EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control Nutrition Bars - Functional Foods

EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control Nutrition Bars

EAS is the nutrition/sports supplement company associated with Muscle Media 2000 publisher/Body For Life author Bill Phillips, although the company is now a subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories.  The change in ownership helped EAS expand beyond the sports nutrition market, and onto the shelves of grocery and discount department stores.  The AdvantEDGE product line consists of ready-to-drink shakes and bars…the bars come in 6 different flavors: Chocolate Cream Pie, Cookies and Cream, Chocolate Chip Brownie, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisp and Double Chocolate Chip.

Manufacturer’s Description: If you are serious about health, training and diet, chances are pretty good that you have no problems finding enough carbohydrates to meet your daily requirements. What may be an issue is getting in enough high quality protein to get your muscles the nutrients they need to repair themselves and grow larger. AdvantEdge Carb Control Nutrition Bars deliver a high quality, diversified 26 grams of protein to help you meet your daily intake goals, with only 3 grams of carbohydrates per serving. Each bar also contains 26 essential vitamins and minerals to aid you in meeting your daily requirements and avoid any potential nutritional deficiencies.

AdvantEdge Carb Control Nutrition Bars were designed specifically to offer a minimal carbohydrate meal supplement for those who wish to avoid taking in excess carbohydrates.

Product Label:

Serving Size 1 Bar (60 g)
Calories 230
Calories from Fat 70
Total Fat 8g
Saturated Fat 6g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol <5mg
Sodium 170mg
Potassium 210mg
Total Carbohydrate 27g
Dietary Fiber 5g
Sugars 2g
Sugar Alcohol 19g
Protein 17g
Vitamin A 30%
Vitamin C 30%
Calcium 30%
Iron 35%
Vitamin E 30%
Vitamin K 30%
Thiamin 30%
Riboflavin 30%
Niacin 30%
Vitamin B6 30%
Folate 20%
Vitamin B12 30%
Biotin 30%
Pantothenic Acid 30%
Phosphorus 15%
Iodine 30%
Magnesium 10%
Zinc 30%
Selenium 30%
Copper 30 %
Manganese30%
Chromium 30%
Molybdenum 30%

Ingredients: Protein Blend (Whey Protein Isolate, Soy Protein Isolate, Casein, Hydrolyzed Whey Protein), Maltitol Syrup, Glycerine, Maltitol, Fractionated Palm And Palm Kernel Oil, Fructooligosaccharides, Milk Protein Concentrate, Water, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), Cocoa, Unsweetened Chocolate. Contains Less Than 2 Percent Of The Following: Corn Maltodextrin, Nonfat Milk, Natural Flavor, Canola Oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Calcium Carbonate, Caramel Color, Soy Oil, Vitamin And Mineral Blend (Calcium Phosphate, Ferric Orthophosphate, Sodium Ascorbate, Ascorbic Acid, Magnesium Oxide, dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Gluconate, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Palmitate, Folic Acid, Chromium Chloride, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Molybdate, Sodium Selenite, Phytonadione, Cyanocobalamin), Mono- And Diglycerides, Soy Lecithin, Cocoa Extract, Cocoa Butter, Heavy Cream, Butter (Cream, Salt), Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Tocopherols, Carrageenan And Sucralose.

Comments: I picked up the Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cookies and Cream and Chocolate Chip Brownie bars (shown above) from my local Fred Meyer for $1.59 (US) each: a fairly decent price for a protein bar. Each bar was chewy – as most low carb/high sugar alcohol bars are – but not excessively so. The Chocolate Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Brownie bars had a chocolate coating; while the Cookies and Cream bar had a white (vanilla?) coating topped with cookie pieces. All three bars had a flavored nougat center and were sweet, without being too cloying.

Overall, they were pretty tasty – not the greatest I’ve had, but above average. The bars are quite low in sugar, provide a solid amount of prebiotic fiber and contain only 2 – 3 grams net carbs. The protein blend also looks pretty decent. At 60g, the bars aren’t huge (approx. the size of a standard candy bar), but one made a reasonably filling snack.

[usrlist “Taste:3.5” “Quality:3.5” “Efficacy:4.0” “Value:3.5″ avg=”true”]

Author: elissa

Elissa is a former research associate with the University of California at Davis, and the author/co-author of over a dozen articles published in scientific journals. Currently a freelance writer and researcher, Elissa brings her multidisciplinary education and training to her writing on nutrition and supplements.

2 Comments

  1. The bar tastes great and had a fudge like consistency. I bought this kind mainly to avoid bars with high fructose corn syrup and its various derivatives. They were good but not really good for me.

    Nutrition:

    Protein: is 17 grams Really at 17 grams it is not a meal replacement but rather a snack.

    FAT: has 8 grams of fat. That is a third of your total daily allowed for an adult. Not only that but 6 grams of that is Saturated fat! That is as much as a McDonald’s Cheeseburger… Not good. Apparently, this comes from the fractionated palm kernel oil. Palm kernel oil is high is sat. fat anyway but somehow they cook it with chemicals to make it even more so.

    Carbs: Most of the sugar is replaced with Maltitol. It is still sugar and has a Glycemic index of about 50 (table sugar is about 60). Maltitol can Cause Intestinal Discomfort as well (like most of the sugar alcohols.) Part of that may come from the Fructooligosaccharides – which is apparently an indigestable gum that bacteria in the lower GI love. With a GI so high, it is really not honest to claim Maltitol can be subtracted from the the total carbs.

    At any rate – tastes great but really just a candy bar.

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  2. 8 grams is one-third of the total fat allowance for an adult? Not quite…

    Actually, the form of maltitol matters, too – according to Mendosa, maltitol syrup has a GI that averages around 50; although maltitol itself runs around 36. One manufacturer, Roquette, puts it at 29, however.

    There’s a combo of both the syrup and crystalline form in the bars.

    FWIW, however, I’ve never bothered with the “net carb” concept, when it comes to my own diet. IMHO, if you’re on a carb-restricted diet, I think you’re better off eating whole foods (esp. veggies) vs. faux versions of high-carb processed foods.

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