Tagged As: Atkins Low Carb Products
Question:
I tried the ATKINS Endulge Bar the other day. I am wondering if eating this can really be part of a low carb diet or should I say, a low carb diet for losing weight. I have really cut back on carbs like bread, pastry, and so on but I find it hard to beleive that it is ok to eat these candy bars., in the sense of maintaining a low-carb diet. Also, what about the other low carb products from Atkins, for example pancakes. I would like to know what people who have had success with a low carb diet feel about these kinds of products.
Answer:
It's ok to eat anything you want, but yes, you are calling it by it's correct name candy bars. Treat it like a candy. Just because they trade the sugar for a substitute does not make it suddenly a good part of a diet. In the same sense that a person seeking to be healthy wouldn't get a box of turtles and eat them all the time, neither should the low-carb dieter assume that the Atkins bars are any better. Use sparingly, if at all. I've written a page that has some relevant facts about these so-called low carb products at http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/products.htm Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips, recipes, strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/ Looking for help controlling your blood sugar? Visit http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm I continued to lose weight while eating these candy bars, but the gas problem made me decide to let them alone I've used the Atkins advantage bars, endulge bars, and similar products in moderation with no problem. For example, I may have an advantage bar with me in the car for an occasional handy snack, or eat one in the morning if in a hurry. I'll also eat an occasional endulge bar when I'm in the mood. Most of these types of products contain sugar alcohols (the advantage bars contain glycerin) and there has been plenty of discussion on the topic which you can find with a search. For pancakes, the Keto blueberry ones are excellent. Anyone who has a mind to can use these products and lose weight. The problem is that so many just think that because they say LOW CARB it's okay to eat as much as you want. Lowcarb junk food is still junk food, and should be treated as such. While lower in carbs, they're still loaded with empty calories (not to mention the sugar alcohols, which give most people gastric distress if they overindulge.) if small amounts of sugarfree candy don't give you cravings to eat a lot more, free to incorporate them, keeping in mind that they're junk food. If they set off cravings for you, you may need to avoid them entirely. Most products with the Atkins label are pretty horrible. His baking/pancake mix has usually been equated with spackle or tile grout, and his pastas with cardboard. There are a number of lowcarb pancake recipes in this group's archives that are pretty tasty. As to a mix in a cannister, I found CarboLite brand baking mix to make very acceptable LC pancakes (although I found the cookie recipe on the cannister to be not good). The only alteration to the pancake recipe that I do is to add some baking powder to make them less flat. When I feel awake enough to mix up pancakes from a recipe, I prefer Debbie Cusick's recipe. There are several other almond meal-based recipes and cottage or ricotta cheese based recipes that are well-liked around here. Debbie's Pancakes 1/4 cup 0-carb egg protein powder, vanilla or plain 2 tbsp flax meal 1 egg 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 cup heavy cream (or coconut milk) 1/2 cup water (approximate) 1/2 tsp vanilla pinch of sweetener Mix ingredients and cook in melted butter on a griddle just as you would regular pancakes. Entire recipe has 6g carbs and 1g fiber. If you don't feel like hunting up an acceptable LC syrup, maple butter is very good on them. I never got around to trying Lynne's recipe, but it received high praise in the past. As for bottled, DaVinci pancake syrup tastes pretty good, has virtually no carb, but is thinner in texture than most people prefer. There are several other Splenda-based sugarfree ones in supermarkets now that are thicker, but have 4 to 6 grams carb or sugar alcohol per 1/4 cup. Maple Butter (author unknown) 1 stick butter, softened 4 packets sweetener (8 tsp Splenda bulk) 1/4 tsp maple flavor extract Blend well and store in the refrigerator. Maple Syrup (from Lynne Axiak) 1/2 Cup water 1/2 Cup butter (1 stick) 1 package unflavored gelatin 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 tsp maple extract 1/4 cup Splenda bulk or 6 packets other sweetener Bring water and butter to a boil. Add gelatin...stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Add flavoring, let cool, add sweetener. Cool until slightly thick. It gels when it cools down, so keep it in a wide mouthed container rather than a bottle. As far as Atkins products go, I must admit I like their shakes. No sugar alcohols in them, a healthy chunk of protein, and only 6 carbs, 5 of which are fiber. And though -- like all meal-replacement shakes -- they're an acquired taste, I