What is your take on protein bars?

I hear Atkins Peanut butter ones were real good too :( Too bad they started recalling them.

They'll be back though.... and I'll be waiting... LOL

Could someone explain sugar alchols to me. I found the Pure Protein bars online but they have 10 sugar alcohol and are 300 calories. I do not understand the term sugar alcohol.
Thanks,
Joan

Sugar alcohols are sugar alternatives (like Splenda, etc) that are used to sweeten products. 

They are in ALL sugar free products and MOST no-sugar-added products.

So should I watch how many sugar alcohols are in products? Or is ok if the count is high? I am still confused. If the count is high what will happen?

Too many sugar alcohols can have a laxative effect.  How high is TOO high depends on the person. 

Personally, I don'****ch my sugar alcohol carbs.  I watch my TOTAL carbs (not LIMIT, bu****CH) to keep them around the recommended 50% of my dietary intake. 

Some NUTS/RDs don't even make their patients COUNT sugar alcohol carbs AS carbs.  (There are various reasons for this - one of which being that a sugar alcohol carb is lower in calories than other carbs.)

If you monitor your TOTAL carbs and eat healthy carbs, that in itself with keep your sugar alcohol carbs lower (because you won't have that many calories left after getting in proteins, fats and healthy carbs).

But some people watch their sugar alcohols due to the laxative effect that happens to some people.  But in my experience, unless you are eating a lot of sugar free & no-sugar-added stuff throughout the day, you won't have to "watch" your sugar alcohols because they are not in most "normal" food. 

Some people also DUMP on sugar alcohols (or claim to for whatever reason).  So there are people tha****ch them for that - but those people are much more rare that the sugar or fat dumpers. 

You won't find sugar alcohols in chicken, eggs, beef, lettuce, tomatos, etc.  You will find them in stuff like protein bars, no-sugar-added ice cream or yogurt, sugar free popsicles, etc.

But if you eat a lot of that stuff, watch out for possible sharts! 

Thank you for the information. I just did not quite understand but now I do. Thanks to you.
Joan

Make a long story short? That was my longest reply! It's ok though -- i thank you for all the information. the sugars and carbs are relatviely low -- so i think it's ok. There's so many good idea people are giving me can't wait to try some of them!!

I keep a bag of frozen shrimp. A 3oz serving is 84 cals and 18 grams of protien. Better bang for the buck. I found most bars were vile.

I"m very iffy when it comes to shrimp -- some days i want it...other days i can't even look at it. I'm sure with time i'll find some high protein snackables that i will want to eat. until then...any suggestion is much appreciated