Caramel fudge, mint chocolate chip, strawberry.
Its like ice cream!
Unfortunately, also much like ice cream, these bars can cause pretty unfortunate side effects for some people.
Smneedham/Getty Images
But youre not alone.
Cool, its not in our heads, so whats up with that?
Fiber intake is associated withmany measuresof health, and most of us could do with eating more of it.
We all know this.
And, the people trying to sell bars know that we know thisso they load em up with fiber.
Were talking 10, 12, or 15 grams of fiber a serving.
The most popular kind is extracted and isolated from a plant called chicory root.
Manufacturers like it because it helps pack a huge hit of fiber without making it taste like mulch.
Added fiber isnt broken out separately in the Nutrition Facts; its just included in the total fiber count.
So a high-fiber content is your tipoff to look for one of those ingredient names.
Overdoing it on fiber can commonly cause gas, bloating, and cramping, according to theMayo Clinic.
That amount is a lot for your stomach to handle…Your system just isnt used to that.
When you eat something like fruits and veggies, you naturally get some water with your fiber.
Enter a weird throw in of carb called the sugar alcohol.
They bake really well and make for a much more palatable product than using sucralose, Tewksbury explains.
How much is too much depends on the person.
It’s hard to say," Tewksbury explains.
(It can depend on the pop in of sugar alcohol; more on that in a minute.)
But generally speaking, the more sugar alcohol something contains, the likelier you are to have a problem.
This is thanks to the unusual way sugar alcohols move through your GI tract.
And whenever bacteria eat, they make gas.
The gas can build up, causing bloating, cramping, and discomfort, or escape in stinky farts.
(For this reason, small amounts can actually be used to help with constipation, Tewksbury says.)
Some sugar alcohols are more aggravating than others.
If your beloved bars dont cause you any issues, theres no reason to give them up.
Its not dangerous, just discomfort, Kitchin says.
But if you have been experiencing post-bar misery, now you know why.
This doesnt mean you have to break up with bars for good, though.
National Library of Medicine.
(And again, drink plenty of water.)
But studies show that with habitual consumption, peoples gut flora can actually adapt to better handle sugar alcohols.
That could mean choosing one with less fiber.
