Good low net carb/gluten free protein/snack bar?

BarbieAS

Title says it all....anyone know of a tasty one and where I can get them? I'm riding a plateau for a few weeks now, and I think my solution is to up my calories by a few hundred (or, I'm going to try it anyway), but I want/need to stay low carb and gluten free, and while I love my proteins and healthy fats and eat plenty of them, sometimes you just need something convenient - and different!

kiramaniac

The husband likes Quest Bars. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is one of his favs. (I'm not a fan, but he loves them).

graysmom2005

Quest bars! I LOVE the cookie dough ones. Feels like I'm being naughty. :-D

albertabeefy

Just a quick FYI on the Quest bars ... there are many people - especially diabetics, for whom these are NOT a low-carb product.

I did a full dozen different 'n=1' tests on myself and found Quest bars will spike my blood glucose anywhere from 32-55 points. The average overall was 41. This is NOT the expected rise in glucose from something that truly has 4 net grams of carbohydrate.

A Colorado-based diabetes support group also tested them on a large member pool and found the same results, as did low-carb blogger Jimmy Moore.

It's very likely that not all their fiber is as 'indigestible' as they claim, at least not in everyone, so bear that in mind when you eat them.

shar140

I make my own - "fat bombs". I use coconut oil/butter or real butter and almond butter as a base (equal parts), then add whatever else I want: shredded coconut, flax, vanilla extract, cinnamon, protein powder, etc. I just mix in a container and eat (or transport). Oooh, I've also used cream cheese in the base, but then it needs refrigeration.

Google for more recipes and search MFP, too.

kiramaniac

Just a quick FYI on the Quest bars ... there are many people - especially diabetics, for whom these are NOT a low-carb product.

I did a full dozen different 'n=1' tests on myself and found Quest bars will spike my blood glucose anywhere from 32-55 points. The average overall was 41. This is NOT the expected rise in glucose from something that truly has 4 net grams of carbohydrate.

A Colorado-based diabetes support group also tested them on a large member pool and found the same results, as did low-carb blogger Jimmy Moore.

It's very likely that not all their fiber is as 'indigestible' as they claim, at least not in everyone, so bear that in mind when you eat them.

Very interesting! I hate when we are sold a false bill of goods :-(

I wonder if this is the game they are playing. I bought this product the other day: http://www.amazon.com/Prebiotic-Fiber-Supplement-Full-spectrum-Prebiotics/dp/B001RVFSFS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366918472&sr=8-2&keywords=oligofructose

It's a prebiotic using oligofructose. The nutrition info is:
Calories: 5
Fat: 0
Protein: 0
Carbs: <1
Fiber: 4

So "net carbs" would be -3? Obviously, that's not right. But how SHOULD this be represented?

Quest show they use oligosaccharides in the ingredient list. Oligofructose is a type of oligosaccharide. I'm wondering if they add something like this product for as the fiber source and just start subtracting away.

Disappointing.

BarbieAS

Interesting, thanks for the feedback! I had been looking at Quest bars but didn't want to buy a whole case (which seems to be the only way to do it) without some actual reviews. Good info on the fiber and such in those! I'll probably stay clear.

I might have to try that recipe! I found a few others online, too. I also have a good gluten-free peanut butter cookie recipe, and I'm thinking of giving it a try with stevia instead of sugar - the recipe is just PB, sugar, an egg, vanilla and salt, plus I add protein powder.

I also found some Atkins bars that I might try...I'm on the fence because I really try to avoid overly processed foods as much as I can and I don't know that I'd want to eat them all the time - the ingredients list is pretty long, but I might try them for an occasional snack. It looks like the different varieties have 2-3 net carbs for the most part.

albertabeefy

Very interesting! I hate when we are sold a false bill of goods :-(

I wonder if this is the game they are playing. I bought this product the other day: http://www.amazon.com/Prebiotic-Fiber-Supplement-Full-spectrum-Prebiotics/dp/B001RVFSFS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366918472&sr=8-2&keywords=oligofructose

It's a prebiotic using oligofructose. The nutrition info is:
Calories: 5
Fat: 0
Protein: 0
Carbs: <1
Fiber: 4

So "net carbs" would be -3? Obviously, that's not right. But how SHOULD this be represented?

Quest show they use oligosaccharides in the ingredient list. Oligofructose is a type of oligosaccharide. I'm wondering if they add something like this product for as the fiber source and just start subtracting away.

Disappointing.

There's lots of products like this - it's important to look at labels and do some research. Those of us who are diabetics that test regularly have learned to take what our meter says over any label, because a glucose meter tells the true picture of whether products are absorbed and converted to glucose.

Atkins bars are another example, they subtract ALL the sugar alcohols as well as fiber from their 'net carb' claims, even though various diabetes associations recommending subtracting no more than 1/2 the sugar alcohols from a net-gram calculation...

But now that we all know this, we have knowledge, which is power.