I’ve received numerous e-mails / question this past week regarding the newsletter I sent out last week. I did reply back to a few, however, I thought you could benefit by “eavesdropping” on a few of the conversations I’ve had this week.
The one line that seemed to raise eyebrows, prompted questions and deserves further clarification, is:
As a society, sanity has been thrown to the wind. We are passing on good whole grains like potatoes, for products like sugar-laden candy bars packaged as healthy “protein bars”.
Scott, are protein bars bad, are you against protein bars?
In short, No.
Scott, are protein bars bad, are you against protein bars?
In short, No.
It’s not so much that I’m against protein bars, I am however for quality nutrition. Whole food will always be better than “engineered nutrition”, ALWAYS. However, you and I both know with our busy lives, stopping to prepare or consume whole food can be a major inconvenience. In this instance, it makes sense to use protein bars to supplement your nutrition program and weight loss efforts.
One very important note: Most protein bars are really nothing more than a candy bar with a little added protein. Most “protein bars” are packed with so much sugar and or fat that they’ll move you in the wrong direction. Here’s the real problem. The most popular products (those you find in the grocery store or local health food store) are not the best or highest quality products, they are however the product with the most generous marketing budget. The most popular option rarely equates to the most effective solution.
One very important note: Most protein bars are really nothing more than a candy bar with a little added protein. Most “protein bars” are packed with so much sugar and or fat that they’ll move you in the wrong direction. Here’s the real problem. The most popular products (those you find in the grocery store or local health food store) are not the best or highest quality products, they are however the product with the most generous marketing budget. The most popular option rarely equates to the most effective solution.
Scott, the protein bar I eat contains little sugar, but does have about 20 grams of sugar alcohol, is that bad?
As we entered the 21st century, the labels on the food started to change. Remember when you used to see “low fat” as a buying signal? Now the buying signal phrase of choice is “Low Carb”. The food companies have become really creative, they are able to create terminology that really means nothing. Unfortunately, most people are so confused and misled that they believe that this nothing means something. “Net Carbs” is a perfect example.
For example, there are protein bars that say “3 Net Carbs” right on the front of the label. Turn it around and you’ll notice there is 31 grams of carbohydrate in the bar. You sit there thinking “wait a minute…. 3 net carbs… 31 grams of carbohydrate, what does that mean?" Explore further, look at the actual ingredients and you’ll see words that end in “ol”. Ex. Glycerol, Sorbitol, Mylatol, Xylitol. These are sugar alcohols. Molecularly, they fall somewhere between sugar and alcohol. So sugar alcohol is in essence a sugar, but the FDA did not categorize them as sugar, so the food manufacturers can replace sugar with sugar alcohol and use some twisted, meaningless terminology to say “ Yes, there are 31 grams of carbs and most of them are sugar, but we’re just going to lie to you and say “3 Net carbs”.
Does Sugar Alcohol spike blood sugar like sugar?
No. HOWEVER, sugar alcohol is not as sweet as sugar, so if you are going to replace sugar with sugar alcohol you wind up using more. Sorbitol, for example, is about 50-60% as sweet as sugar. In order to mimic or come close to the taste of a sugar laden food, greater amounts would be needed or the sugar alcohols would have to be combined with simple sugars.
Here’s the problem: A percentage of the sugar alcohol ingested will not be absorbed. While that is presented as a benefit, in that you never transfer those calories through the gastrointestinal wall, an excessive amount remaining in your digestive tract can result in intestinal discomfort and diarrhea. The polite way of describing this on disclaimers is, "sugar alcohol may have a laxative effect." 30-50 grams of sorbitol would likely be enough to bring about that effect. I did train a client (in her mid 30's) at one time who was experiencing a “laxative effect” so frequently that she was confined to wearing an adult diaper to prevent an embarrassing accident. After reviewing her program I was able to identify that it was indeed the protein bar she was eating. She removed the bars and obtained immediate relief.
Scott, Do you ever eat protein bars?
Yep. The only bar I’ve consumed, recommended to family, friends, and clients, since 2004 is Set Point bars http://www.setpointfitness.com/. They contain a minuscule amount sugar (3 gram), and 0 sugar alcohol. They use Brown Rice syrup as their sweetening agent. Brown rice syrup is an extremely versatile and relatively healthy sweetener which is derived by culturing rice with enzymes to break down the starches, then straining off the liquid and cooking it until the desired consistency is reached. The final product is roughly 50% soluble complex carbohydrates, 45% maltose, and 3% glucose. The glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream immediately, the maltose takes up to one and a half hours to be digested, and the complex carbohydrates take from two to three hours, providing a steady supply of energy.
Can I pick up Set Point Bars at the local health food store?
No – they are not a retail product. You can place an order at http://www.setpointfitness.com/
or 1 (800) 284-1744.
Let them know you’re friends with ‘Ole Scotty Boy and they’ll knock 10% off your order!
Yours in Health,
Scott
Yours in Health,
Scott
