Nutrition Myth: The Solution is in a Bar!
Think Thin... that's the only way to get thin with this!
Everywhere we go I usually get a nutrition question. It sounds something like this, “I want to lose weight. I’ve been eating “blank” what do you think about it?”
The “BLANK” always varies. From fat free cookies to frozen lunches and 9 out of 10 times my answer is pretty much the same.
When I was younger, I would go straight into how bad the choice was and if you really want to see results you can’t buy into the food commercials promising their shake, meal or plan is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Now a days, (before I go into the same conversation as above) I start off with, “Oh, you’re eating “BLANK” to lose weight? Huh, how’s that working for you?”
Recently the “BLANK” has been Think Thin Bars.
The reply is, “Well, I haven’t seen any yet, but I’m going to give it a little while.” (with this particular conversation, this person had already gone through a box of these things. Not sure exactly how much longer we’re talking)
Let’s keep going…
Right after this person made this statement, they began to discuss the great points of the bar, why it was so good and why it would work. The two that stood out were, 20 grams of protein and 0 grams of sugar.
At this point, I had never seen a Think Thin bar. So, I said, I’m not sure how good it is for you. I’ll need to check out the nutritional information.
So, that night while I was grabbing a few things at the grocery store I stopped by the supplement and bar aisle to check out the Think Thin bar.
From the front of the package, which is as far as most people go when reading food labels, the bars look pretty good. 20 grams of protein and 0 grams of sugar, right there on the front!
My first thought was, “how could they keep the bar solid, if it has no sugar in it?” If you’ve ever spent time cooking with mom or grandma in the kitchen, you know that you need sugar to keep things solid when baking.
I turned the bar over to reveal the secret.
The first thing I saw was the total calories which were 230! That’s a lot considering the bar almost fits in the palm of my hand.
The second was the 8 grams of fat. That seems pretty high for such a small bar, but it’s not the worst I’ve seen.
Next was the Carbohydrates, which were a total of 25 grams. Now, that’s a little on the high side.
We saw on the front of the package that there was 0 grams of sugar, so that wasn’t a surprise, but the two words that came next blew me away.
Sugar Alcohol 10 grams and Other Carbohydrates 12 grams!
Okay, wait a minute, stop right there!
Sugar Alcohol is a fancy and sneaky way of using sugar substitutes instead of sugar to sweeten and hold the bar together.
Think of a line. If pure table sugar is on the far right, sugar alcohol is on the far left.
Now, sometimes on occasion it’s okay to use a sugar substitute in moderation to sweeten something, like coffee. (if you really need it, it’s a small amount)
But, if weight loss is the goal and your idea is that this bar will be a useful tool to getting you there, I’m sorry, you’re mistaken.
The real shocker was something I had never seen before, Other Carbohydrate. What the heck was that?
All this time, as a fitness professional, I had only known of two carbohydrates. Starchy and Fibrous, but now there’s Other Carbs. Are they serious? Do they really think people are stupid enough to fall for this?
But, they do and they did!
What are Other Carbs? It’s a combination (grey area) of sugar substitutes that fall on the line in between real sugar and sugar alcohol.
And the company that produces these bars created their own category of carbohydrates just like Atkins created a “Net Carb.”
Now, I want you to understand something here.
If you have eaten these bars or something similar in the past or are munching on one as you’re reading this, I’m not calling you stupid! Got it? Okay.
My point is the bar company’s think you are. They feed on the desperation of folks struggling to lose weight and keep it off for good.
I’m here to shed light on this and other products that will keep you fat.
I want you to be healthy!
I want you to be fit!
I want you to be happy!
I want you to be satisfied with YOU!
And the only way I can do that is to rip the Band-Aids off so we can heal and then get to work! Real work that will get you real results!
It’s amazing the lies and misconceptions out there when it comes to nutrition product claims and the actual results.
Don’t fall into the misinformation out there. Remember, that the way to achieve life long results isn’t going to come in the form of a bar, but in nutritious food combinations like the ones I’ve explained in the past.
If you need help, I’m here for you. You can call me at 404.966.KICK (5425) or email at info@trinitybody.com
thanks for this post. i always struggle with trying to figure out if bars can be a good thing. getting enough protein is a concern of mine and not having time to eat lunch etc.
i guess anything that seems so processed like those bars are most likely a bad idea.
thanks again! eva