Low Carb bars and 'hidden' carbs
 

I have done a little research on this hidden carb thing in low carb bars. The fact is that if you buy an Atkins bar, they list the NET EFFECTIVE carbs. More importantly, the carbs that have an impact on your blood sugar level. The other carbs which they do not list do not magically disappear, but they do pass through your body and have no effect on your blood system. That is why a low carb bar can be listed as having 2 carbs. Things like fiber or glycerine are carbs but just pass through our bodies. If we use the true carb count formula, we would be those counting carbs that have no effect on our blood system or carb count. We may need to be concerned about the chemical sweetners that products use. The efffect of the sweetner would give cause to concern as to if I want to eat it at all-not the carb count. What manufacturers put on their labels are governed by the FDA. They are not lying. If they were they would be reported and fined. By law they must accurately list carbs, proteins, fats, etc. It is true that we need to break our sweets addiction but low carb bars are an alternative for us. They are not the enemy. Let's educate ourselves before we make decisions.

Hi Marcella,

They do not "pass through" for all people :)

Example: If you follow a strict induction at 20 grams of carbs a day only eating green veggies, and then another week eating 20 grams of LC bars, counting each bar as 2 grams only, you will most likely stall and not lose as much.

So I guess the truth of the matter, if it has 20 grams of carbs, and only 2 grams of "net carbs", the actual carb count is anywhere between 2 and 20 depending on how your metabolise sugar alcohol, glycerine.

Most likely, those of us who have a weight problem to start with, will absorb most of the carbs, making the carb count closer to 20 than 2.

Wa'il

I second what Wa'il has said.

After watching the threads on this board for a year now, I have seen more people having weight loss problems when consuming those "low carb bars". When they cut the bars out of their diet they start losing weight again.

Truth is, the body gets conditioned at "sweet" it releases insulin, doesn't matter if it is a true sugar or false one. Remember the studies of the dogs that every time they rang a bell they would give the dog food? After time they noticed the dog salivating when the bell would ring even if no food was given?

That is one reason why it is so important to get rid of as much "sweet" as you can on induction to break that cycle we have managed to get ourselves painted in to.