Tag Archives: ketogenic

Maintaining a sugar-free or low-carb diet: Quest bars review

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We’re in the fourth week of January and if you started a weight loss resolution with nothing but good intentions, then chances are you’ve already crumbled. If you have, then remember that making a change for the better is not controlled by the Gregorian calendar. If it’s something you want, then dust yourself off and start again.

Although I believe the best way to live the sugar-free lifestyle is to avoid processed foods, I’m also realistic enough to know that life doesn’t play fair. Travel, long hours, unpredictable schedules – they can all hit your best intentions where it hurts.

Not all protein bars are created equal

One of the easiest ways to ‘cheat clean’ in these scenarios is by carrying a protein bar or two with you for emergency situations. The more prepared you can be, the less likely you are to be forced to have the only options available to you in the heat of the moment.

Although most protein bars clock in between 18-25g of protein per bar, the one thing that can vary wildly is the sugar content. Those that are promoted as ‘natural’ are the worst offenders in the sense of sugar content alone, often with 30g or above. As always, the trade off between sugar and artificial sweeteners is always a personal choice, but if you are aiming for a sugar-free, low carb or full on ketogenic diet, then a protein bar could do more harm than good.

What is a Quest bar?

Quest bars are high protein, low sugar bars that come in a wide range of flavours. Most of those are ‘sweet’ flavours, so if you’re not comfortable with artificial sweeteners then they won’t be for you. Because I avoid sweeteners everywhere else, I can compromise on that fact in a protein bar emergency.

What do Quest bars taste like?

The thing I like most about Quest bars is the range of flavours. Given that they don’t use any sugars to sweeten the deal, they manage to make bars that don’t feel like a virtuous chore to eat. If you’re in the kind of situation where it’s all gone wrong and your only choices are to buy junk food, eat a protein bar or starve, then you don’t want the protein bar to be unappealing. Cookies and Cream is my favourite for this.

Can you lose weight on Quest bars?

Probably, but that’s not the point as far as I’m concerned. They are not an ongoing meal replacement I can promote. But, if you have your diet right the rest of the time, they can certainly help you to maintain when the chips are down. Oh, and Quest bars are not allowed on Paleo, unless you are really playing fast and loose with the rules.

Are Quest bars really good for you?

No, in the sense they contain artificial ingredients. Many people (although I’ve never experienced it myself) have an intolerance to the types of sweeteners that are included in the bars. You’re better off having a wholesome, nutritious diet. Quest bars are great for when that option is removed and, if we’re honest, we’re often more out of control than we like.

So, if you’re on a low sugar, low carb or keto diet, then Quest bars can be a great substitute on the go when low sugar options are hard to find. The protein keeps you full with a blood sugar spike and corresponding crash. By keeping a couple in my backpack, they’ve helped me stay on track – throughout January and beyond.

Interested in a sugar free lifestyle? Check out The Realist’s Guide To Sugar Free

Sugar sugar everywhere and not a drop to, um, eat…

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Since I came back from holidays (food and alcohol fest) I have been living the sugar free diet. Now that I’m in week three and can write about it calmly and objectively, rather than from a cravings hole of despair, I thought I’d give it a go.

Firstly, the motivations. A dear friend is on her second go round with cancer, and diet has become a significant thing she can positively influence, in amongst the traditional treatments. Cutting out sugar is the key thing. Which sent me down a huge rabbit hole of how it all works.

For those of you who know me, the fact that it is the latest diet espoused by a TV personality is more likely to make me disbelieve than anything else. But I’ve been looking at a ketogenic diet in relation to other serious diseases, so I knew there was some significant merit in reducing carbs. Cue me reading books and scientific papers about human biochemistry and the way our body uses and responds to sugar. Fascinating stuff, even if I have become a conversational bore.

So, after two weeks, here is my experience:

  • For those not on the diet for medical, disease fighting reasons, you don’t have to eliminate all sugars, just fructose
  • Good luck doing that, because everything is packaged by the title ‘sugars’
  • Fructose makes up half of sugar as we know it (the good ole white stuff) so the easiest way is to avoid anything with added sugar
  • Good luck with that too, because sugar has been added as a cheap filler to just about every product that gets made, even the savoury ones and especially the ‘low fat’ versions of things
  • Unlike other energies, fructose isn’t recognised by our self-regulating mechanisms, so it goes straight into the liver where any excess (which happens after a surprisingly small amount) gets pumped straight into your blood supply as fatty acids (nice)
  • The headache was worse for me than the cravings – three days of constant dull thumping until I came through to the other side
  • The promised bright side: resetting my body so I eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full (no more calorie counting) and no need to go to the gym to attempt to burn off fat – yay!
  • The downsides – restaurants are a pain, but I’m a good old fashioned meat eater, so a plain steak and jacket potato are easily allowed for a nice night out

Christmas is coming, so there will be a few treats in the coming weeks. I’m not foolish enough to think there won’t be. But the reality of reading the latest research (and the horrendous flaws that made up the current guidelines) has made me want to give it a shot long term, rather than doing it just because of Davina grinning from the front of her latest cookbook.