Nutrition Bars

[diamonddamaris]

Which are the best Nutrition Bars to eat?

 

[Lainie71]

For a type 1 not sure but for a type 2 for me would be hell, full of hidden little devils that would spike me good style

 

[diamonddamaris]

I have never really tried the nutrition bar or protein bars as their sometimes called but thought it might be a healthier option compared to chocolates.

 

[KennyA]

Which are the best Nutrition Bars to eat?

I don't know of any. Had a look at some only the other day. Everything was running at around 50% carbs/sugar, some higher and some lower. One small 100g bar would double my normal daily carb/sugar intake. There was also a lot of heavily processed stuff in there as well.

It did make me think that anything sold with the words "nature", "natural" or "healthy" in the product name almost by definition actually isn't.

I know that some people do quite well with a square or two of >90% cocoa chocolate - not a lot of sugar but a big choc hit. No personal experience, though.

 

[In Response]

@diamonddamaris I see you have asked a few questions about "what is the best ... for a Type 1 diabetic".
If you manage your levels, you can eat what you want, wash in what you want, exercise as you want.

Typically, foods that are both high in carbs and high in fat are harder to manage so some people will avoid things like pizza. But I am walking talking complication free 20 year Type 1 diabetic proof that you can eat pizza who exercises most days and has never consider diabetes in their choice of anything else such as shampoo, washing powder, car, ... and all I considered with my phone was whether it was supported by my diabetes tech (CGM and pump).

 

[diamonddamaris]

As I am newly diagnosed I am asking people for advice so I can get better at managing my diabetes. I didn’t choose a diabetic type for this question as I was looking for everyone’s opinion.

 

[Fenn]

Hi, personally I can’t find any bars that don’t spike my sugars but after extensive “scientific” testing, diet doctor ones seem to spike me the least, no idea of what’s in them as I’m scared to look but they are yummy and worth a trying as failure is tasty

tesco (medicine section)
sainsburys (vitamin section)

 

[In Response]

Hi, personally I can’t find any bars that don’t spike my sugars but after extensive “scientific” testing, diet doctor ones seem to spike me the least, no idea of what’s in them as I’m scared to look but they are yummy and worth a trying as failure is tasty

tesco (medicine section)
sainsburys (vitamin section)

If I prebolus (as I do with all food), I do not experience spikes with Nakd, Fuisili or Trek bars which are my usual go to bars.
I find more problem if I try the high protein bars.

 

[MrsA2]

I have never really tried the nutrition bar or protein bars as their sometimes called but thought it might be a healthier option compared to chocolates.

A quick test is to look at the list of ingredients. If its
Long
Complicated
Sounds like a chemistry lesson
Has sugar by lots of different names (there are over 80!)
Has a long shelf life
Is full of fillers and thickeners like inulin or chicory root

Then, I for one, would prefer to eat a quality chocolate with nuts, just limiting the quantity.

In general, the more processed or manufactured a product is, the more sceptical I am about whether its good for me.
Good for me is simple, real food, the kind that has one word such as eggs, chicken, nuts, cream which I then combine myself into tasty nutritious food.
I do occasionally buy a nut bar for convenience

I do think you'll get a very wide range of opinions on this topic

 

[diamonddamaris]

I was considering buying some for work so I can snack on them when my blood sugar gets low.

 

[Finnlee]

I was considering buying some for work so I can snack on them when my blood sugar gets low.

I think info like this will help people give you helpful answers.

If you're treating a low blood sugar, you'll want fast sugar. A granola bar won't be fast enough. You'll want glucose tabs or some other sort of fast sugar to treat lows.

That said, if I'm trending low (but not actually low), I might have a bit of a granola bar. I get granola bars that are 10-17g of carbs per bar and cut them into thirds. I keep a few bars (for variety) cut up in a tub so I can easily nibble on one as I need to. I find this is a good size to bring my levels up a bit if I'm trending down, but not spike me.

I'm in Germany, so the bars I get might not be available to you, but I get Nature Valley Protein Salted Caramel Nut bars (10g carbs per bar) and Made Good bars (15g carbs per bar).

As others have said, as someone with Type 1 diabetes, you can eat and drink the same foods as everyone else, you just need to be aware of the carbs you're consuming. Knowing that when I was diagnosed gave me a lot of freedom.

I focus on how many carbs I eat rather than how 'diabetic friendly' something may be. Case in point: the one slice of 'normal', cheesy, bready pizza (18g carbs) I'm having for dinner tonight and two squares of chocolate (10g carbs) I'm having for dessert.

 

[In Response]

I was considering buying some for work so I can snack on them when my blood sugar gets low.

My advice would be to buy what you like and test your blood sugar to see how they react.
We are all different. I can eat any bars. @finn can eat none without spiking. The important person is you and the way to find out what you body can tolerate is to eat and test, One bar will not kill you so go for it. Find out how your body reacts and then decide what you want and can eat with easiest insulin regime.
I would also advice you to remember that Type 1 and type 2 are different conditions and, with Type 1, you should judge yourself or your diet against type 2.

 

[EllieM]

I know that some people do quite well with a square or two of >90% cocoa chocolate - not a lot of sugar but a big choc hit. No personal experience, though.

As a T1, I'm a big fan of 90% or 95% chocolate.


If it's as a snack, do you need/want to either gain or lose weight?

 

[Fenn]

My advice would be to buy what you like and test your blood sugar to see how they react.
We are all different. I can eat any bars. @finn can eat none without spiking. The important person is you and the way to find out what you body can tolerate is to eat and test, One bar will not kill you so go for it. Find out how your body reacts and then decide what you want and can eat with easiest insulin regime.
I would also advice you to remember that Type 1 and type 2 are different conditions and, with Type 1, you should judge yourself or your diet against type 2.

It could be that we choose different approaches re carbs, as these bars have carbs and my body is less used to carbs, I assume I have way less tolerance and less skill with bolus. OP I totally agree with @In Response, it’s always best to test and if you can eat anything you like and keep yours numbers in check, do that! I know I would.

 

[plantae]

I was considering buying some for work so I can snack on them when my blood sugar gets low.

In Australia there are heaps of bars with less then 5 grams of carbs and less than 2 g of sugars. I eat them for a treat after dinner sometimes. They're not going to treat a low though...

 

[diamonddamaris]

Thanks everyone for your comment they’ve been very useful. I will try one and see what happens.