Sugar Alcohol and Fiber

Nutrition Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hi Dr. Feigenbaum,
I often eat a protein bar as a snack which helps me hit my protein goals for the day. Most of the protein bars I have been using contain sugar alcohols and a high amount of dietary fiber. My usual bar has 20 g of protein, 2 g of erythritol and 16 g of fiber. From the ingredients list it looks like soluble corn fiber is the fiber source in the bar.

  1. If I’m not having digestive issues with the sugar alcohols, is it okay to consume them in small amounts (like 2 g a day most days of the week)?
  2. Am I getting the same health benefits from the fiber in the bar as I would be from fiber from fruits, vegetables or grains? If not, should I try to get 38 g of fiber from better sources daily and not count the 16 g of fiber I get from the bar I eat towards my 38g daily goal? I’ve noticed that I am able to eat 52 g of fiber in a day without having any digestive issues.
    Thank you for your time and all the super practical guidance you provide for us.
    Erik
2

Erik,

Thanks for the post.

  1. Yep, no problems with their consumption on my end.
  2. I don’t think we can look at it that granularly and I wouldn’t worry about it outside of aiming to get ~10 servings total per day of fruits and vegetables and hitting your total fiber goal for the day.

-Jordan

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