I was chatting with Sue yesterday, and she asked me if I had tried the zone nougat bars. So, I decided to check them out, especially in light of the 10% off sale going in now.

However, some key issues, wondering if anyone has any comments about them...

First, they advertise that they will keep me in the zone for 5 hours! Well, that would be great, but how does a 2-block bar keep anyone in the zone for 5 hours?

Then, I looked at the ingredients. I specifically looked at the peanut butter nougat bar, so maybe the ingredients differ from other bars, but I am very surprised to see puffed rice listed as an ingredient, not to mention the fact that it was listed quite high on the list (above the oats!). And, there are 3 kinds of sweeteners, fructose, brown sugar, and sucralose. Really? How about eliminating one of those and making room for some more favorable ingredients?

So, if I try these and I don't stay in the Zone for 5 hours, can I get a refund? LOL!

I am curious, though, but I think I would get a better deal if I wait for the "no shipping" offer. Knocking 10% off is only a $2 savings, and I am sure shipping will eat that right up.

Hi CC

The nougat bars are nice but a bit too sweet. I was surprised too by all the sweeteners especially the fructose. I wont buy them again. They are handy and do you keep you in the Zone for a snack. I haven't ever had one as a main meal.

Talking about sweetness. The Zone shakes. I dont know why they are making these and other Zone products so sugary tasting.

Margaret, that was one of my biggest complaints when I tried the cookies. Even my kids thought they were too sweet! LOL

Good to hear your thoughts. I currently receive the oatmeal raisin bars, and they really don't do a good job of keeping me in the Zone, and a huge complaint of mine is that they are also too sweet. I only continue this shipment because I got in on a really good price last year, and the price is recurrent (which is not true of most of the other promotions).

You have got to be kidding me!
Sucralose! AND Brown Sugar!!!
NO way, hose .....
What s Dr. Sears thinking !!!
How can he even justify these and the other ingredients . . .
And then charge as much as he does for junk ingredients.
just have a sugar filled twinkie, some protein powder,
and call it a Sears like snack.

Well, I am sure that they used quality ingredients, waved the magic wand over them to make them favorable...

:D

See, I think this is why bars just never work for me. Doesn't matter whose lab they come from... I may as well make my breakfast bars which come right out of my own oven, at least they don't have all of the processed ingredients. Maybe not the best of choices in the Zone, but I feel better putting whole foods into my body.

(guess the smiley didn't work)

John

I am just looking at one of the Zone nougat wrappers now - it also has sugar and fructose!!! So that is 4 different forms of sugar. I really cant work out why these things have to be sooo sweet. As I said before - the shakes are way too sweet. I am going to use them up and wont buy again. I halve the dry mix and add one scoop of protein powder to taken away the sweetness of it.

[quote]
Posted By cranberrycat on 24 Sep 2011 09:58 AM

First, they advertise that they will keep me in the zone for 5 hours! Well, that would be great, but how does a 2-block bar keep anyone in the zone for 5 hours?

[/quote]


It's the patented baking technology that allows for this. They work great for me even though I have a substantial sensitivity to the carbohydrate I eat. I've gone 6 hours after a Zone nougat bar without eating and still wasn't hungry. :cool:

I think that the "5 hours" must be an individual-results kind of thing. I recall reading that they also advertize the other 1-2-3 foods as having a similar effect, but it doesn't happen for me.

So, are the nougat bars "molecularly baked", too? I didn't think that the bars were the same as the 1-2-3 products. But, I could be mistaken, since it isn't my thing anyway.

In either case, with that list of ingredients, I will hold off on ordering. I am not convinced that these bars would work any better than the other bars have, but if I should happen to receive a free sample pack to try, then maybe I would go ahead and give it a shot.

Yes, nougat bars are baked with the same technology as Zone breads, pizza crusts, etc. Here's the description from the "Shop" page of this site:

"Dr. Sears’ Zone Nougat Bars
Delicious Zone Nougat Bars are Baked Fresh each and every day in our state of the art bakery with a handmade artisan approach. Each bar offers a perfectly balanced Zone snack with 14 grams of Zone Protein and they are so unique that they can only be made through our patented baking technology. The key lies in removing much of the carbohydrate and replacing it with protein while retaining great taste."

Hi Sue

Any explanation as to why there are 4 types of sugars and why the bars are soo sweet?

You're asking me? That's a qn for Barry Sears. IMO they're not "soo sweet", and I like them. :)

As you work for the Zone I thought you may have known. I will ask Barry. Will be interesting to see if I get a reply.

