I know these aren't endorsed by Dr. Sears; however, I'm curious if this would be acceptable when I need a quick snack on-the-go until I'm able to order some Zone bars.

Calories 190
Total Fat 5g
Total Carb 27g
Fiber 6g
Protein 12g

The whole bar would be almost right on for a 2-block snack or meal, correct? It actually had better numbers than some of the Zone Perfect bars I saw in the store.

Thanks for your thoughts. Oh, this is the Caramel Peanut flavor. Packaging says "...designed for an Optimized Glycemic Response with slow release carbs to balance blood sugar, protein and fiber..."

Hi Shari!

The bottom line in determining whether it's acceptable will be if one block of it (approximately one half of the Kashi roll) prevents you from becoming hungry for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. This will depend upon both the actual ingredients in the roll and and your sensitivity to the carbs in it.

Here are the specifics. The numbers for 2 balanced blocks are 14 g protein, 18 g insulin stimulating carb (that's total carb minus total fiber) and a minimum of 6 g fat. This puts that Kashi roll a bit low in P (12 g), a bit high in insulin stimulating C (21 g) , and missing some F. While a few grams wouldnt seem like much difference, because the P adn c differ in opposite directions,it's slightly under in P and over in C, this pushes the P/C ratio to the highest carb limit of the acceptable to still be considered in the Zone (.6). It has the same P/C balance as a meal with an extra block of carb added. This together with the fact that it contains a little less than the minimum amout of fat neded to balance means that it's likely to stimulate more insulin production than you'd desire for the Zone.

To put it in simpler terms, the missing P and F, along with the slightly higher C, make it a not the greatest choice for keeping your insulin in Zone.

Best thing to do is try eating one half a roll for your afternoon snack and and see how you feel 2 to 2 1/2 hours later.

Shari,

Personally, I would not worry about a gram here and a gram there, as Sue's example suggests.

It is more important to hit a "zone" rather than an exact number.

I don't know what the ingredients are, but I have found that some of the Zone bars have some unfavorable ingredients, as well.

In any case, I am anxious to hear how you like it, and how it works for you!

Thanks, Sue and Cran. I guess I could eat a few almonds along with it to bring the F count up. I think it's more important in this case that I have something quick to grab that's close rather than grabbing a snack on the road that's totally off the mark. I looked at some of the ingredients online of some of the Zone bars, and these ingredients do seem a little better. But I am going to try the zone bars too. Just need to get around to ordering them.

So you're "in the zone" if a snack keeps you from being hungry for 2 to 2.5 hours and a meal holds you for 3 to 3.5 hours? Is that correct? And if something doesn't keep you in the zone for that period of time, then you either messed up the balance or you need to tweak for your own body? What tweaking should one try first? Add some fat?

Thanks!

You're welcome Shari!

Yes, a snack should keep you in the Zone for 2 to 2.5 hours. A meal should keep a person in the Zone for 4 to 6 hours, though a very sensitive few sometimes can barely make it to 4.

Yes, if you are hungry prior, it means you should adjust, "tweak". It's explained well in Zone books. Look for the chapter or the section the explains fine tuning the Zone. If you doen haev a book, here is is in a nutshell. You first adjust carb. If hungry and feeling fine otherwise with good mental focus you'd add one C block to meals. If hungry and unfocused (this can be any one or a number of things like tired, sleepy, jittery, dizzy, lack of concentration, spacy, weak, etc.)then you drop 1C block from meals. If this still leaves you hungry, adding a littel fat can also be helpful. The more carbs you eat from favorable veggies, the best results you'll usually have.

If you need to adjust, I'll be happy to help.

Shari,
I have an additional tip that I would recommend trying before you start adjusting carb blocks, as Sue was describing.

If a meal or a snack doesn't quite "do it" for you, then I would recommend trying different types of carbs, rather than jumping to the conclusion that the current balance isn't going to work.

If that doesn't work, then you could try dropping 1/2-1 carb block per meal and increasing the fat (I usually do both at the same time).

Okay. Thanks, ladies!

You're welcome Shari!