Oh Yeah! Protein Wafer Bars More Like Oh No!

If you like the "low-carb" Oh Yeah! bars, then you MUST read this!

One of the things you hear me repeat over and over again within the context of livin' la vida low-carb is to be sure you are reading the nutrition labels on everything you buy carefully. I know there are some food purists out there who will preach to me that if it has a label on it, then it's probably not something you need to be buying. Yeah, yeah! That's nice for you, but in the real world there are those of us who enjoy having some low-carb treats every now and then.

With that said, I am constantly having to caution people to read labels like a hawk or else you may be setting yourself up for disaster and disappointment in your low-carb weight loss efforts by consuming more "hidden" sugars and carbs than you bargained for. This is not good.

But what if that favorite "low-carb" bar of yours that you've put your trust and faith in the manufacturer telling you the truth about what you are putting in your mouth ain't exactly as low in carbohydrates as they claim it is after all, hmmm? Unfortunately, that's exactly what has happened with the popular new Oh Yeah! protein wafer sticks from a company called ISS Research now appearing in several of the major online low-carb and health retail sites.

BUYER BEWARE!

These are the latest protein bars to hit the market and they come in several tempting and tantalizing flavors, including Chocolate Chocolate, Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Cup, Vanilla Creme, and Vanilla Peanut Butter Creme. Plus, they supposedly only have 3g carbs for the two-stick serving, according to the nutritional information currently published on various web sites carrying these Oh Yeah! protein wafer bars.

Check out this fun video review of the Chocolate Mint flavor of the Oh Yeah! bars from my friend and fellow blogger Melting Mama who both she and her husband lost well over 100 pounds each following gastric bypass surgery and now the low-carb lifestyle (she REALLY likes them as you'll quickly discover):



Although Melting Mama says she enjoys these Oh Yeah! protein wafer bars that are what she says "like a thick Kit Kat bar," it seems the manufacturer ISS Research has engaged in one of the most deceptive nutritional label marketing practices that exists today. It literally makes me sick to my stomach to even think about all the poor, unsuspecting low-carb dieters who are shelling out good money for a product like this when the fact is it isn't at all what it claims to be.

What did ISS Research do?

Well, the dirty little secret about their allegedly 3g carb protein sticks is the fact that it grossly understates the actual carbs by more than half! Actually, the entire package of Oh Yeah! protein wafer bars have 8g carbs for the two wafers (not 3g as has been purported), or 6g net carbs (when you subtract the 2g dietary fiber).

But even 6g is DOUBLE the 3g that has been floated around out there about these sticks. Now, if they listed the serving size as 1 stick rather than the entire packaging, then they could have gotten away with marketing this product as 3g net carbs. Unfortunately, that's not what they did and now people have caught on to the scheme.

This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. How many people will decide to purchase the Oh Yeah! protein wafer bars simply because they ASSUMED the 3g total carbs for both sticks in the package was valid? Haven't we all at one time or another while livin' la vida low-carb simply trusted the label to tell us the truth and we did? You have, I have, we all have.

So now what?

Well, ISS Research claims they recently corrected all the nutritional info on their site after having their products tested in the lab for the accurate carb count following several complaints from concerned customers. But apparently they haven't informed all of their distributors of this major change yet since the old information still persists on several online retail stores.

If you are a low-carb retailer and carry the Oh Yeah! protein wafer bars, then please check your web site listing to make sure it isn't still listed as 3g carbs per package. Please contact ISS Research immediately about updating you with the latest nutritional info changes because this could seriously jeopardize your reputation amongst your regular clientele. I'm sure your customers will not be very happy or forgiving if you keep selling them something that claims to have 3g carbs and it really has 8g. EEEEK!

You can get all the latest on the most up-to-date nutritional info available on the Oh Yeah! protein wafer bars by visiting the ISS Research page about this product. While you are there, you can also access the recent Certificate of Analysis for each of the various bars for their actual carb count which can be as high as nearly 10g carbs per package. 8-O

This just goes to show you that it's better to sometimes count those low-carb treats as a few MORE carbs than what's listed on the packaging in your daily carb count so you don't go over your budgeted carbs for the day. Let this Oh Yeah! protein wafer bar story serve as an excellent lesson learned so you're not saying "oh no" when you step on that scale.

Don't be discouraged by this. Instead, let it serve as a reminder of what you are doing and where you are headed with your weight and health. There will be tiny obstacles like this that will come your way from time to time, but stay strong and vigilant in the face of adversity. In the end, you'll come out a better person because of it. Just keep on livin' la vida low-carb! :)

You can send your feedback about this issue to ISS Research by using this contact page.

Trading Barbs About The Impact Of 'Net Carbs'

Finally, we have a topic that my fellow Atkins weight loss success story Kent Altena and I actually disagree about. I'm not saying he's wrong or I'm right necessarily about this subject, but it is quite controversial among many active low-carbers. It's the issue of "net carbs."

Most people only vaguely understand what that phrase means and Kent seems to think it's nothing more than a marketing gimmick to sell products. I agree that companies exploit this "net carbs" or "digestible carbs" claim to peddle their products, but that's an intelligent way to educate your customers to convince them they need to buy your low-carb food product.

The way I explain it to most people is you don't have to count the carbohydrates in dietary fiber or sugar alcohols. So, if a product has 15g total carbohydrates with 5g fiber and 9g sugar alcohols, then the product is said to have 1 "net carb." I have used this simple subtraction method from the very beginning of my low-carb lifestyle and it has served me well.

But Kent disagrees as he explains in his latest Atkins video:

NET CARBS VS. NET EFFECTIVE CARBS - MARKETING HYPE



While I am no fan of certain sugar alcohols, especially the dastardly maltitol that Kent mentioned in his video, I do think low-carb foods can help you meet your weight loss goals.

Back in 2004 when I was losing the majority of my weight, I can't tell you what a lifesaver having low-carb chocolates and other sweet products available to me as I transitioned from eating sugary snacks to sugar-free ones. As Kent alluded to in his video, we do need stricter standards regarding the labeling of what constitutes a "low-carb" product because people are being duped by the hype. Furthermore, sugar-free, low-carb candy companies need a wake-up call to start using better ingredients in their products rather than settling for the cheapest, worst possible sweeteners they can find (do I need to mention the "m" word again?!).

Kent isn't buying any of the hype about sugar alcohols and only subtracts the fiber in his carb counts. There's certainly nothing wrong with doing that, but it was not necessary for me when I was losing weight and even now. For the record, Kent believes sugar alcohols should count anywhere between 25-75 percent of what the same amount of sugar carbs would be. He says the body reacts to the sugar alcohol in the same way as it does sugar by releasing insulin into the body. As a result, some people experience stalls in their weight loss while eating low-carb foods containing sugar alcohols.

This has not been my experience, but we are all very different as I have said before. If you notice the scale stops moving downward, then stop eating the low-carb chocolates for a week to see if it makes a difference. Perhaps your body is ultrasensative to the sugar alcohols and adjustments should be made in the amount of these products you consume. For others, it's a non-issue. Don't just assume it either is or is not a problem. Monitor it closely for YOU and act accordingly.

There are some invaluable links to other articles about this subject if you are interested in pursuing it further by visiting Kent's blog. Be sure to leave Kent a comment while you are there thanking him for his hard work and dedication to making these videos about how to do the Atkins diet.