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For Net Carb Calculation...Think Thin Protein Bar

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mfr0125
mfr0125 Posts: 33 Member
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I'm trying to stay around 20 net carbs. I ate a think Thin High Protein Bar with following nutrition info:
22 grams carbs,
1 gram fiber
11 grams of sugar alcohol

(20 grams protein; 9 grams of fat).

I know to subtract fiber from carbs to calculate net carbs; but you also subtract
sugar alcohol grams to get net carbs?
I don't usually eat protein bars, so this is new to me.
Any responses would be appreciated.

Replies

  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    Depends on what type of SA it is. Erythritol is an effective zero net, but most others are closer to a 0.5-1 ratio.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I personally wouldn't. I base this on the fact that the net carb idea was first introduced by Michael Eads in his book Protein Power for the sole purpose of encouraging people to eat more green veggies. He found that people were unnecessarily limiting them and he believes you should eat all you want if those veggies.
    Then The Atkins food company got a hold of the idea and ran with it. Slapping low net carb totals on all their processed, fiber added, products.
    It's a very personal decision though. Some people will subtract only certain sugar alcohols but not others because most of them do still create an insulin response and so does some of those filler fibers.
    You'll have to figure out if how that particular product affects your insulin response and decide from there or play it safe and just count it. I've even heard that some people count half of it.
  • Smoked33
    Smoked33 Posts: 186 Member
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    They are marketed as low carb...so worth a try but as Sunny said, you may want to see how it affects you personally.
    https://www.carbsmart.com/thinkthinbars.html

    That's just one review of many on google that suggest they're LC safe.
  • baconslave
    baconslave Posts: 6,966 Member
    edited September 2016
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    It's generally best, unless we're talking about erythritol which has been shown to not be absorbed at all, to count other sugar alcohols as half. As in, count half the grams of the sugar alcohol. Sugar alcohols are incompletely absorbed, that means that part ARE indeed absorbed in some cases. Those bars are made with maltitol, which is known to be at least partially absorbed. So take the sugar alcohol count, half it, and count it in the total carb count.

    Hope that was coherent. I haven't finished my coffee yet.
    Here's a link. https://dtc.ucsf.edu/living-with-diabetes/diet-and-nutrition/understanding-carbohydrates/counting-carbohydrates/learning-to-read-labels/counting-sugar-alcohols/

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