and it is a carbohydrate, you
should be counting it.

By doing the basic calorie calculations (total calories, minus fat calories, minus protein calories = carb calories at 4 calories per gram) I recently took a closer look at the
real carb counts of Atkins Bars

Almond Brownie: 15grams of carbs - 2grams fibre = 13g carbs
Banana Colada : 8.75 g - 1g = 7.75 g carbs
Chocolate Coconut: 15.25g - 1g = 14.25g carbs
Chocolate Macadamia: 7g - 1g = 6 g carbs
Chocolate Peanut Butter: 6.25g - 1.2g = 5.05g carbs
Chocolate Raspberry: 6.5g - 1g = 5.25g
Chunky Peanut Butter: 4g - 1g = 3g
Chocolate Macadamia: 10.25g - 2g = 8.25g
Praline Crunch: 5g - .1g = 4.9g

As you can see, some of the bars are really not that bad, but some are carbohydrate whoppers. If you can eat them and still lose, go for it. But if you are stalled out and
wondering why - don't forget the real carb count of these "snacks". (I'm not picking on Atkins, here, other brands are just as bad or worse!)

Yes, the carbs and calories in sugar alcohols definitely do count, even if they aren't represented on the label. At the present time, manufacturers are not required by law to disclose the carb counts for maltitol, sorbitol, maltodextrin, glycerine, etc.... since the guidelines for their declaration haven't yet been set down, as they have for sugars, starch and fiber. The Canadian Diabetes Association is pressing for these ingredients to be counted as full carbs.

Folks should be prepared for their favourite "sugar-free" treats, which currently claim only 2 or 3 carb grams per serving, to someday be showing 12 or 15 carbs per serving. The recipe won't have changed a bit, it's just that the manufacturer will no longer be able to take advantage of a loop-hole in labelling regulations.

thanks again for this important information

Doreen

Thanks Sarah,

I have been over indulging on my Carb Solutions high protein bars (Chocolate Fudge Almond) and probably that is the reason I am not losing any more weight. Each bar is 230 calories and 80 is from fat. It claims to be 2gr of carbohydrate but I don't know how true that is after your post.

Label contains the statemeny "Glycein, polydextrose,xylitol, and malitol are not included in the calorie count, have been omitted from the Total Carbohydrate count as they have only a negligible impact on blood sugar levels".

Is this the same type of statement that is found on the Atkins bars.

Hi Allan,

On our Home Page in the orange bar at the top, are Low Carb Tools. There is a nutrient database and a Hidden Carb Calculator. If you plug in the numbers from the back of the bar, you can see if there are any hidden carbs.

Karen

This is incredible
How do these manufacturers get away with this kind of stuff Especially when they are advertised as low carb products. It makes me angry, cause they are very expensive and not always easy to find/purchase, and then we find out that they may be misrepresenting the carb content.
Very good to know, especially when there is a corresponding change in weight that is not immediately obvious as to why.
Thanks for sharing this with us.

I think the Atkin's bars are the lowest in the hidden carbs. I always do the calculations before I buy any new protein bar that comes out. I found that bars that say 2-3 grams are really as high as 20 g!So far I think the biochem brand are the highest. The Carb Solutions are pretty high too.

wow that's amazing- i had no idea. I usually have an atkins advantage bar/day - i started recently since i wanted something tasty and fast to snack on or for lunch. actually they are so sweet tasting, i usually end up eating half of one, then i eat the rest later. if that's the case avout the hidden carbs, then what does one snack on once they are sick of cheese ?
i purchased beef jerky today - first time i'm trying it, unfortunately i didn't like it one bit. plus i don't eat products made with pork (personal reasons).

OMG, I had no idea either,
well... that's not entirely true... I suspected something was up and basically stopped eating any of the bars because of how I would feel after I ate some of them. Especially the Biochem vanilla, they actually have 'sugar' grams in them.

I'd feel like I got sick after eating them and didn't know why until I read the content counts... and even then, it didn't seem like it was enough to make me sick... Seeing now, how the hidden carbs add even more, I understand.

Darn, they taste so good too... And it's ashame the #$%^*& government lets this happen, but not suprising any more...

Now I keep them for emergency's only, and my son was eating them as meal replacements. But that's it... after these are gone, I'm not buying any more ever again.
Laurie

Laurie,

Everyone needs something to carry them through the rough time. (My rough time is after dinner)

How about giving this a shot. Buy one box of Sugar Free, Fat Free, Instant Chocolate Pudding and mix it with 16 oz (2 cups) of heavy whipping cream. Put it in you mix master and blend until it is mixed thoughly. Now the funny part.
Take a one gallon zip lock bag and pour the mixture into the bag and zip lock it. Then using your countertop smooth the mixtue out so it fills the entire surface of the bag. Using something stiff (carboard etc.) move the bag into the freezer. Total 48 carbs. but if you do as I do and only break off a reasonable chunk its a great treat and a hell of a lot cheaper than those lying bars. Good Luck

I like those Atkins Chocolate Mocha Crunch bars... but you didn't have them on your list. Now I'm curious!

Are there any low carb bars that are honest? The Carbsmart site http://store.yahoo.com/carbsmart/labelingfaq.html
has info about bars not declaring the full carb count but doesn't indicate which ones are OK

They're all walkin' on the 'shady' side of the street. Or do you guys say 'dodgy'?

Karen

Dodgy yes- but of course we are all bi lingual and speak American too nowadays!

Hey! I'm speaking Canadian. Can't you tell that I'm pronouncing words like flavour instead of flavor and colour instead of color? Eh? !LOL!



Karen

I think we will all be spelling everything the same soon thanks to Microsoft spell-checkers!