Dry, stale cardboard.
Written: Mar 01 '08 (Updated Mar 01 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: 3g net carbs, 50% RDA of calcium, 6g fiber and lots of vitamins & minerals.
Cons: I don't taste granola and the chocolate isn't even chocolaty!
The Bottom Line: Leave it. Not a tasty or chocolaty treat. Better off with an EAS AdvantEdge bar or making your own treat.
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| welleducated's Full Review: |
Touting a Net Carb count of 3g, chocolate and granola, the Atkins Advantage Chocolate Chip Granola Bar sounds like a great option for low carb diets. In reality, it's a taste bud disaster!
With a Total Carb count of 18g, how does one get to a net count of 3g? According to the Atkins diet plan, you subtract dietary fiber and sugar alcohols, as they have a minimal impact on blood sugar. That cuts it down to 10g with 1g being sugar. What are the other 9g? Haven't the foggiest and the package doesn't say. Mystery carbs mean mystery calories.
The point of fad and specialty diets is to give a person a way to lose weight and eat healthier that encourages them to stick to their nutrition plan. The problem is that, as good as the picture makes it look, the Atkins Advantage Chocolate Chip Granola bars are not an encouraging option. Even when you open the wrapper, it still looks delicious with chocolate layered on the bottom and chips squashed prettily between puffs of what must be soy nuggets (the first ingredient listed) and bits of granola. However, the bar is so dry that it crumbles with every bite. Nothing seems to hold it together. You have to search to notice the oats between the nuggets, so the bar doesn't taste much like granola. Instead, it tastes a little more like stale peanuts and unflavored soy. If you have ever had straight tofu, you know that's pretty nasty. Even the chocolate tastes wrong. As an uber fan of really dark chocolate, it's okay with me if it's lightly sweetened. The problem isn't sweetening but that it just doesn't taste like there is much cocoa in it. Overall it tastes more like eating a vitamin than having a tasty treat.
That brings us to the upside. The Atkins Advantage bar is jam-packed with lots of nutritional goodies. Considering that most low carb diets are seriously devoid of milk, the fact that it has 50% of the recommended daily intake of calcium is a major plus. In addition, the daily intake recommendation for dietary fiber by the National Cancer Institute is 20-30 grams. The 6 grams provided in that Atkins Bar is better than the 5 grams in most fiber supplements. It is also more palatable than drinking the flavored fiber drinks and has less sugar. As a significant source of 18 other vitamins and minerals, it definitely has benefits as a dietary supplement.
Overall, it's not a delicious way to enjoy a diet, but if you're more committed to the diet than taste, it does have something to offer. Yet my experience is that, when added regularly to an Atkins diet, weight loss seems to stall. It's better to use these bars as a snack when you are out and can't make something. It is definitely convenient for on-the-go. If you're at home, I'd suggest two eggs instead. They only have 2 carbs, straight up, 140 calories and are much tastier, especially with some salsa. Let's leave the Advantage Chocolate Chip Granola bar to those who like to chew their vitamins.
If you really want a low carb, chocolaty treat, go for the EAS AdvantEdge Double Chocolate Crisp bars. Still 3g net carbs but larger, more filling and 1000x tastier!
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 Bar (48g)
Calories: 220
Fat Calories: 80
Total Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 4g
Trans. Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 170mg
Total Carbohydrates: 18g
Dietary Fiber: 6g
Sugars: 1g
Sugar Alcohol: 2g
Protein: 17g
Vitamins: A 25%, C 25%, E 15%, K 15%, B-6 15%, B-12 15%
Calcium: 50%, Iron: 15%, Thiamin: 15%, Riboflavin: 15%
Niacin: 15%, Folate: 15%, Biotin 15%, Pantothenic Acid: 15%
Phosphorus 15%, Magnesium: 10%, Zinc: 15%, Selenium 15%
Chromium 10%
Ingredients:
Soy Nuggets (Soy Protein Isolate, Oat Flour, Calcium Carbonate), Glycerine, Chocolate Chips (Lactitol, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla and Acesulfame Potassium), olydextrose, Rolled Oats, Sunflower Oil, Palm Kernel and Palm Oil, Dry Roasted Soybeans, Dehydrated Coconut (Sodium Metabisulfite), Hydrolyzed Collagen, Whey Protein Isolate (Milk), Cocoa Powder (Processed With Alkali), Roasted Almonds, Cellulose, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Soy Lecithin, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium. Nutrition Blend: Tricalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Vitamin A Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cyanocobalamin, Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, Biotin, Calcium Pantothenate, Zinc Oxide, Folic Acid, Chromium Chelate, Phytonadione, Sodium Selenite.
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Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
welleducated
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Location: Arizona, USA
Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 21 members
About Me:
Support charity Carrot Of Hope by getting well educated before you buy! :)
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