Grenade Carb Killa bars

(Josh S) #1

After seeing the change in me over the last four months, my wife is finally trying Keto! She only had two demands: I meal prep with her, and I find her a keto-friendly protein bar she can easily grab for the gym. Neither of us are overly impressed with Quest bars, but I found another: Grenade Carb Killa bars. I ordered some to try. The peanut butter one(which tastes more caramely, but really good), for example, has 22g carbs. 7 fiber, 2 sugar, 13 sugar alcohols. I don’t necessarily trust sucralose, but figure it’ll be fine in moderation. I hear that maltodextrin(edit: maltitol, not maltodextrin!) gives people some issues, but it didn’t seem to bother either of us.

What do you guys think?

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MS8LYJU/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A288XVACJJ9GUX&psc=1

#2

They look yummy to me. Too yummy. Therefore, if I had those in my house, the macro values per serving would be:

66g carbs
21 fiber
6 sugar
39 sugar alcohols

:smiley:

So, if you only have one at a time and stay in ketosis, then KCKO I say.

Finally, your larger point here is the most salient one: this accommodation or bending of “perfect keto” is a small price to pay to get your wife on-board and all of the synergies/help that go along with that for you.

(John) #3

Edit, this is wrong “Usually you want to count 1/3 of the maltodextrin as carbs.”

Maltodextrin is essentially sugar with a GI of 80-105. I was thinking Maltitol which is where the 1/3 comes from.

(Josh S) #4

Oh wow really? Why’s that?

(John) #5

Edited my comment, made a boo boo

(Josh S) #6

Totally my fault. I meant maltitol!

(Michelle) #7

Here’s the thing though. A well formulated keto diet - you don’t need a protein bar for the gym! These may be a tide-me-over until she gets fat adapted. Then, she’ll be able to work out fasted and won’t need food before or after.

(Josh S) #8

Yea It’s more habit and convenience. As long as it’s not going to kick her out, I’m for it. I’d like to find an easy alternative to make ourselves, but the wrapper is half of it!

(Josh S) #9

Do you mind pointing me to information on why maltitol should be counted? So far I’ve only seen the “I don’t trust it” or “just to be safe” type stuff.

(Michelle) #10

Yes, I hear you. When I first started keto, well, I was strict for 1 month straight. Then, 2nd month I was making everything under the sun. I have all the fat bomb recipes you can ever imagine. I made a LOT of snacks and treats. But, now, month 9 into keto and I have pared things back considerably. Mainly because I’m lazy and don’t like to make things, but also it’s just very simple to eat this way. I don’t get bored eating the same thing all the time. I’ve cut out the keto treats (except maybe I’ll make something for Thanksgiving), but other than that, I have a spoonful of peanut butter or almond butter if I want something “sweet” tasting.

GOOD Luck to both of you!!!

(John) #11

The glycemic index measures how much a food impacts insulin, glucose is 100 and maltitol comes in at 36 so it effects your insulin 1/3 as much as pure glucose which is why they usually count 1/3.

(Josh S) #12

Thanks, John! So I guess my conclusion is that these bars aren’t too bad if you’re counting net! And one of the best protein bars I’ve tried, besides ZonePerfect which are pretty much just okay candy bars with protein and definitely not keto. I had 12.3 ,6.6, and 10.1 net carbs in the last 3 days, and my wife is eating off of the same recipes, so I think we can afford one of these on occasion!

Bottom line is, if you can control yourself, these are pretty delicious and I highly recommend them if you’re looking for something like this! If only they had more fat…

#13

For on the go protein I vote either bacon or beef jerky. Personal opinion, these kinds of bars are a big part of what’s wrong with the SAD diet. We need a quick fuel source to be able to function or do anything physical. I have my own kind of quick fuel source for when I need energy, colloquially they’re called “love handles” and my body has become quite skilled at using them for fuel.

You want science to tell you what 's going to happen to your wife if she eats these bars, that is a tall order. She will have to experiment as everyone does. The general consensus here is that she doesn’t need them and that most would probably steer clear, but you have your mind made up it seems? My guess, they will drastically hinder her progress and probably cause cravings for other non-keto foods. That’s a guess though, please report back and let us know.

(Josh S) #14

I understand what you mean, and hopefully we’ll get there, but the truth is that we live in an amazing time where we have quick access to delicious, easy food, and it takes a lot for people to just give that up cold turkey. I’d much rather she do keto and feel the benefits than give up on it because it’s bland and more time consuming. And this applies to everyone, I’d love to see the world go keto, but it’s not going to happen without compromise.

Edit: oh and she has to become fat adapted before she can snack on love handles, though she doesn’t have much left after starving herself for the last year and a half(CICO and busting ass at the gym).

(What The Fast?!) #15

Saaaaaaame.

#16

Eating a bunch of fake convenience foods out of habit is a poor way to expedite the fat adaptation process in my opinion. Many will disagree and that’s fine, but for me artificial sweeteners and snacking have been the two biggest issues I’ve faced since going keto almost a year ago.

But I agree on the compromise thing. In the grand scheme her demands are very good compared to what some people starting on keto have said.

(Linda Culbreth) #17

Bland? Too many great keto recipes out there that are downright delicious!

#18

why eat this processed junk nonsense? have a couple hard boiled eggs or something. sugar alcohols wreak havoc on gut bacteria.

(Josh S) #19

Sorry, I meant bland OR time consuming. There’s a huge difference, to someone coming out of the SAD world, between prepping tasty things and transporting and getting it all over your hands when you’re trying to eat it, and unwrapping a protein bar in the car on the way to the gym. We made some incredible recipes this week that are anything but bland, but it took a large chunk of our day to prep for the week.

I feel like some of you guys are judging a little too hard. Like “yea so you started going on jogs, but what you should be doing is running marathons”. Good for you guys, but let’s work up to it. If you push too hard before you’re ready, you’re much more likely to give up. I could for sure be the poster boy for super keto if I wanted to be, my willpower is untouchable, but I’m not going to think for a second that everyone else can do that. The best way for me to spread this to people I care about is to make it easy for them.

(Linda Culbreth) #20

Josh - I totally agree. Great recipes - but time consuming. I like to freeze portions for another time.

As far as the mess in the car - yep, can’t get around that one. Except, maybe cheese sticks or nuts. Which is what I did until I got to the point of really not being hungry and cutting out the snacks. But, that being said, there were literally months (or longer) that I refused to leave the house without snacks.

As far as the gym, etc - you are the only one who can tell what you can or cannot do.

I personally applaud ya’ll (Texan twang meaning you) for making the effort to leave the SAD and go for better health in the long run. The folks in your life that will see your easing into it are way more likely to follow -at their own time table.