find them less gritty and more palatable than some others I could mention. Plus, you can get the 12-pack at Costco now. :) Some people have no problem with low carb bars and shakes (and results will vary among different brands and even flavors), but the general consensus seems to be that we should stay away from them other than an occasional meal or treat. Many people find that they have digestive problems (LOTS of gas and/or diarrhea) due to the sugar alcohols in them. On the plus side, that means they probably only took in the net carbs claimed on the label because their gut said YUCK, PTUI!, wrestled with it for a while, then spit it out :-). If, OTOH, you have no digestive problems from them, you'll be much more comfortable, but you may also be processing a LOT more than the net carbs claimed on the label (closer to the gross carbs shown on the NUTRITION label). They are usually expensive and, depending on the brand and/or flavor, often don't taste that great (I've seen the words dirt and cardboard associated with them), so you have to decide if it's worth it to you to incorporate them into your eating plan based on the pros and cons. Personally, I stay away from them. In reading or googling this group, you can see lots of suggestions for sweet treats you can make yourself that do not use sugar alcohols. The shakes don't have sugar alcohols. They really shouldn't be lumped in with the bars IMHO. Some things are meant to be enjoyed in moderation, and controlled carbohydrate desserts, chocolate and sweets fall into that category. Even if an Atkins-acceptable cheesecake is only 5 carbs per slice, that doesn't give you license to eat half a cake! If you need help in controlling portions, freeze desserts and sweet treats in individual servings. I seen on Dateline, when they tested different low carb products, that the Atkins stuff was right on target. But then have been reading here about the sugar alkies. I have tried the Atkins breakfast bars before, they are really good to me. I don't eat them very often. Because of the price. I have a breakfast bar a few times a month. I think they were talking about the accuracy of the nutrition labels. i.e. calories, protein, carbs, fat etc. Not the notion of net carbs. They said they test 14 of their products and they were accurate. So they weren't playing fast and loose with the fibre figures or calories. Some companies have inaccurate food labels and thus the fat, carb or calorie counts may actually be higher than stated. Some of this is accidental and some not. The question of net carbs are a whole other question. Dateline was not saying they verified net carbs. Net carbs doesn't hinder me but then again with the exception of fibre I don't consume a lot that would fall into that category. I still count the calories though. It's ok to eat anything you want, but yes, you are calling it by it's correct name candy bars. Treat it like a candy. Just because they trade the sugar for a substitute does not make it suddenly a good part of a diet. In the same sense that a person seeking to be healthy wouldn't get a box of turtles and eat them all the time, neither should the low-carb dieter assume that the Atkins bars are any better. Use sparingly, if at all. I've written a page that has some relevant facts about these so-called low carb products at http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/products.htm Low carb facts and figures, my weight-loss photos, tips, recipes, strategies for dealing with diabetes and more at http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/ Looking for help controlling your blood sugar? Visit http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm I continued to lose weight while eating these candy bars, but the gas problem made me decide to let them alone I've used the Atkins advantage bars, endulge bars, and similar products in moderation with no problem. For example, I may have an advantage bar with me in the car for an occasional handy snack, or eat one in the morning if in a hurry. I'll also eat an occasional endulge bar when I'm in the mood. Most of these types of products contain sugar alcohols (the advantage bars contain glycerin) and there has been plenty of discussion on the topic which you can find with a search. For pancakes, the Keto blueberry ones are excellent. Anyone who has a mind to can use these products and lose weight. The problem is that so many just think that because they say LOW CARB it's okay to eat as much as you want. Lowcarb junk food is still junk food, and should be treated as such. While lower in carbs, they're still loaded with empty calories (not to mention the sugar alcohols, which give most people gastric distress if they overindulge.) if small amounts of sugarfree candy don't give you cravings to eat a lot more, free to incorporate them, keeping in mind that they're junk food. If they set off cravings for you, you may need to avoid them entirely. Most products with the Atkins label are pretty horrible. His baking/pancake mix has usually been equated with spackle or tile grout, and his pastas with cardboard. There are a number of