Fiber One Chewy Bars – Oats and Chocolate is the first product I am officially placing in the FitnessMantra Product Review category. Although I have spoken about other products earlier, this is the first one I am officially reviewing.
Disclosure: I was sent one (1) box of five (5) bars to try and then present a product review on FitnessMantra. You can be assured that my reviews will always be unbiased, irrespective of whether I purchase the product or receive it to review.
Product: Fiber One Chewy Bars – Oats and Chocolate
Manufacturer: General Mills
Presentation: Single-serving bars, individually wrapped and labeled with Nutrition Facts and Ingredients
Serving Size: 1 bar (40g)
Allergy information: Contains Soy, Milk, Almond, Peanut, Sunflower and Wheat ingredients
Nutrition Information: Here is the nutrition label information for Fiber One Chewy Bars – Oats and Chocolate scanned directly from the box (this is FitnessMantra; you had to know this was coming!):
Positives:
- Visually, the bars are very appealing: they are cream in color with little chocolate pieces and make an appealing visual stimulation (even a wavy chocolate line across the bar for effect!)
- Calorie-wise the bar is perfect for a snack (it has 140 calories with 35 calories (less than 1/3 of total – the ideal number) from fat)
- As far as taste goes, you might not even realise it before the bar is gone (chocolate has that effect on people!). The bars are soft, chewy (yet not all that sticky although it is winter now and you might not want to leave these in your car during summer!) and great on the taste buds.
- Although the primary source of fiber is chicory root extract (chicory is a plant more famous for the use of its leaves as a flavoring agent for coffee) and you might expect a bland taste, the other ingredients mask this taste and make it enjoyable to eat.
- Of course the biggest selling point of the bar: fiber, fiber, fiber! Now a single bar has 9g of fiber which accounts for about 35% of your recommended daily allowance (RDA) of fiber of 25g. But you must realize that this comes at a cost of some pretty unhealthy ingredients which brings me to the …
Negatives:
- You already know I am a stickler for the ethical labeling of products especially Products that are labeled “Natural” so when I saw “Naturally Flavored” in bold across the top of the packaging you know where my eyes traveled to next: the ingredients list. And sure enough there were all the usual suspects: “confectioner’s shellac” listed as the second ingredient (meaning it is the second largest component by weight) contains hydrogenated coconut oil (and if not specified, this usually indicates “partial hydrogenation” – fully hydrogenated oils are usually labeled as “fully hydrogenated”). As always do not be fooled by 0g trans fat: manufacturers need not list trans fat quantities that are less than 0.5g.
- In the same vein as #1 above, note the two ingredients High Fructose Corn Syrup and its close cousin High Maltose Corn Syrup. These are about as natural as centrifuged, enzymatically-sweetened, genetically-modified corn can get! You know the truth: HFCS cannot truly be considered a natural product although some recent research suggests the body metabolizes High Fructose Corn Syrup similarly to sugar.
- With 10g of sugar this is not the best source of fiber for those with diabetic conditions. They are probably better off with the cereal version of this bar or other varieties like All Bran.
Alternatives:
What could you have instead of “Fiber One Chewy Bars – Oats and Chocolate” and still get your fill of fiber? Why, a whole-grain sandwich would do just great! Infact dab a little peanut butter and throw in some blue-berries (my all-time favorite breakfast right there) and you have yourself a nice combination of whole grains, fiber, protein and antioxidants. Granted it’s not as easy to put in your purse as the chewy bars but at least you know it’s good for you without potentially harmful ingredients.
Conclusion:
While they satisfy the primary selling point of being high in fiber and in fact do so without subjecting one to the usual bland taste that fiber-rich products are famous for, Fiber One Chewy Bars – Oats and Chocolate cannot be unconditionally recommended unless General Mills makes a few changes to the ingredients (lopping off the hydrogenated oils and artificial sweeteners would be a good start – after which the “Naturally Flavored” label will actually be truthful). When McDonalds and Wendys can agree to be trans fat free, I wonder what’s taking a company like General Mills, which strives to be associated with healthy eating, so long.
Eat the bars as a rare treat but don’t you, for even one minute, believe you can justify having these everyday as a “fiber food” – probably “candy bar” is a better term for them. Instead try yogurt topped with flaxseed or the whole grain sandwich – they are both satisfying and give you the fiber you need – naturally!
