Sugar alcohols like malitol
and sorbitol can cause uncomfortable
side effects such as gas, bloating,
and diarrhea when taken in large doses like you might get in an energy bar. What’s more, “reduced sugar” does not necessarily mean reduced calorie—at least, not reduced enough to matter. Malitol, for example, has 75 percent the calories of sugar, and since it’s not as sweet as the real thing, more must be used to achieve the same taste.
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Larabar Cherry
190 calories
8 g fat (0.