lowcarb pancake recipes in this group's archives that are pretty tasty. As to a mix in a cannister, I found CarboLite brand baking mix to make very acceptable LC pancakes (although I found the cookie recipe on the cannister to be not good). The only alteration to the pancake recipe that I do is to add some baking powder to make them less flat. When I feel awake enough to mix up pancakes from a recipe, I prefer Debbie Cusick's recipe. There are several other almond meal-based recipes and cottage or ricotta cheese based recipes that are well-liked around here. Debbie's Pancakes 1/4 cup 0-carb egg protein powder, vanilla or plain 2 tbsp flax meal 1 egg 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 cup heavy cream (or coconut milk) 1/2 cup water (approximate) 1/2 tsp vanilla pinch of sweetener Mix ingredients and cook in melted butter on a griddle just as you would regular pancakes. Entire recipe has 6g carbs and 1g fiber. If you don't feel like hunting up an acceptable LC syrup, maple butter is very good on them. I never got around to trying Lynne's recipe, but it received high praise in the past. As for bottled, DaVinci pancake syrup tastes pretty good, has virtually no carb, but is thinner in texture than most people prefer. There are several other Splenda-based sugarfree ones in supermarkets now that are thicker, but have 4 to 6 grams carb or sugar alcohol per 1/4 cup. Maple Butter (author unknown) 1 stick butter, softened 4 packets sweetener (8 tsp Splenda bulk) 1/4 tsp maple flavor extract Blend well and store in the refrigerator. Maple Syrup (from Lynne Axiak) 1/2 Cup water 1/2 Cup butter (1 stick) 1 package unflavored gelatin 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 tsp maple extract 1/4 cup Splenda bulk or 6 packets other sweetener Bring water and butter to a boil. Add gelatin...stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Add flavoring, let cool, add sweetener. Cool until slightly thick. It gels when it cools down, so keep it in a wide mouthed container rather than a bottle. As far as Atkins products go, I must admit I like their shakes. No sugar alcohols in them, a healthy chunk of protein, and only 6 carbs, 5 of which are fiber. And though -- like all meal-replacement shakes -- they're an acquired taste, I find them less gritty and more palatable than some others I could mention. Plus, you can get the 12-pack at Costco now. :) Some people have no problem with low carb bars and shakes (and results will vary among different brands and even flavors), but the general consensus seems to be that we should stay away from them other than an occasional meal or treat. Many people find that they have digestive problems (LOTS of gas and/or diarrhea) due to the sugar alcohols in them. On the plus side, that means they probably only took in the net carbs claimed on the label because their gut said YUCK, PTUI!, wrestled with it for a while, then spit it out :-). If, OTOH, you have no digestive problems from them, you'll be much more comfortable, but you may also be processing a LOT more than the net carbs claimed on the label (closer to the gross carbs shown on the NUTRITION label). They are usually expensive and, depending on the brand and/or flavor, often don't taste that great (I've seen the words dirt and cardboard associated with them), so you have to decide if it's worth it to you to incorporate them into your eating plan based on the pros and cons. Personally, I stay away from them. In reading or googling this group, you can see lots of suggestions for sweet treats you can make yourself that do not use sugar alcohols. The shakes don't have sugar alcohols. They really shouldn't be lumped in with the bars IMHO. Some things are meant to be enjoyed in moderation, and controlled carbohydrate desserts, chocolate and sweets fall into that category. Even if an Atkins-acceptable cheesecake is only 5 carbs per slice, that doesn't give you license to eat half a cake! If you need help in controlling portions, freeze desserts and sweet treats in individual servings. I seen on Dateline, when they tested different low carb products, that the Atkins stuff was right on target. But then have been reading here about the sugar alkies. I have tried the Atkins breakfast bars before, they are really good to me. I don't eat them very often. Because of the price. I have a breakfast bar a few times a month. I think they were talking about the accuracy of the nutrition labels. i.e. calories, protein, carbs, fat etc. Not the notion of net carbs. They said they test 14 of their products and they were accurate. So they weren't playing fast and loose with the fibre figures or calories. Some companies have inaccurate food labels and thus the fat, carb or calorie counts may actually be higher than stated. Some of this is accidental and some not. The question of net carbs are a whole other question. Dateline was not saying they verified net carbs. Net carbs doesn't hinder me but then again with the exception of fibre I don't consume a lot that would fall into that category. I still count the calories though.
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