Low-Carb LC-NY Style Everything Bagels by LC Foods Review

This post is sponsored by LC Foods; the opinions expressed are honest and my own. There are links in this post that may lead to revenue for CarbSmart if you click through and purchase the product on external web sites.

Low-Carb LC-NY Style Everything Bagels by LC Foods

We are reviewing all of LC-Foods classic low-carb bagels – Plain, Cinnamon Raisin and now Everything Bagels.

My Love for Everything Bagels

Anyone who knows me knows I’m from Rochester, NY. That’s pronounced RAH-chester by the locals and that’s Western New York, not New York City but NYC is only a 6-hour drive or 1-hour plane ride from Rochester. On my first trip to NYC when I was in college, I had my first Everything Bagel.

When I used to eat wheat and sugar and gained all my weight, I loved bagels. I mean LOVED bagels. Sometimes I would go to a Bruegger’s Bagels on a Sunday and get three toasted bagels with cream cheese. To me, bagels are America’s breakfast comfort food, and I had plenty of them—especially Everything Bagels—until I became a low carber in 1998.

And remember for a lot of years, bagels were considered “low fat” and healthy. I gained the most weight on “low fat” and healthy. Of course, this was not just bagels but food wraps, starchy vegetables and plenty of low-fat, sugary snacks.

If you’re wondering what is New York City’s breakfast comfort food, it’s Everything Bagels. Everything Bagels are just that – the favorite flavors of the most popular bagels all mixed into one. This is the classic mix of poppy and sesame seeds, onion, garlic, and salt. To most people, this represents New York City.

The Science of Resistant Starches

As a refresher, there are three types of starches–rapidly digested starch (which breaks down quickly into simple sugars), slowly digested starch (like whole barley) and resistant starch (which reaches the large intestine without being broken down into sugars at all). Most of LC Foods’ products use resistant starches as part of their main ingredients.

From Wikipedia:

When isolated resistant starch is used to substitute for flour in foods, the glycemic response of that food is reduced. There is preliminary evidence that resistant starch, used as a substitute for refined carbohydrate, may increase insulin sensitivity and may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Ok, that’s a lot of science, but what that really means is that resistant starches pass through the digestive system mostly untouched and not absorbed or processed until they reach the large intestine where it is consumed or fermented by colonic bacteria.

For most people, resistant starches will not cause gas or a laxative effect but each person’s body is different, and some people will not be affected but some will. When you use a product the includes resistant starch, you will need to understand how much your body can tolerate.

The LC-NY Style Everything Bagel Taste Test

I’ve written before that I’ve never been impressed with the variety of Low Carb Bagels sold since the low-carb “craze” started around 2000. There are still some being sold as “Zero Carb Bagels” and are made with oat fiber and other questionable “fibers” making up the net carb count–they add up to zero net carbs, but I’ve never thought they were legit. In fact, that is why when CarbSmart.com was an online store selling low-carb foods from 1999 to 2012, we NEVER sold pre-made low-carb bagels. I could have made a TON of money doing that, but I never trusted them and we avoiding them.

We still see some of these low-carb bagels being sold today having filtered water as the first ingredient! How do you get a solid bagel if the first ingredient is water! So when LC Foods sent me packages of all three of their LC-Bagels (DISCLOSURE) for free, I was ready to be disappointed, but I wasn’t.

Like the other LC Foods bagels, they look and feel like regular bagels. LC Foods are the EXPERTS in producing great tasting low-carb foods made with resistant starch. Their proprietary blend of wheat protein isolates, resistant starches, and other healthy fibers gives them the edge in producing a low-carb bagel that approximates the feel of regular bagels but is healthier for us.

On top of that, they got the mix of Everything spices right to make us think we’re eating a regular Everything bagel. Salty and garlicy with the proper mix of sesame and poppy seeds. To approximate the slight sweetness of a regular Everything Bagel, LC-Foods adds a little organic stevia and natural lo han guo monk fruit.

This was the bagel I was waiting to try the most, so I saved it for last. After I reviewed their Plain and Cinnamon Raisin bagels this was going to be the true test for me. I’ve already commented that LC Foods’ bagels look and feel like regular bagels, now I wanted to see if they would get the taste right.

I gave them the Andrew-test – I toasted the bagel and coated it with full-fat cream cheese. Thick, crispy and chewy like a New York City bagel. A serving size is a whole bagel, but even a half of one will be satisfying for some people. The next morning I made another bagel and this time added lox, onions, and capers for the full New York City experience. The beauty of enjoying these bagels is that as long as you choose good low-carb toppings, you’ll have an amazing breakfast experience without sacrificing your low-carb lifestyle.

Nutrition Facts for a REGULAR Everything Bagel vs.
LC-NY Style Everything Bagels

I’m sure this won’t surprise you, but a regular Thomas’ Everything Bagel contains 280 calories and 53g of carbohydrates per bagel! That is almost three days of carbs for me but not anymore.

Total carb count per LC Foods Everything Bagel bagel is 7.6 grams minus the 6 grams of fiber for a delicious bagel with 1.6 grams of net carbs. Combined with 9 grams of protein and only 98 calories, these bagels make a great occasional low-carb breakfast treat. Total fat equals only 3.5 grams so if you are trying to add extra fat into your low carb lifestyle, top them with cream cheese, almond butter, full-fat butter or even an egg or two.

• Serving Size 1 bagel (115g)
• Servings per Container 3
• Calories 98
• Calories from Fat 32
• Total Fat 3.5g
• Saturated Fat 0.4g
• Trans Fat 0g
• Cholesterol 5.8mg
• Sodium 278mg
• Total Carbohydrate 7.6g*
• Dietary Fiber 6.0g*
• Sugars 0g
• Sugar Alcohols 0g
• Protein 9g

Ingredients: Wheat protein isolates, resistant wheat starch, flaxseed meal, olive oil, vital wheat gluten, instant dry yeast, inulin (chicory root) fiber, salt, calcium propionate (as a preservative), poppy seeds, sesame seeds, minced garlic, minced onion, vinegar, egg, organic stevia, natural lo han guo monk fruit.

Net Carbs as listed by the manufacturer on the package = 1.6g per serving.

Allergen Warning: Processed in a facility that uses wheat gluten & nuts.

I don’t believe you should have low-carb Everything bagels every day, but when you want that occasional New York-style breakfast, you’ll want these bagels. Keep them in your refrigerator, and they will stay fresh for weeks. Put them in the freezer, and they are great for months. Toast them in a toaster or toaster oven and enjoy your low-carb breakfast!