Oh, sry! :blush: :)

I have no idea. My best answer would be it's for carbohydrate and flavor.

Everyone's taste is different. The zone cookies are too sweet for me, but others like them that way. I imagine that the nougat bars are probably similar. But, one nice thing about the bars is that they do provide the sweetness that some may be craving.

I haven't looked at the other bars recently, but I am pretty sure that there are multiple sweeteners in the other bars, as well. So, this is not something new that is just recently going on with the bars (although the baking is different).

While the bars may be sweet they have about the same amount of sugar as in one apple. Sugars have varying taste & consistency profiles, and glycemic indexes, the combination of the sugars results in a bar that has a low glycemic index.

Everyone has different tastes.

The regular ZONE classic bars were never too sweet in my opinion; however, the very early ones were a bit dry, but not now.
While the new 1-2-3 foods were very, very sweet tasting, too sweet for me. I would think then that the new nougat bars, which are also molecularly baked, would also be too, too sweet for me as well. I think, I'll pass on the new Zone bars.

Tech Support

Why 4 kinds of sugar? Why not sweetened with something like Agave Nectar? Sugar is BAD.

[quote]
Posted By Tech Support on 27 Sep 2011 10:05 AM
While the bars may be sweet they have about the same amount of sugar as in one apple. Sugars have varying taste & consistency profiles, and glycemic indexes, the combination of the sugars results in a bar that has a low glycemic index.

Everyone has different tastes.
[/quote]

So, if I am understanding techie right, it is the combination of the 3 different sugars that turns an unfavorable carb into a favorable one? LOL doesn't make any sense!

No one said anything about turning an unfavorable carb into a favorable one. What was said was there is about the same amount of sugar in the bar that is in an apple. The zone is all about maintaining insunlin control and these nougat bars do that.

If the bar has 3 unfavorable sweeteners in it (fructose, brown sugar, sucralose, not to mention the puffed rice which is not a sweetener but is another unfavorable carb), then how does the combination of the 3 sugars result in a low glycemic bar? It is an inference of mine, but if 3 unfavorable (high GL) sugars are combined to result in a low GL product, then isn't that now a favorable product?

Techie, as I posted in another thread, this is not meant to be argumentative. Just trying to clarify some of the logic (or lack, thereof).

and, no one answered Margaret's question adequately either. Why not just have one sugar? Fructose is probably the more favorable choice, so why not stick with that?

I think that the list of ingredients sends the wrong message to people. The message infers that it is OK to eat foods with those unfavorable ingredients.

It is ok to eat those foods in amounts and combinations that provide stable blood sugar and insulin control within the range of the Zone, and the nougat bars do just that. In addition the other plus with nougat bars is the absence of omega 6 fat, which makes them an excellent addition to an anti-inflammatory diet. They're a win/win choice.

Re sugar qn, Tech answered it earlier in this thread: taste, consistency and glycemic indexes.

CC

Fructose is the sugar that is bad.


Sue/Tech Support

The bars need to be sweet but why with 4 kinds of sugars? Why not something like Agave Nectar or Stevia which has 0 calories?

Wonder if Dr Sears reads the forum posts? ......

Margaret, it is the "high fructose corn syrup" that is the bad one. Fructose (by itself, from what I have learned from Barry Sears) is the sugar that is found in fruit, and is a better, lower GL sugar.

Sue, No one really knows how much of the 3 sugars are REALLY in these bars. It can only be assumed on your part. I still have a hard time with the concept that the combination of the 3 sugars makes it a low GL product. Like, 3 wrongs make a right?

Taste, I can understand, consistencey?? maybe I can get that (perhaps a syrupy consistency is needed to hold it all together, IDK). But, I still don't get techie's rationale regarding the glycemic index.

So maybe the sugar question was answered, but not adequately for anyone to understand it, unless we are all just to accept it on blind faith.

BTW, the bars are not a win/win for me, they don't adequately keep me in the Zone. But, that is a personal response, and I am accepting of the fact that others may do very well--but I don't.

CC, no assumption being made on my part. No one said anything about "blind faith". Maybe this will help you. All the info is found in the nutrition label and ingredient list right on the product itself. Last I was informed, US gov. food labeling standards dictate that ingredients be listed in order from greatest to least (I think that's by weight of the ingredient, though not positive). Also, glycemic load (GL) is a function of the glycemic index and the amount of the actual food used. This means the GL of the final product will depend on both the amounts of the various carbohydrates it contains, and glycemic indexes of those carbohydrates.

