WHAT'S IN AN ATKINS HIGH PROTEIN BAR?
ATKINS HIGH PROTEIN BARS - FAR FROM HOMEMADE™
Updated April 2026
Atkins is based on the plan created by Dr. Robert Atkins (1930-2003), a Cardiologist who “Saw that eating right, not less, improved his patients’ health.”
Q: WHAT IS THE SIMPLY GOOD FOOD COMPANY’S IDEA OF EATING RIGHT? Let’s look at what’s in some of the Atkins Meal Bars. (Source: The Simply Good Food Company Atkins Web site 4/26)
Seen below, ATKINS CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PRETZEL BARS ARE FAR FROM HOMEMADE™ with multiple commercial ingredients we never use at home.
Note that Soy Protein Isolate is the second ingredient in this and many Atkins products >> an ingredient which Harvard Medical School advises we avoid. (Source: Harvard Health Publishing of Harvard Medical School)
ALL ATKINS HIGH PROTEIN BARS ARE BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS MARKET: Below is a look at Atkins Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bar. Whole Foods has a list of banned ingredients which they cite as “unacceptable in food”. This Atkins bar has two ingredients which have been banned by Whole Foods >> Polydextrose and Sucralose. (Source for banned ingredients: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 4/26)
Q: Even if you know nothing about him, does this seem like a treat that Dr. Atkins — or any doctor — would acknowledge as “eating right”?
Q: WHAT DID DR. ATKINS MEAN BY ‘HIGH QUALITY PROTEIN’?
A: Dr. Atkins promoted a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet. In his book, Age-Defying Diet Revolution, Dr. Atkins describes what he means by 'High Quality Protein' >> "such as red meat, poultry, seafood and eggs.”
The protein in Atkins High Protein Bars comes, not from sources which Dr. Atkins cited as High Quality, but from commercial-grade, processed ingredients like Soy Protein Isolate and Whey Protein Isolate. According to the FDA 2026, 94% of U.S. Soybeans are GMO.
Dr. Atkins also touted the benefits of eating as many vegetables as possible and avoiding things which require detoxification.
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