[tags]health, nutrition, fiber, general mills, Fiber One Chewy Bars – Oats and Chocolate[/tags]
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A couple things. First, the bars are pretty tasty. I’ve eaten the chocolate and oats, and the peanut butter and oats, and they are both good. They are chewy and sweet and are a good snack with fiber. Now to the gas. It’s obvious by reading the posts that they seem to affect everyone differently. Some people have no problems, and the other end of the spectrum seems to have painful cramping and or diarhea. I would not buy these in bulk unless I’ve had them before. I can say for myself that they caused severe gas. No problem unless you are somewhere where you don’t want to be farting explosively for a few hours. My wife and I ate a bar each the other Saturday, and we literally had fart wars all afternoon. It was actually pretty funny. After a while I googled them and found quite a few people with similar results. I offered one to a co-woker this morning, and have been tracking him this afternoon. Explosive gas. He blew ass in multiple offices all afternoon. I told him about the bars and we had a laugh. He said the gas has been uncontrolable. We are going to “donate” a box to the breakroom and watch the fun begin!
Just had ONE “Oats and Peanut” Fiber One bar and have been in severe pain for hours. See Stacy’s comments (May 2010). The pains were as bad as when I delivered my son by natual birth. I can not beleive this product is out there without a warning on it’s label. I am sensitive to some low/no cal sweetners and carefully read labels and then purchased the products. In fiber one bards my best guess (with a little online research) is it the Chicory Root Extract that causes the problem…I avoid this ingredient and NEVER BY FIBER ONE BARS AGAIN!!! I’m back to making my own granola bars.
don’t have any of these problems.. will finish my box and see what happens
I’ve been having these for lunch every day at school and felt a slight need to go by the end of the day. Not recommendable for those days where one has gym class after lunch but it’s not at all bad otherwise.
I am literally LMAO @ the comments! Fiber One bars are great if you don’t have much fiber added in your diet. Of course, you are gonna have the pain, cramping, bloating, diarrhea and other symptoms of your digestive symptom being shocked from… ooohhh get this…. FIBER! Two bars are almost you DAILY amount! This means you should have more fiber in your diet. So if you are pooping your guts out from these bars, don’t blame GM, blame yourselves from all those years of eating greasy pizzas, crappy burgers, high fat cheeses and creams, all of which have little to no fiber content! Add more whole fiber foods such as veggies, fruits, beans (legumes), and whole wheat foods and watch how your body adjusts to the added fiber to your diet!
I put on my glasses and read the labels of all the “flavors” of fiber one bars yesterday. Honestly, when I got to high maltose corn syrup I figured this food item is just as dangerous to consume as most of the other items in the entire aisle at the grocery store. It is so disappointing to see so many products which contain manipulated chemicals and additives which claim to be good for adults and children. I’ll stick to fruits and vegetables and high grain natural breads.
We would be better served if the corporations would stop marketing these items as being natural and healthy. They are not.
The chickory root extract is a known laxative. Why this is used as the first, and therefore the majority ingredient is beyond me. There should be a disclaimer on the box.
I forgot to mention that I have been eating a high fiber diet for twenty years, still the chickory root is a laxative and some people may never acclimate to it.
LOL! No fiber no weight loss.. Along with eating these bars, you really do need to exercise…
As I sit here laughing to the point of tears I must admit I went on the same search as the previous posters….WHY THE HELL AM I FARTING SO MUCH!?!?!?!?
Yesterday afternoon (thank God it was Sunday) I ate one. Wow these taste great I thought. We headed to Home Depot and it kicked in. The rumble of the intestines! I snuck down an empty isle and let-r-rip! Ok that’s better I thought. Well that was just the beginning of the Fart Fest 2011. I’m pretty modest about this sort of behavior in front of others, but not today! My teenage stepsons were at first mortified that I farted in front of them, then utterly amused by it. There’s no telling what they told their mother after we dropped them off that night! For the next 5 hours it was on baby! They could be heard through the house without even trying to listen. All afternoon it was…”Was that you!” “Holy hell!”
I never had diarrhea or pain, just the gas.
I’m happy to report I am all better today…although the dog still looks at me funny.
They give me a lot of gas. Beyond that they are OK. Maybe it is true that those who have severe reactions have not been getting enough fiber. I will eat them for a while and see if my gas gets better.
I eat very healthy and get enough fiber in my diet, LMAO, and still I have to agree with the comments above. I have had the worse gas and cramps every once in a while for the past few weeks and I could not figure out what was causing it until I read this and realized that every day that I ate a Fiber One Bar I ended up with the worst stomach pains right after lunch.
