I've been logging all my food for the past few weeks, and when I'm on the run and have no time I usually try and pick up a lower carb protein bar to tide me over. However, as I'm logging all my fat/carbs/protein, I'm confused as to which measurement I should take. For example:

I have a bar that on the nutrition facts says 32g of carbs and 20g of protein, but next to it it says "*2g impact carbs...total carbs (32g) - Fiber (2g) - Sugar Alcohols (28g) = 2g Total Impact carbs".


I'm assuming I should just put 32g carbs on my logs, but does this data have any substance outside of the Atkins Diet?

Count just impact carbs. Fiber and sugar alcohols have no impact on your blood sugar, which is why you don't need to count them when watching your carb intake.

Count sugar alcohols. You don't need to count fiber if you don't want to.

Well now it seems I'm getting differing opinions...more advice?

Well now it seems I'm getting differing opinions...more advice?

I guess it depends on your goals and who you talk to. Sugar alcohols have no affect on blood sugar. Starches and sugars do affect the blood more, so it's important to count these. However, I guess it's up to you if you want to include sugar alcohols in your counts. Some dietitions even argue if sugar alcohols should be considered as "true carbs" because of their lack of blood impact.

They do have calories, but if you're counting calories on a 40/40/20 split (or similar), then I'd count sugar alcohols. If you are just watching carb grams, then skip them.

Well now it seems I'm getting differing opinions...more advice?

You are :lol: I don't have one :D

Yeah, depends on goals. If you're "low carb dieting", then impact carbs are all you need. However, if you're interested in calories then of course the non-impact carbs are still giving your body energy, and if you eat them they can affect your weight loss goals. Fibre has neither an impact on blood sugar or contains calories, so definitely no need to include those.

Bars are basically garbage. So I would count all the carbs. The only carbs I wouldn't count are green fibrous veggies.

Bars are basically garbage. So I would count all the carbs. The only carbs I wouldn't count are green fibrous veggies.


Yeah I know they're not great, but it beats a bag of chips or something worse at work...I can't exactly cook up some chicken or tuna so this is the lesser of two evils.

Bars are basically garbage. So I would count all the carbs. The only carbs I wouldn't count are green fibrous veggies.

Right. Most foods that have a normal amount of carbs but only a few 'net impact carbs' are not very healthy foods anyhow.

You should include sugar alcohols in your daily caloric tracking. While sugar alcohols might not have as dramatic of an impact on blood sugar levels as normal high GI carbs, they still contain calories.

That being said, I encourage you to invest more time in meal planning to avoid eating "nutrition" bars in the first place. I realize you're busy, but that's really nothing out of the ordinary. All it takes is a few more minutes each day to plan out your meals, and the impact it will have on your fitness program will be well worth the time invested...I promise.

Good luck!

Yeah I know they're not great, but it beats a bag of chips or something worse at work...I can't exactly cook up some chicken or tuna so this is the lesser of two evils.

Home-made protein bars - Dah Bomb! Search bodybuilding.com for recipes.

BTW I count carbs in fibrous veggies - about 50-80g/day - 1/3-1/2 my carb intake on non-lifting days when cutting.