Lily’s Stevia sweetened chocolate bars may as well be called “fart bars” because their excessive amount of inulin causes flatulence.
One bar contains 22 to 24 grams of fiber.
Now let’s be realistic: A chocoholic will NOT stop at one row of squares.
A true chocolate lover will eat the entire bar in one sitting – which really isn’t that much, when you consider that the bar is very flat. It’s not as though it’s as thick as a brownie.
That’s a LOT of inulin at once when you eat an entire Lily’s chocolate bar. pass gas
You may have consumed inulin in other foods without the side effects of farting.
For example, Lifeway Kefir contains inulin – but the amount is too small (per eight ounces) to cause me any digestive side effects.
The “serving size” for Lily’s Stevia sweetened chocolate bars is designated as half the bar.
Yeah, right: A bona fide chocoholic will find it easy to stop at half a bar! NOT! I’m going for the entire thing.
The “creamy milk chocolate” and “dark chocolate” flavors taste good enough to satisfy the health conscious chocolate aficionado.
They’re not quite up there with a Hershey bar, but for anyone who wants to cut back on added sugar (aka “white death”), Lily’s chocolate bars are a tasty and satisfying option. pass gas
But you may pay a noisy and smelly price:
Continued bouts of flatulence beginning a few hours after finishing the product and persisting for several hours.
Inulin in Lily’s Chocolate Bars Causes Flatulence inulin
Inulin is a prebiotic: a food source for the “good bacteria” that naturally live in your gut.
These beneficial bacteria feast on inulin – and an unpleasant side effect results.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Feb. 2001, Cummings et al) says that prebiotics “influence many aspects of bowel function through fermentation.”
The Lily’s site says “Founded by Chocoholics for Chocoholics.”
Yet apparently, the candy company thinks that when a chocoholic buys a chocolate bar, the buyer is also wanting a high fiber content with the candy.
Come on, who’s trying to get a lot of fiber via CANDY?
A health conscious person will seek fiber in fresh produce, seeds and whole grains. Not candy, of all things! passing gas
So why has Lily’s pulled this very unwise business move, losing customers who don’t want to suffer through hours of farting just to enjoy Stevia sweetened chocolate? passing gas
“Mild flatulence is frequently observed by subjects being fed prebiotics,” states the same issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. “…in a significant number of subjects it is severe enough to be unacceptable and to discourage consumption.”
DISCOURAGE CONSUMPTION. Does Lily’s realize this? I am still going to eat their product…but I’m forced to cut back because I don’t want to pay for it later.
Now if you know with high certainty that you won’t have to leave your home after eating a Lily’s Stevia candy bar, then it’s not so bad if you end up passing gas all day and evening (and you’re not around others inside your house).
But if you must go out that day…make sure you don’t eat the Lily’s bar beforehand.
Otherwise, what if you’re standing in a slow moving line at a store, and there are people behind you, and suddenly the side effects of the fart bar start kicking in?
What if this happens while you’re at the gym?
One might suggest to just eat these bars only at night when you won’t be leaving the house. Then you can fart in your sleep and not know it.
However, I like to start my day with chocolate, not end it. I guess I’ll have to try to change up this scheduling if I’m to continue eating Lily’s Stevia chocolate bars.
