Customer Reviews

Atkins - Advantage Caramel Chocolate Nut Roll, 5 bars

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I ordered these bars and my first impression was that they were amazing! In fact, I couldn't understand how these bars could be only 4 Net Carbs and contain just 1g of Sugar. It seemed too good to be true. And in fact, it is too good to be true. The bars gets their sweetness from Sugar Alcohols. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, Net carbs are calculated by taking Total Carbs and subtracting Sugar Alcohols and Fiber -- reason being is that Sugar Alcohols and Fiber have a minimal impact on blood sugar.

However, not all Sugar Alcohols are the same, and the main Sugar Alcohol in these bars is Maltitol. Aside from Maltitol's side effects that can include gas, bloating, gastrointestinal upset and diarrhea, Maltitol just doesn't seem to be much better for you than sugar.

1) Maltitol does seem to impact blood glucose. And in fact, it provides 2 to 3 calories per gram vs. sugar's 4 calories per gram.

2) Maltitol has a relatively high Glycemic index, much higher than other Sugar Alcohols.

From what I've gathered, many people that have problems with their low-carb diets not being particularly effective can often point to Maltitol as a culprit.

It just seems to me that Maltitol is not a particularly good sugar substitute and that when manufacturers use it as an ingredient, the calculations of Net Carbs and Sugars are misleading, because the actual effect of Maltitol on blood sugar is not much better than sugar, and the whole point of low carb diets is managing blood sugar to control weight.

This is probably the BEST Atkins bar out there, IMPO. The texture can be a bit crumbly, but the taste is PERFECT. I could not tell I was eating a low carb high protein bar at all.

What makes a low carb granola bar good? Taking a bite and not being able to tell that it is low fat, low carb, and high in protein.

These are moist,chewy,and packed with chocolate! Not only are there plenty of miniature chocolate chips inside the bar, but the bottom of the bar is chocolate coated. It makes for a quick, delicious, guilt-free breakfast. If you have a sweet tooth but cannot afford to eat the fat and calories in a pastry, grab one of these. It will satisfy your need for chocolate.

Are they filling? I find that if I eat one along with a glass of skim milk, I am full for 3.5 to 4 hours.

This is very welcome-- I have been faithfully following the new Atkins plan since February 2010, and have lost almost 50 pounds despite being postmenopausal and hypothyroidal. I have done this without any discomfort or feelings of deprivation, in large part, I think, because I eat two Atkins bars a day, as permitted under the plan. Most of the higher protein Atkins bars are variations on chocolate peanut butter and caramel. They are great, but after 15 months, I branched out into the lower protein breakfast bars, which are generally very tasty, but when I need a little extra protein to curb my appetite, these new cookies and creme bars really hit the spot. They smell and taste almost exactly like chocolate sandwich cookies, and have a very similar crunch. There's no "creme" filling--it's more like a nougat/marshmallow--very chewy--but very tasty and it slows you down from wolfing the whole thing in two bites as I might with a more cookie like product. This gives my other favorite Marshmallow Mudslide a run for its money.

I'm not a die-hard Atkins meal person, but I am one of those people who does better on lower carb meals. I am not on a diet kick or anything crazy, but I do like to have something like this around for days/nights when work is so crazy/busy I don't make it to the cafeteria or whatever. Last night for example I looked at the clock and realized my meal choices had just gotten reduced to either a vending machine or the Atkins bars that had just arrived in the mail.

I like the Atkins in general because I don't like the carbs in the more usual offerings. I mean 30 grams of sugars???? Aack. I'd rather go with the higher protein/fiber and much lower carb offerings. In fact the one I had last night (chocolate chip cookie) filled me up and I kept on plugging without any uncontrollable urge to eat some of the home-made German chocolate cake someone had put out. Or chips. Or popcorn. You get the idea.

Just be warned--try a single bar or two before you buy heavily...the sugar alcohols they use can cause some 'gastrointestinal distress' of varying orders of magnitude.

Also, try the flavors...my four star here is for the chocolate decadence...frankly I didn't like that one and by itself it would have been a 2.5. However, the aforementioned cookie one actually was pretty tasty! So, overall 4 stars...and I'm not sure 5 stars is achievable in this sort of product.

Overall recommended, but with the caveat of try flavors individually first, and assess your own 'response'. I'm very happy to have these as a snack or emergency meal replacement option when I'm just too busy otherwise!

JTG

These bars are great and taste like any carb loaded snack. The only thing keeping this from a five stars is the price but you will be hard pressed to find something to replace it.

I have used these as a great snack substitute either for breakfast or right before lunch to curb my appetite. It really does the trick!

It's hard to find a high-protein-content bar that keeps sugar and sweetness on the low side, while still tasting natural.

This bar has found a perfect balance. Still looking for a second possible magic formula!

The Cookies and Creme bars are my favorite Atkins bar, and I've tried them all. I eat one of these each morning to keep up with my low carb lifestyle. They taste like an Oreo cookie covered in chocolate.

Okay, I love coconut but these bars are far too sticky and chewey. If they had more of a granola bar texture and consistency they might be good, but there's definitely rubber cement holding these babies together.

Review is for Caramel Chocolate Nut Roll

This nut roll is my favorite when I'm craving a candy bar. It's chewy from the caramel and nougat, and covered with peanuts. If you blind-folded me and gave me one of these and a Baby Ruth candy bar and asked me to choose which was which, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

Nutrition Facts:

170 calories

8 grams protein

2 grams sugar

19 total carbs

8 grams fiber

8 sugar alcohols

3 NET carbs