Are There Advantages to the Atkins Diet Advantage Bar?
Written: May 29 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: No sugar, great if you are on a low carbohydrate diet.
Cons: Very expensive and a high amount of fat.
The Bottom Line: I am only recommending these to a target audience who is eating a low carb diet without concern for fat. If that isn't you, this isn't for you.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Atkins Diet Advantage Bar |
On and off in the past I have been on the Atkins way of eating. There probably isn’t a bar I haven’t tried because on Atkins keeping your diet low of carbohydrates is the key and Atkins Advantage Bar only has 2.6.5 grams of carbohydrates. I have several bars at home. I will be reviewing one of my favorites, Chocolate Coconut – 2 of my favorite flavors. I also have Banana Colada at the moment.
I will not be reviewing the diet in any way, since not only is this not the place but I have a separate review on the Atkins Diet. I am going to review this product a little differently just to make it interesting. I am reviewing both flavors. I will review the Banana Colada‘s taste and texture and mention it throughout, but the specifications will be for the Chocolate Coconut. You will see very little difference, the biggest one perhaps is 1.5 gram fat difference in the two.
About the bar:
~ It has no sugar!
~It is the lowest or one of the lowest bars you will find in terms of amount of carbohydrates with 2.6 grams per bar. The Banana Colada only has 1.5 grams of carbohydrates.
~ The Chocolate Coconut bar has 250 calories, 121 from fat and 13 grams of fat, 8 grams are saturated. It has 5 mg of Cholesterol, 197 mg of Sodium, 430 mg of Potassium, 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar and 18 grams of Protein.
Ingredients:
Supro Brand Isolated Soy Protein, Glycerine, Polydextrose (Litesse), Water, Whey Protein Isolate, Natural Palm Kernel Oil, Lecithin, Calcium & Sodium Caseinate, Ghee (clarified butter), Natural Coconut Oil, High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Coconut, Cocoa, Natural Flavors, Potassium Citrate, Potassium Chloride, Citric Acid, Sucralose, Potassium Sorbate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine, Cyanocobalamin, Vitamin E Acetate, Niacin, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Zinc, Iodine, Folic Acid, Chromium Chelate
May contain traces of various nuts.
The Chocolate Coconut bar has the following vitamins:
Vitamin A 60% of the Daily Required Vitamins; Vitamin C 60%; Vitamin D 60%; Vitamin E 60%; Thiamin (B1) 60%; Riboflavin (B2) 60%; Niacin (B3) 60%; Vitamin B6 60%; Folate, Folic Acid, Folacin 60%; Vitamin B12 60%; Biotin 60%; Pantothenic acid 60%; Calcium 69%; Phosphorus 23%; Iodine 60%; Magnesium 38%; Zinc 60%; Copper 60%; Chromium 65%.
~Ok....so we have a low carbohydrate bar with no sugar in it and 18 grams of protein. Trying very hard not to review the diet I will say that most people think that carbohydrates are needed for energy. In spite of that, although there are no words on the bar that tout it as an energy bar, from what I read at the website www.atkinscenter.com, the bar is intended for energy but it is called more often than not a diet food.
~The Power Bar Protein Plus has 24 grams of protein, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber but a significant amount of sugar.
~The Advantage bar is a little smaller than the Power Bar Protein Plus at 60 grams versus the larger 78 grams and fewer calories but because of the size, it is fairly equal (250 in Advantage versus 290 in Power Protein Plus.) Also note the huge difference in fat with Atkins having 13 grams of fat in this bar.
Who should use this bar and when?
~If you are on the Atkins diet, this is a perfect bar. I ate them daily. I was convinced that the fat was fine and was happy that there was no sugar. On the Atkins diet you would be getting enough protein so that it is almost irrelevant in terms of quantity in the bar.
~You will find vitamins and minerals but compared to a bar such as Protein Plus, it doesn’t compare to it. It has the basics but it won’t give you what you need if you are using this as a meal replacement bar, in my opinion, nor will it give you the energy for before, during or after a workout. However from the website,
“Can I Use The Atkins Diet Advantage Bar™ Before My Workouts For Increased Energy?
The Atkins Diet Advantage Bar™ replaces many important vitamins and minerals that are eliminated during exercise particularly minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and chromium. In addition, a special substrate called glycerine is present that acts as an energy source to the body and actually Spares muscle tissue normally catabolized during intense training."
The flavors:
In addition to those mentioned there are many including:
Chocolate Raspberry
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Almond Brownie
The bar:
~One very noticeable quality of the Atkins Advantage Bar is their strong delicious smell. The Chocolate Coconut smells like coconut immediately as the package is opened. The Banana Coloda has a strong smell of banana.
~The Banana Coloda bar looks like a hunk of dough. The color and consistency is that of raw cookie dough. It is a thick bar = ½ inch to be exact. Some of the flavors are coated in chocolate, this one is not.
~It is very, very soft even after keeping it in the refrigerator. It doesn’t crumble at all, in fact, you may have fun playing with it as you would play with play dough.
~The bar is delicious. It is really, really good and if you are on the Atkins diet and haven’t had them you will want to buy them. They leave litte if any aftertaste in spite of zero sugar. Somehow Dr. Atkins’ people have managed to make a delicious tasting product without sugar.
~The package opens very easily!
Where to buy them:
These bars can be bought in CVS or any supermarket or vitamin store. Dr. Atkins products are now mainstream. They are very, very pricey, though. I paid $2.79 at the supermarket for mine and you won’t find too many deals on this product. You can buy the Protein Plus Bar for $1.95 but the taste isn’t as good and it won’t work for you if you want a low carbohydrate product. At the Atkins site you will see the bars for $2.49 or in a bulk package of 15 bars which comes to $2.40 a bar, not much of a savings.
My final thoughts and what the bars did for me:
I never got any energy from this bar. I can’t recommend it as a meal replacement bar or an energy bar (although the site will say it does both). If I were comfortable recommending a high fat snack I would say this isn’t a bad choice, but I am not comfortable telling you to have 13 grams of fat in a 60 gram bar. During the Atkins days, this was a wonderful treat, but other than that specific audience, this bar is expensive and unnecessary.
I would not recommend these for children because of the high amount of fat unless you talk with your doctor first. There are other expensive bars that may not be as delicious, but that have less fat and little sugar that are healthier for you. One suggestion would be Biochem’s Ultimate Lo Carb Bar with (depending on the flavor) 6 grams of fat; no sugar, 2 – 3 grams of carbohydrates; and 20 grams of protein for $1.79.
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment.
Recommended:
Yes
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