The Atkins Diet encourages followers to reduce their consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugars while increasing their consumption of lean protein, fruits, vegetable, fiber and good fats. Atkins Nutritionals sells numerous products based around this diet. One of Atkins Nutritionals product lines, the Atkins Advantage, consists of several types of nutrition bars. While nutrition values differ depending on the specific product, most Atkins Advantages Bars contain very similar nutritional facts.
Calories, Fat and Cholesterol
Atkins Advantage bars contain between 160 and 240 calories per bar. This typically includes about 60 to 130 calories that come directly from fat. The total amount of fat in these bars ranges from 6 to 15 g, with 1 to 11 g coming from saturated fat. The bars do not contain any trans fat, and contain 5 mg or less of cholesterol.
Sodium
The amount of sodium in these nutrition bars varies greatly. The two bars that contain the least amount of sodium are the Dark Chocolate Almond Coconut bar and the Coconut Almond Delight. The Dark Chocolate Almond Coconut bar only has 35 mg of sodium, while the Coconut Almond Delight has 90 mg of sodium. The other bars contain significantly more sodium, ranging from between 125 to 240 mg of sodium. The American Heart Association recommends that you limit your daily sodium intake to less than 1,500 mg.
Carbohydrates
The Atkins Advantage bars contain between 15 and 29 g of total carbohydrates. Since the Atkins diet restricts sugar and refined carbohydrates, it may not be a surprise that many of the total amount of carbohydrates come from fiber instead of sugars. Each bar contains between 5 to 11 g of fiber, but only has 1 to 2 g of sugar. Many bars, however, contain sugar alcohol, which acts as a sweetener. The exceptions to this include the Caramel Chocolate Peanut Nougat bar, the Caramel Fudge Brownie bar, the Chocolate Peanut Butter bar, the Peanut Butter Granola bar and the Peanut Fudge Granola bar. These bars do not contain any sugar alcohol. The other flavored bars contain between 1 to 15 g of sugar alcohol per serving.
Protein
Most Atkins Advantage bars are a good source of protein, with many providing 10 to 18 g of protein per serving. The bars that do not contain as much protein include the Dark Chocolate Almond Coconut, the Coconut Almond Delight, the Sweet and Salty Almond Crunch and the Caramel Chocolate Nut Roll. These bars only contain 5 to 8 g of protein per serving.
Vitamins and Minerals
All of these bars contain some vitamins and minerals, but some contain more than others. The Dark Chocolate Almond Coconut bar and the Sweet and Salty Almond Crunch provide small amounts of calcium and iron, but do not provide any other vitamins or minerals. The rest of the bars contain thiamin, niacin, folate, biotin, phosphorus, zinc, chromium, riboflavin, panthothenic acid, magnesium and selenium, as well as vitamins A, E, C, K, B6 and B-12. The specific daily values for these vitamins and minerals vary depending on the specific product, so check the nutrition label to determine how much your bar provides.
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