I am LOLing as I read all the fart comments on this blog! In fact, I found this site by Googling “why do fiber one bars give me gas”. So what is it with these things? Those commercials you see on TV where the woman is in the grocery store and the other lady asks her “Wow have you lost weight?” She says “Yeah, all I’ve done is wished to lose weight and it worked.” And she said, “Oh I thought it might have been those Fiber One bars you’re buying.” And the girl was like, “Oh, well I wished for (enter name of hot guy now standing next to her) and that wish came true.” As if eating Fiber One bars makes you lose weight and find a hot guy!!!! lol!!!! So all I have to say is WHATEVER! You will NOT by any means land a hottie boyfriend by eating these bars. In fact, you will scare off any man in earshot if you eat these bars!
So I admit, I love the taste of these bars and they are a great snack! But be prepared to fart away the day. My kids have been laughing at my everyday that I eat these bars. I have really been ripping it around here. My husband does not think that women are supposed to make noisy farts, so I have had to be super careful around him. I am a stay at home mom so I don’t worry about eating these if I don’t have anywhere to go. But if I know I’m going to go out during the day, or like to church, I know that I can not eat these bars that day! They give me the most powerful, explosive gas EVER! I do sometimes get intestinal cramps after eating these, along with the gas…but I have not had the diarrhea as some people have said. Thank goodness! The bars taste good, but you have to decide if they are worth all the farting episodes.
The highlight of my FiberOne-fartitis is when an annoying telemarketer called and instead of answering their question I waited for the right moment, put the phone up to my rear and ripped a big one for them, all thanks to eating a FiberOne bar for breakfast that day. Woo hoo!
I will not be buying any more of these bars because I can’t take the gas anymore. The gas is interfering with my social life.
Im so glad Im not alone on these…I love them but I literally have Dumb and Dumber style diarrhea when I eat just one bar! My daughter doesn’t seem to be effected like me but Im afraid I have to give them up for good. Nice try though Fiber One!
Such Arrogance! Read Sherry’s and Ken’s comments: “I eat one of these almost daily and I never have a problem – but I tend to have a higher fiber diet so maybe I am used to it” and “Delicious!
I have had no gas, no bloating, no cramps. Feel great.”
Either these people have colons that are from the planet Krypton or they really have no social life at all. C’mon, everyone on this board has posted that you will become a cosmonaut if you eat one of these. These bars are the devil. These bars could end a marriage (though some would find that a good thing). Sherry and Ken must enjoy smelling the stench of Fiber One Fart Bars.
Glad I am not the only one. I bought these before and ate one day and had terrrible stomach pains everyday. I read the box where it said increasing your fiber too quick can cause stomach issues however I only ever at one a day and I eat a healthy diet of meat, veggies, fruit, beans and fish all the time not junk. So a few months go by I bought them again just had the first one out of the box this morning and have been suffering all day with gas and bad cramps….never again will I by these.
We have just discovered these bars and I have to say to start with that we hardly ever eat out, we do not eat fast food, we do not eat any foods that are fried, we eat what I would call healthy. We eat a lot of meatless meals. The other day he went out on a half day fishing trip and had to come back home because he could not stay away from a bathroom long enough. He thought it was something that we had eaten the night before, maybe bad fish. I felt fine! The next day I ate one for breakfast, about 3 hours later my stomach was cramping and I could not keep the food in me! I have eaten their yougurt daily for months and I have never had this problem! I eat their cereal and never have had this problem. I finally put it all together last night and told him that I think it was the bars since I had the same problem. We are going to experiment more with them tomorrow. Since it is Sunday, we are home and there is not better place to be! If the same thig happens we are throwing them out.
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Ummmm omg I googled f1 bars becuz my non syop c
Stop cramping n pooping.i worked all day yesterdY n had to rush off to church h as dnt eating so I ate three of tjem.yeah its been fun.poor girl next to me.
I bought these about a month ago and I love them. I had a little gas the first week but it wasn’t bad at all. I eat a lot of fiber. Whole grain cereals and apples. I’ve started eating am apple for breakfast and eating fiber bars or brownies for snacks throughout the day along with small meals and lots of water and tons of vitamins. As of right now I’m working 3 jobs and going to school 6 hours and i have 2 step daughters that keep me busy on the weekends. I have no time for exercise if I’m going to get enough sleep so I’m watching what I eat. I’ve lost 14 lbs in the past 6 weeks just by making healthier choices. With as busy as I am I don’t have time to make meals during the week. I usually just stick water, fiber bars, peanut butter, apples, and kiwis in my lunch bag and sometimes some sandwich meat. The fiber bars are working great for me! I can make it through my long day without starving thanks to them.
