Low Carb Energy Bars

Since the introduction of energy bars more than 10 years ago, says Packaged Facts, a New York, NY-based research organization, projected retail sales of certain processed healthy foods, including granola and grain-based snacks, fruit snacks and nutrition bars, has exploded. It now tops $3.5 billion, and bar sales are continuing to grow, with the possibility that they may someday double or even triple.

At the same time, product variety has soared. Whereas 10 years ago there was only one bar to buy and the majority of consumers were athletes, now a wide variety of bars lines the shelves of not just natural products stores, but also supermarkets, convenience stores and even pharmacies. Everyone from athletes to active moms, senior citizens to preschoolers and bodybuilders to dieters is using these bars.

One of the newest and most popular bars to come onto the market is The Atkins Diet Advantage Bat". As compared to many other health-food bars, this bar contains very small amounts of carbohydrates. It consists primarily of soy proteins, natural fats, vitamins, and minerals. It is considered to be sugar-free, and, as its name implies, this bar is designed to coincide with the Atkins Diet and other low-carb dieting philosophies.

The Atkins Diet stresses the principle that ongoing consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates like white flour and pasta greatly increase your body's production of insulin. It is this high level of insulin that causes the food that you eat to be converted into fat. The Advantage Bar has no sugar and the lowest carbohydrate content of any food bar on the market. It contains just 2.6 grams of digestible carbohydrates per bar.

One reason it is difficult for some energy bars to keep their carbohydrate content low is that they contain sugar or derivatives of sugar. The first ingredient on many bars often is high-fructose corn syrup. This fruit sugar, although it is different in some characteristics from sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (milk sugar), still is a simple carbohydrate and, like starches, will end up as glucose.

The Advantage Bar, however, is sweetened with sucralose. According to a representative from the Atkins Company, this is a low-calorie sweetener derived from sugar. It is, however, 600 times sweeter than sugar and three times sweeter than aspartame, so only small amounts are used. Further, it is not recognized by the body as a sugar or a carbohydrate, and it passes through completely unmetabolized. The Advantage Bar does share some similarities with other popular bars. It supplies a high amount of protein, both from soy and whey. Each bar contains 18-22 grams of protein. Many bars contain protein because it is imperative for growth and development of the body. It is needed to maintain proper acidbase balance, to form hormones, enzymes and tissues, and to supply the body with energy. The Supro brand of soybean protein used in the Atkins Advantage Bar is an exceptionally high-quality form of protein because it supplies the body with essential amino acids. These are amino acids that the body cannot synthesize and must obtain from the diet. Inadequate ingestion of these amino acids may result in an essential amino acid deficiency and impair the building of protein.

In the same way that amino acids are necessary for protein formation, fatty acids are the building blocks of fats. However, there are certain fats that can compromise health, the most notorious being the trans-fats found in hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated shortenings. Trans-fats can harm the body by increasing triglycerides and the "bad" LDL cholesterol, in addition to disrupting the body's essential fatty acid balance. The Atkins Diet Advantage Bars" contain no trans-fats. Instead they offer a unique profile of fats from unprocessed, natural oils that perfectly complement the Atkins Diet, providing a healthy energy source and enhanced appetite satiation. Few other bar companies have made such an effort to address the very important issue of proper fat consumption to a healthy eating plan.

Advantage Bars come in four flavors: chocolate coconut, chocolate macadamia nut, almond brownie, and chunky peanut butter. Although the ingredients and nutritional content vary slightly from flavor to flavor, all of the bars contain 40%-100% of the RDA of 15 vitamins and minerals. Other bars on the market also offer vitamins and minerals, but the Advantage Bar contains a very complete list, including vitamins A, C, D, and E, calcium, zinc, folic acid, B-vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, biotin, cyanocobalamin, pantothenic acid), phosphorus, magnesium, chromium, niacin, copper and iodine. The Advantage Bar also contains high levels of potassium, a very important mineral that helps maintain a healthy nervous system and normal heart rhythm. Also, the Advantage Bar's high calcium content helps contribute to the maintenance of bone mass, a particularly important consideration for women.

With so many different nutritional energy bars on the market, it is not only tough for the manufacturer to come up with an innovative product, but it is equally difficult for the consumer to pick which bar will be the most satisfying. The Advantage Bar contains many nutritionally important components and also complies with the principles of the Atkins Diet. It is a convenient way to help abide by the diet and provide nutrients to low-carbohydrate eaters. From granola to the traditional energy bars, the Advantage Bar offers a new step toward nutritious and healthy eating.

• "From Out of the Gym, Into the Grocery Store: Energy Bars Jump Into the Mainstream" by Constance L. Hays. The New York Times. Nov 22, 1997.
• "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" 2nd ed. 1997. James E Balch, M.D. and Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C.
• Information provided by Atkins Nutritionals.