Atkins products
Angel2111
Posts: 7 Member
Avoid or friendly for Keto ?
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Replies
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Both my wife and I eat their bars and have good success with them. I've heard that some people respond differently to sugar alcohols but obviously they work for a lot of people because they are big sellers at walmart
The chocolate peanut butter bars in particular are very tasty and they're reasonably priced. 1 -
I find them a decent back up plan, but I try not to keep them as a primary plan - for many of the reasons listed above.3
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I will say, friendly for keto for many individuals. For me (though I have not eaten one for many years) I found them to be very tasty. I also found them to be something I would overeat because they are wonderfully highly palatable (to me). Most likely, because I overate them, it was where I first learned that sugar alcohols wreak havoc on my digestive tract...at least when eaten excessively.
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Best bet is always to eat real food IMHO.3
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When I was doing Atkins induction, I tried the bars and one of the shakes, just didn't work out well for me, YMMV. I found making my own fat bombs much more rewarding, lost weight, saved money, and really love my chocolate fat bombs, they are so satisfying to me.2
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Look up primal crackers if you have a cracker craving. I make my party cheese dip and serve them with it.
Cheese dip:
1 sm container of sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar of your choice
1 cup grated parm
1 small container of feta
1 small jar of drained artichoke hearts, chop them up small.
Mix it all up and place into a baking dish. Then bake at 400 for 30-45 mins or until hot, bubbly, and browned. Serve hot with Keto crackers like primal parm crackers. Or make your own crackers, though I prefer primal (buy from Amazon).
When I say "small container" it will be around 6-8 oz each. Either will work. Doesn't have to be exact. That's part of the beauty of this recipe! Also, shredding your own cheese can have its benefits carb-wise. If you don't care about the extra carbs in pre-shredded cheese, you can make it super easy and buy a 16oz bag of Italian cheese mix that has parm and other cheeses in it.3 -
I have never tried any atkins products but was eyeing them up at the supermarket as they were on special. For me though i like savoury things more but would still like to try something to see how they taste.0
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Most of the Atkins Brand dessert products contain Malitol which is very high on the glycemic index for a sugar alcohol. For a brand named after Dr Atkins and his diet I find that very problematic.
http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/glycemic-index-for-sweeteners.html
Dextrose and Glucose rate a 100 on the glycemic index. Malitol a 35. I mean, that's... better. But if you pretend on your labels that NONE of that is going into your system and impacting your carb/sugar intake, I've got a problem with that. I don't know about any of their other products outside of their dessert bars and peanut butter cups and the like, I pretty much refuse to support the brand as a whole based on this.
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Malitol, like Sorbitol and other sugar alcohols, may also work a >cough< laxative effect.
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They're actually the only sugar-free-type food that had an unpleasant effect on my digestive system. There's one type (I think it was the chocolate peanut butter bars) that I tolerated fine but otherwise I prefer Quest bars or similar.0
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Most of the Atkins Brand dessert products contain Malitol which is very high on the glycemic index for a sugar alcohol. For a brand named after Dr Atkins and his diet I find that very problematic.
http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/glycemic-index-for-sweeteners.html
Dextrose and Glucose rate a 100 on the glycemic index. Malitol a 35. I mean, that's... better. But if you pretend on your labels that NONE of that is going into your system and impacting your carb/sugar intake, I've got a problem with that. I don't know about any of their other products outside of their dessert bars and peanut butter cups and the like, I pretty much refuse to support the brand as a whole based on this.
Seeing Maltodextrin at the top of that list makes you wonder who was minding the store when they coupled powdered maltodextrin (and dextrose) with Splenda, saccharin, etc., in those finky little packets of sugar "alternatives"..... 2 -
I always had huge issues with these. Not only the bloating and squirts, which is just a result of the sugar alcohol. I also had a problem with cravings and satiety when eating them. I can not eat them and eat ad libitum (to hunger without restriction) at the same time. If I do that, I will gain weight. Normally, I don't track or restrict at all. I eat as much as I want, and I lose weight or maintain my weight at the right amount. Add in the Atkins bars, and things go out the window. My hunger signals get all messed up.
I remember reading, but can't refind a source, that Dr. Atkins was opposed to selling and using these low-carb treats and replacement foods. Having read the outline and description of his original plan, I have a hard time believing he would be thrilled to be associated with these products. That said, I am still looking for a cheap copy of his 1972 book. I've read summaries and the rules he put forth, but never the whole thing.
I found this link with the applicable rules: http://www.joblack59.com/LC/atkins72.pdfThe Diet Revolution Rules [pg 138]:
1. Don’t count calories
2. Eat as much of the allowed foods as you need to avoid hunger.
3. Don’t eat when you are not hungry.
4. Don’t feel you must finish everything on your plate just because it is there.
5. Drink as much water or calorie free beverages as thirst requires. Don’t restrict fluids…
but it is not necessary to force them either.
6. Frequent small meals are preferable.
7. If weakness results from rapid weight loss, you may need salt.
8. Every day, take a high-strength multivitamin pill.
9. Read the labels on “low-calorie” drinks, syrups, desserts. Only those with no
carbohydrate content are allowed.
I think all the Atkins bars would be disallowed under his original rules, as there was no subtracting or net carbs calculations allowed.7 -
I have to travel on business next week and might not be able to eat every meal. I was looking at the bars as something to stick in my bag just in case. Am I reading it right that Quest bars are 17 carbs?0
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BodyByButter wrote: »I have to travel on business next week and might not be able to eat every meal. I was looking at the bars as something to stick in my bag just in case. Am I reading it right that Quest bars are 17 carbs?
Most Quest Bars are 4-5 net carbs.
Carbs
Minus fiber
Minus sugar alcohol
= Net Carbs
Some people only subtract half sugar alcohols, others all. Your call.
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River_Goddess wrote: »BodyByButter wrote: »I have to travel on business next week and might not be able to eat every meal. I was looking at the bars as something to stick in my bag just in case. Am I reading it right that Quest bars are 17 carbs?
Most Quest Bars are 4-5 net carbs.
Carbs
Minus fiber
Minus sugar alcohol
= Net Carbs
Some people only subtract half sugar alcohols, others all. Your call.
Sugar alcohols are not all created equal!
Erythritol - don't count
Malitol - count double and carry a change of underwear.... 4 -
"Atkins" morphed from a way of eating to a way of maximizing profits not long after the good doctor passed away. Real food whenever possible; factory food when there's no good alternative.0
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Be careful of some of the "fiber" in LC bars and such. Some of these have been shown to raise BG as much as any other carb. If you see something that says 17 carbs with 15 of them being fiber, be leery of that fiber. Isomalto-oligosaccharides are one of these, although I am sure there are others. With so many good real foods out there, I find it hard to justify chancing it when it comes to these things. I trust nature much more than chemists.4
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I buy the frozen Atkins meals for when I am too tired to cook and I’ll have them a few times a week for dinner or lunch. I buy the Atkins snack bars when I am craving sugar and just need something sweet. They work for me I enjoy them and they satisfy those cravings and actually make me feel full.1
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I bought 2 bars today to stick in my bag for when I travel next week. If I have a bad connection at least it’s something pretty ok to have on me.0
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I'm glad someone brought up the artificial sweeteners point!! I was going to.
Another fun fact though, not all forms have the same additives. Maltodextrin will be my example. It has a GI of 110, and is present in many small packets of non-nutritive sweeteners (granted I don't know HOW MUCH is in a packet). However, say you get the same sweetener in liquid form. Or confectioners form. They may not have that nasty additive.
So be cautious! Some versions of products may be okay, while others aren't. I am unsure of how the low carb bars are with this.0
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