Well, I think it would be tough NOT to make an assumption, since you are not even sure if the ingredients are listed by weight. And, weight alone does not indicate how many of the carb grams are attributed to which of the bad sugars and the puffed rice. I don't see how anyone can really justify that this is a low GL bar, unless this information is made available. But, we know it is not available since that information is likely proprietary.

Oh, and if puffed rice is listed PRIOR to the oats in the bar that I looked at, being that puffed rice is pretty light, if the ingredients are listed according to weight, then there must be a TON of puffed rice and very little of the oats.
To me, that would be a CRIME! But, just another assumption on my part, as I have no clue of the actual amounts and carb grams associated with each ingredient.

Overall, this is a really interesting discussion, and I hope everyone (including me) is learning some good stuff from it!

One also has to take into consideration that these product made with molecular baking, a process where protein, carbohydrates and fats can be reorganized into different structures. The glycemic loads of these products have been greatly reduced by replacing much of the carbohydrate with high quality protein, resulting in lower insulin secretion as compared to conventionally baked foods. Molecular baking minimizes the amount of cross-linking of the protein and carbohydrate (you can google cross-linking for a much moe detailed definition than I would give) by controlling the interaction of the protein and carbohydrate during baking. This prevents the fast absorption of protein before it reaches the L-cells in the lower portion of the gut. More protein reaching the L-cells means increases PYY secretion to the brain, which produces greater satiety (PYY signals satiety in the brain).

If you restructure a molecule, its no longer the original. I am no science esp. chemistry wiz; however, I recall from my chemistry class in college that sugar is only one molecule away from cocaine! So, if molecular baking is restructuring the food, who knows what frankenstein is really created by "molecular baking", nor what the long-term effects are. Cross-linking I can understand, but that is different from restructuring. .
Our lovely pharmacology bought FDA says that artificial sweeteners which are chemical alterations, are safe for us; But we all know that as really bad as sugar is, it is still far better than any of the dangerous cancer causing artificial sweeteners. So who really knows what molecular baking has actually cooked up, let alone the long-term effects. God made us and gave us the nutrients we need to sustain us.
.
Take it or leave it, i;ll stick with classic Zone.

My opinion on molecular baking is that if I can't do it in my own kitchen, then the food does not belong in my body.

No information is available about molecular baking, outside of the Zone. I googled "molecular baking" and it does not exist. There were a couple of forum posts (forums other than the Zone) that discussed it, but basically just negative comments.

I was going to add, but forgot (and can't edit)... my post is reflective of my own personal goal to eat whole foods, things that I prepare and are not manufactured by someone else prior to my eating it. Obviously a few exceptions, as I don't milk my own cow (LOL) but basically that is my overall personal goal. Those who choose to eat the products are free to do it, and I am not judgemental of the choices of others.

I am considering buying some of the Zone bars. Thus far, we use Zone Perfect because they are reasonably priced. When comparing the nutritional values of both products, they are almost identical. So, what is the difference between the two products with the ingredients? Why are Dr. Sears Zone bars better than Zone Perfect bars to justify the almost $1.00 price difference per bar?

good question...

because Sears uses "molecular baking", that is what "justifies" the $1.00 increase in the price, IMO

Of course, the older version of the bars are not molecularly baked. Still, I think that the Zone people will tell you that it is due to a blend of superior ingredients, resulting in a low-glycemic hormonally balanced nutrition bar.

I will add that I asked this question over at zoneperfect at one time. The answer was almost identical!

John, the act of cooking itself changes the original properties of foods. For this reason cooked food will not pass the lips of a person following a raw diet. To each his own.

Sure, the act of cooking changes the structure of the food. But, man has been cooking food for a very long time, but has only been exposed to molecular baking for a few short years. Since us common people are not able to molecular-bake at home, then we really don't have any idea of how different the molecules become.

Besides, if the process can change a high glycemic grain of wheat into a low-glycemic grain of wheat, just by baking it with some protein powder, then there is definitely something weird going on. Like turning honey into water!

Anyway, we have been debating this and it is getting away from my original point.

I think the bars would be more acceptable to all if they just had better ingredients in them. For all of time that Zone Labs takes to test out a product, don't you think that they could come up with a way to make a bar out of FAVORABLE ingredients? Really, there would not be a huge debate over this if the foods were made from ingredients that don't make you go "HUH?" !!