Doctor's CarbRite Diet Bar: Now the First & Only Low Carb Bar without Artificial Sweeteners!

As consumers, few groups are as well-educated, disciplined, and demanding as "low carb" dieters. Due to the stringent nature of their diets, they keep abreast of pertinent nutritional issues and they research the foods they eat. In recent months, one controversy has centered around the issue of artificial sweeteners. Industry insiders believe it was one of the reasons Atkins' Advantage Bar^TM replaced aspartame with sucralose. Aspartame has been getting a lot of bad press. Yet from a consumer point of view, Atkins' move was essentially horizontal - one artificial sweetener was replaced by another.

But is sucralose really better? While touting itself as the only "low calorie sweetener made from sugar", sucralose is still an artificial sweetener. Artificial sweeteners like sucralose (Splenda^TM), aspartame (Nutrasweet^TM), and acesulfame potassium (Sunett^TM) are similar in that all three are much sweeter than pure sugar. Ace-K and sucralose are unique in that both are completely inert in the human body, passing through it without being metabolized. In addition, both are highly stable in heat, making them suitable for bar applications.

Due to growing public sentiment against aspartame, many low carb bars are now beginning to use sucralose, acesulfame potassium (ace-k), or a combination of both. Of the two, sucralose appears to be gaining in greater popularity, partly because of the mistaken belief that since sucralose is made from sugar, it must be natural. While there is no clear indication which of these sweeteners is the safest, one thing remains clear: all are artificial.

A new herbal dietary supplement known as stevia yields a fine powder that is approximately 300 times sweeter than sugar (as compared to 200 times for acesulfame potassium and aspartame). Stevia has been safely used in Japan (and South America) as an approved sweetener and food additive since 1975. Like acesulfame potassium and sucralose, stevia is heat stable. Unlike artificial sweeteners however, stevia is also resistant to acid hydrolysis and is non-fermentable.

There is one more important distinction: stevia is completely natural. In addition, stevia offers some remarkable benefits for low carb dieters. Studies have confirmed that stevia exerts hypoglycemic effects - this amazing herb was found to lower blood sugar levels in human subjects. Additional studies have indicated that stevia inhibits gluconeogenesis, which may partially explain stevia's hypoglycemic actions.

From a functional point of view, adding stevia to any low carb food would benefit most dieters following an Atkins-type diet. Theoretically, stevia could further reduce the glycemic response of a carb food. While amazingly low in its own right (only 2.6g of carbs), the Doctor's CarbRite Diet Bar is even better for low carb dieters with the addition of stevia.

By far, the CarbRite Bar has the best nutritional profile of any bars on the market. Reason enough to buy a box or two. But there are two more persuasive reasons. Doctor's CarbRite Diet Bar has been rated #1 in national taste tests. Everyone is raving about the Chocolate Peanut Butter and Chocolate Fudge Brownie flavors. Try a Doctor's CarbRite Diet Bar, the only bar of its kind without artificial sweeteners, today. It's just what the doctor ordered.^TM

Copyright 2001, Universal Nutrition
Reprinted with Permission.