ChocoPerfection Bars

[mrspher]

ChocoPerfection Bars almost seem too good to be true, but I've gone ahead an order a sampler of the chocolate bars. They have a total of 2-3 net carbs and 14 grams of fiber 0 sugar.

The stats say that even if you’re diabetic or committed to a low-carb lifestyle, you depend on a growing selection of so-called “sugar-free” chocolates to get your daily fix. Never mind that most of these are made with maltitol, a polyol, or sugar alcohol, that causes a whole rash of problems.
“Problems” can be merely embarrassing, like flatulence and bloating, or frustrating, like weight loss stalls. Or they can be much more serious. Many sugar alcohols can and do cause insulin spikes in some people, and can feed yeast cells in your digestive system and encourage or worsen yeast infections.

Even knowing this, there are enough chocoholics out there who’ll take their chances rather than go without their chocolate. If you’re one of them, take heart. New sweeteners have entered the market that eliminate all these problems, taste delicious, and are actually good for you into the bargain: erythritol and oligofructose.

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol, like maltitol, only much, much lower in calories and without any of maltitol’s side effects. It’s a safe, natural substance that’s been part of the human diet for thousands of years – you’ve always eaten it in pears, grapes, mushrooms, and soy sauce. Best of all, it has a clean, sweet taste just like real sugar.

Oligofructose isn’t just a sweetener. It’s also a dietary fiber, the same stuff your doctor keeps telling you you need more of. It’s soluble, so it doesn’t taste gritty like your fiber supplement (and is in fact used to create a smoother, creamier texture in some products), yet it has all the health advantages of fiber.

Both can be used in baking and cooking, but most importantly, there’s sugar-free chocolate available now that uses them as sweeteners instead of maltitol.

Here is a link to the article

[loser4life]

I couldn't find total carbs, only effective carbs, which means it probably contains lots of sugar alcohols which in fact, are counted towards the total carbs, which will slow your weightloss... I myself, will endulge occasionally(like, maybe once a month ro every two months) in a frankenfood bar. They definitely stall my weightloss and may cause stomach issues... I don't recommend using them, at all, however, Like I said, occasionally I endulge...

[mrspher]

Why Erythritol?

• Erythritol is very low in calories. It has only 5% of the calories of sucrose, or table sugar, and 7% of the calories of maltitol. This is good news for everybody, but if you’re trying to lose weight, it’s obviously of extra importance to you.

• If you’re on a low-carb diet, erythritol won’t stall your weight loss the way other sugar alcohols often do. That’s because your body won’t metabolize the vast majority of the erythritol you eat. More than 90% of it passes right through you and gets eliminated from your system without ever adding any carbs or calories to your diet.

• Erythritol is safe for diabetics and most people with other blood sugar-related problems. Clinical studies have repeatedly shown that it doesn’t affect blood glucose or insulin levels.
• Since most of it is excreted unused, erythritol won’t cause those embarrassing gurgling noises, flatulence, bloating, or diarrhea that comes with maltitol. A recent study estimated that you could eat a gram of erythritol for every kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of your body weight without experiencing these side effects.

Why Oligofructose?

• Oligofructose fights systemic yeast or Candida infections by creating an environment that’s friendly to the “good bacteria” that naturally keep yeast in check.

• Oligofructose can help prevent potentially serious health problems like irritable bowel syndrome or chronic diarrhea and constipation. That’s because oligofructose is the perfect food for health-promoting microbes (like bifidus and lactobacillus bacteria) that keeps your digestion running smoothly. It actually changes the environmental conditions within your intestines to make it more favorable to good bacteria.

• There’s evidence that oligofructose can help avert colon cancer. Harmful bacteria that produce free radicals that have been implicated in the development of cancer cells get “crowded out” by beneficial species that thrive on oligofructose.

• Oligofructose boosts bone health by substantially increasing calcium absorption in your body, which can ultimately help prevent osteoporosis and other bone problems.

• Oligofructose is a dietary fiber, and can speed up weight loss by making you feel fuller on less food and promoting a sensation of satiety.

Is it to good to be true? I'm going to do more research on these two new sweeteners.

[loser4life]

it sounds too un-natural to me....

[allierw26]

Most people on this board will probably still consider it a frankenfood--that's obviously what it is. Sugar alcohols are a hot topic...I would do a search on the baord to get a general idea about opinions about it. They can cause stalls, definitely, and cause cravings. What that ad describes about SA are what manufacturers say about ALL SA--that they don't stall you, that they pass thru your system. That definitely isn't true for everyone. I definitely wouldn't eat these during my first 2 weeks of induction.

[sunflowergrl]

Ok, I have to admit I tried these. They have no sugar alcohols, didn't cause cravings, and I lost 3 pounds the week that I tried them. The milk choc was weird, but the dark choc was just like the real thing!!!
I didn't eat the bars all at once, I broke them up into pieces and spread them out over a few days.
I would say yes to these, but only once in a while. The article says you can eat 3 a day, but that is way too much candy!!!!

[RedMosquitoX]

I ordered the dark chocolate ones and have to say that they are the BEST tasting low carb/sugar free chocolates I've ever had. I'm extremely excited with the choice of sweeteners too -- no unpleasant side effects. Each bar has 5 large squares, so when I do endulge, I only eat 2-3 squares. My roommate and his sister said they thought they tasted delicious too. They are pretty expensive (even from Netrition.com) at nearly $2.75 a piece including shipping. They are worth it -- if you can control yourself.

[y0u]

I can't eat splenda or most other artificial sweeteners and these bars are sweetened with things that have no ill effects on me. The dark and the raspberry ones are killer. I bake with them (so I don't have to add splenda) I make chocolate/coconut oil bark with them. I make chocolate merengue cookies. Etc... Etc..

[Sweet Strudel]

I too love these and the dark chocolate is GREAT...milk chocolate tastes like cheap easter bunnys...lol.

I would highly recommend them. For myself they cause no ill effects and no weight gain, but as with everything in life, moderation is the key.

[liv]

Hi Sweet Strudel (you are looking great)
I am in Saskatchewan as well. Where did you find your bar?