High Maltose Corn Syrup & Fiber One bars

I bought a bunch of different brands of granola bars on a recent trip to the States and I can't believe how sweet they are! Particularly Fiber One & South Beach diet bars. I usually only buy Nature's Path and Kashi bars because they use cane sugars instead. I can't help but wonder if Fiber One and SB Diet bars are to hurting a diet instead than helping?

Anyway, my point: I noticed my Fiber One bar has High Maltose Corn Syrup. I'm not familiar with this! Is it just as bad as high fructose corn syrup (which is also an ingredient in this bar...)?

Maltose is a different chemical composition of a sugar

Corn syrup can be processed with different combinations and concentrations of various sugars

HFCS has a very high concentration of fructose

HMCS has a very high concentration of maltose

I believe, if I recall correctly, maltose is the chemical step right before fructose, so it's just slightly less processed.

So, it's not what you would consider to be a health food. 

 :)

Interesting! I notice so many people posting about these bars. They're even endorsed by the BestLife diet or something but they were so sweet! They provide 35% of your daily fiber but I think there's way better ways to get that fiber than eating a bar!

I agree! 

I like to get most of my fiber from fruits and veggies.

:)

I know a lot of people over here like the la tortilla factory tortillas because they have like, 15 g of fiber...  there are some good products out there!

 

Original Post by cellophane_star:

Interesting! I notice so many people posting about these bars. They're even endorsed by the BestLife diet or something but they were so sweet! They provide 35% of your daily fiber but I think there's way better ways to get that fiber than eating a bar!

 Baked Lays and Progresso soup are endorsed by BestLife also. I'd hardly call them health food though.

They're a good option in a pinch, but I'd definitely find better ways to get fiber on a regular basis.

maltose is a combination of 2 glucose molecules. glucose+glucose=maltose. The body converts every sugar into glucose so you can us it.

Maltose is like 1 step to being ready to use.  after the bond is broken it is readily accepted to be used or stored.

yeah i noticed the very long ingredient list on the fiber one bars, so i now make my own granola bars out of fiber one cereal.

UM.... I agree with all of you.  But my husband is a VERY poor eater and the only reason why he eats Fiber One bars is because they taste like a candy bar.  So go Fiber One for putting at least helping me put some fiber into his diet!!!  :)

I wonder if we are making things needlessly complex for ourselves sometimes. 

I agree with everyone who said that they probably shouldn't be a daily thing.  I've also read stuff about high fructose corn syrup and how it may add to weight gain. 

However, for the sake of my sanity, I'm only worrying about calories (with the exception of trans fats).  I try to eat whole, natural foods for the most part, but as long as I stay within my daily caloric needs, I'm not too worried about the occasional granola bar or other processed food. 

interesting.

i have a box of fiber one bars and like 2 boxes of special K bars that i got months ago, i just havent eaten.

Special K bars are even worse. They have little fibre and sugar is one of the first ingredients.

I agree with you, kkwg99. I'll still eat the bars that I have but it's not like I eat them at every meal so I'm not sweating it too much!

Original Post by kkwg99:

I wonder if we are making things needlessly complex for ourselves sometimes. 

I agree with everyone who said that they probably shouldn't be a daily thing.  I've also read stuff about high fructose corn syrup and how it may add to weight gain. 

However, for the sake of my sanity, I'm only worrying about calories (with the exception of trans fats).  I try to eat whole, natural foods for the most part, but as long as I stay within my daily caloric needs, I'm not too worried about the occasional granola bar or other processed food. 

 

I TOTALLY agree with this post! cellophane_star a calorie is a calorie...it really doesn't matter what it comes from. I would rather get a high fiber snack bar than not....all of those snack bars are really calorie dense...no matter what brand...some are higher in fat, some in sugars...but your body will deal with the bottom line...and that is total caloric intake!

I really don't believe "a calorie is a calorie". Scientifically, that may be so but I don't think it's right to just get my calories from just anywhere. For me, it's about nutrition, not just making sure I eat enough calories in a day. I'd rather eat 100 calories that aren't from sugar. I appreciate the fiber content of these bars but I'd rather eat a bar with the same amount of fiber and NOT the sugar.

Oh I agree that is better to get the best nutrition for your 100 cals...that's not what I said...I simply was making a point that your body will deal with the 100 calories  no matter if it comes from sugar or pine bark. The occasional Luna bar or Fiber One bar (it is not like you eat  them every day) is not going to trash your nutrition....and their convenience is sometimes a necessary evil for some of us. If you want NO sugar...perhaps make your own bars out of bran, whole oats or something and a little water..all of the bars I have looked at (prepared) are pretty high in some kind of sugar and if not high in sugar...then the fat or sodium is high. They have to get flavor from something or they wouldn't sell!