Surprised at my reaction to low carb protein bar - would appreciate comments

[DaveE]

As newly type 2, and looking for low carb options, I hit upon Fitness Shock protein bars on Amazon which are advertised as having minimum effect on glucose levels. A 50gram bar of 'salted caramel peanut' is 183 cal, 10g protein, 10g fat, 5.5 g carbs of which sugar 1g, fibre 15.5 g Salt 0.5.

I've been eating one of these every other day happily. They are tasty and I figured a good treat option.

But I put a Libre II on yesterday to see how I was doing, and I was surprised to find that I spiked from 6.2 mol up to about 11 within 30 minutes of eating the protein bar. Came back down to 7 or so 30 minutes later and then steadily back to 6. I tend to fast around 5.8.

I was surprised - should I be? I didn't expect to spike at all.

 

[harbottle]

I find the Libre sensor are sometimes very inaccurate when things are moving fast. They seem to extrapolate a fast rate of change into a high rise, then correct later. For example, I had a load of Chinese takeaway and at one point it showed me at 10 and rising, but then it corrected and redraw the graph so it peaked around 8.x (And then quickly fell back fo 5)

Also, those things are total junk.

I had a grenade bar which is mainly polyols, and these aren't supposed to raise blood sugar.
They most certainly did!

 

[DaveE]

I find the Libre sensor are sometimes very inaccurate when things are moving fast. They seem to extrapolate a fast rate of change into a high rise, then correct later. For example, I had a load of Chinese takeaway and at one point it showed me at 10 and rising, but then it corrected and redraw the graph so it peaked around 8.x (And then quickly fell back fo 5)

Also, those things are total junk.

I had a grenade bar which is mainly polyols, and these aren't supposed to raise blood sugar.
They most certainly did!

Thanks - yes I guess they are junk ingredients. I might be better off with a square of dark chocolate.

 

[Lucyr]

The shock part of the name probably refers to the price of them! What about trying something a little less processed and more wallet friendly?

 

[harbottle]

A bag of nuts from ALDI is cheaper and more nutritious than the piles of rubbish in those bars.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear you had a bigger BG rise from the bars than you were hoping for @DaveE

I’m another who’d be a little hesitant in using those sorts of bars regularly, and find various nut mixes (not crispy coated ones!) an easier option for nibbles.

 

[wantonnoodle]

As newly type 2, and looking for low carb options, I hit upon Fitness Shock protein bars on Amazon which are advertised as having minimum effect on glucose levels. A 50gram bar of 'salted caramel peanut' is 183 cal, 10g protein, 10g fat, 5.5 g carbs of which sugar 1g, fibre 15.5 g Salt 0.5.

I've been eating one of these every other day happily. They are tasty and I figured a good treat option.

But I put a Libre II on yesterday to see how I was doing, and I was surprised to find that I spiked from 6.2 mol up to about 11 within 30 minutes of eating the protein bar. Came back down to 7 or so 30 minutes later and then steadily back to 6. I tend to fast around 5.8.

I was surprised - should I be? I didn't expect to spike at all.

Normally, you would only assess if they're suitable based on a reading at 2 hours from taking first bite. Most carbs will cause a spike in the first half hour or so, the question is how fast the body deals with it. Based on your comment of back to 7 or so an hour after eating and then back to 6, I would say they're fine. The general target is 8.5 or below 2 hours after eating.

In terms of price, if you really want cereal type bars, I would recommend trying Nature Valley Protein bars - the chocolate and peanut ones are really nice and are well tolerated by a number of people on here, myself included. They're probably cheaper too, and you can get them in the supermarkets.