@LMAO @ the comments:
Not to be mean or rude or anything but if u prefer getting your daily amout of fiber from3 gas producing candy bars over just eating healthily throughout the day and not gas bombing every one you know then YOU ARE RETARDED.
i would hate to have to be near you at any point of the day if u are that comfortable with farting all the time. i am a teenager and i ate these before going to one of my regional competitions and the cramps were so bad it was ridiculously hard to play…..
but like i always say “PERSONAL CHOICE” if u like farting then go right ahead but id prefer not to be “that guy” ( ya know that guy who farts all the time a.k.a. YOU)
and all u peeps who claim to have eaten these and nothings happened probs are just a bunch of advocates from GM trying to clear the name(but u never know, everybody is different)
heres an idea: Take the Chicory root out of the fiber one bars and maybe costumers will stay costumers and the world just might have a litte less farting:)
@ fitness mantra:
i dont think people care so much about HFCS and natural flavoring as they do about getting awful gas….
so i was really disapointed that there was nothing in the review about that esp. since so many people experienced it.
I found some of the persons who liked the product and denigrated those who had GI problems pretty ‘asinine’, appropriate for the topic. The last from LMAO shows a level of arrogance likely to bite them back at some point, hopefully in the appropriate place. I’m 65 and have eaten a high-fiber, nutritious diet since I read Adelle Davis in college, later started a grad degree in Exercise Phys, was certified as a personal trainer, and was pleased to hear from a store owner the other day that I have ‘the body of a 22-year-old. Luckily, I also don’t have any of the ‘system’ issues, cardio, diabetes, etc. that go along with poor lifestyle choices. I haven’t touched a pizza in 10 years (processed bread for 45), nor the other junk that poster referred to, with the exception of some cheese at times. I did pick these up in a hurry last night, and, after walking my dogs for several hours, ate several of the bars because I didn’t feel like making dinner–and am paying for that today, big time. And, believe me, my gut is well-acclimated to fiber. The type of GI stimulation triggered by these has little to do with regular fiber intake, it is specific to the extract.
I almost always check labels, but I didn’t have my glasses handy or I would never have bought these. They have more unhealthy junk in them than the rest of what I’ve eaten for months combined. Palm Kernel Oil–really?–one of the most saturated fats going is healthy? The fact that the second highest concentration of ingredients is chocolate chips, after the leading ingredient which has nothing to recommend it except being a fiber, whoopee do.
For people who don’t know much about nutrition–and fitness was an avocation, I worked in healthcare as a professional for 25 years–taking in unhealthy substances with the idea that getting fiber along with them justifies it is flat out stupid. Fiber does not have to mean a ‘prune, bean, and broccoli’ sandwich–KC sounds like a GM plant, as do several other respondants. There are plenty of options that are healthier than these bars. I’m not into cooking, so I try to minimize the damage from buying ready-made items. These are the worst of what I’ve tried. An ‘honest’ candy bar would be better–as it might not have some of the less desirable ingredients.
Before healthcare, I obtained an MBA in Marketing, and it’s interesting to see the slant placed on these bars, and how the defenders have bought into it. Chickory root can interfere with the absorption of some nutrients, just ignore that and be grateful for some weight loss, while eating a high sugar item which is negatively impacting your insulin metabolism–after all, you’re being told (by marketers) that you’re eating the god ‘fiber’ who erases all sins. For Jim Rogers, this is an absolutely self-destructive choice. Any benefit from consuming fiber to aid with diabetes is completely negated by the amount of simple sugars and saturated fats–and at 600 bars, I’ll bet your (no doubt adult-0nset) diabetes is in great control right now–totally free of pharmaceutical coverage….?
Debbie Paget, you implied you have less appetite and more energy as a result of these bars? There’s virtually no protein in them, so after the quick hit of the simple sugars there’s nothing to sustain energy like a healthy food except for placebo effect. You’re getting close to 300 calories a day from a non-nutritious food–all inert fiber, sugars and saturated fat and chemical additives. If you’re losing weight, you’re depriving your body of some of the substances it needs to build muscle tissue, maintain bone and connective tissues, etc., which you could get with a healthier high-fiber choice. I never thought I’d get as old as I am, but I’m really happy right now to find that I look and (except for some recent injuries) still move like I’m in my 20s. I look at people my age who didn’t watch their diet and exercise and can’t believe people have to live in those bodies. Wake up!
As far as saying some people are whining and overreacting–it’s clearly been helpful to most readers to know they’re not alone in their GI reaction. It was for me. What wasn’t helpful was knowing leaving the house today was a bit dicey. (Oh, and for the guy who was so fine a couple of hours after eating these–my reaction occured the next morning, as other posters also mentioned.) So, for people who like these, they’ll know to be judicious in their use. The label, which I read post facto, as mentioned, did say to become acclimated to these gradually. Good advice.
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