Are NuGo Smarte Carb Bars Keto Friendly?
At the time of writing this post I’ve been on the ketogenic diet for over five years and logged over 250 blood ketone tests in an effort to estimate the effects of food and ingredients on my ketosis, including those in NuGo Smarte Carb bars.
Similar to Atkins products, these NuGo Smarte Carb bars are marketed to low carb dieters specifically. However like Atkins products, they wouldn't be the first to miss the mark either. In this post, I'll evaluate NuGo Smarte Carb bars, give them keto friendly grades, and see how they stack up against other low carb treats!
Savage Fuel Keto Friendly Grades:
A: Completely compatible, positive or no impact on ketosis.
B: Highly compatible, but don't go too crazy.
C: Moderately compatible, be mindful and limit intelligently.
D: Barely compatible, detrimental to ketosis and not recommended.
F: Not compatible, overdo it just a little and kiss your ketosis goodbye.
Keto Friendly Grading Factors:
Net Carbs per Serving: How many carbs are in this thing?
Net Carbs per 100 calories: Since serving sizes often vary significantly, a net carb per 100 calorie ratio is a more consistent measure of keto-friendliness than net carbs per serving. Lower ratios are also an indicator of higher fat content because fat has more calories per gram than protein and carbohydrates.
Sugar: Sugars have a higher glycemic index and larger negative impact on ketosis than other carbohydrates.
Hidden Carbs: Hidden carbohydrates are based on the caloric values and glycemic indexes of ingredients sometimes classified as fibers or sugar alcohols.
Easy to Overeat: Some foods are easy to over-eat and require extra willpower to limit overeating which is an important factor to consider.
Nutritional Density: Foods that are relatively high in net carbs per 100 calories but are high in nutrition per calorie can still be worth eating like broccoli and cauliflower.
RULE of thumb for net carbs per 100 calorie ratio:
0-1 great, 1-2 ok, 2-3 caution, 3+ red alert
NuGo Smarte Carb Bars Keto Friendly Grades:
Overall factors: These NuGo Smarte Carb bars use large amounts of Maltitol which is a sugar alcohol with a glycemic index of 36. (more than half the GI of table sugar) I'm counting 50% of the Maltitol in these treats as net carbs for simplicity, which is low-balling since it's closer to about 67%. The hidden carbs from Maltitol are reflected below in the net carb counts and grades. They're also low in nutritional density and easy to overeat.
Peanut Butter Crunch: F-
8g Net carbs per 160 calorie 50g bar
5g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red++)
0g Sugar
Chocolate Black Cherry: F-
9g Net carbs per 150 calorie 50g bar
6g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red+++)
0g Sugar
NuGo Smarte Carb Bars Keto Friendly Conclusion:
NuGo Smarte Carb bars may be marketed towards us low carb dieters, but the heavy use of Maltitol in these bars is deceptive and makes these bars terrible for any low carb or keto diet. Too many companies are disguising blood-sugar elevating Maltitol, which is technically a sugar alcohol, so those who don't know better subtract it. Don't support these companies and their terrible products.
Let's compare these NuGo Smarte Carb bars to some real keto friendly sweet treats:
NuGo Smarte Carb Bars vs ChocoPerfection and Keto Bars
Well what do you know? When comparing NuGo Smarte Carb bars to the best keto-friendly treats out there by net carbs per 100 calories, which is the most consistent indicator of keto friendliness, there is no contest. If you’re looking for a meal-replacement or snack bar, I’d recommend Keto Bars. If you’re looking for an ultra-low carb sweet treat, I recommend ChocoPerfection chocolate.
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