If you are looking for ways to increase your protein intake you probably wonder what kind of foods you should eat more of or whether you should include some types of bars and supplements in your diet. Many of us will probably start by googling the question: “Are protein bars good for you? “in case we want to start using these products. While the internet isn’t always the best source of information and the most reliable one we can agree that most often we find help, as more and more people are sharing their honest experiences online with trying some products and experimenting with different supplements and diets. But how do you know if these products are good for you?
How Do you Know if a Protein Bar is Healthy?
Considering the fact that there are so many brands on the market producing a variety of protein bars, you’ll most likely face an obstacle when it comes to choosing the best one for you. This is a vital question to ask yourself as not all of them are made the same way and therefore they don’t contain the same nutritional value. There are energy bars that serve as a meal replacement option, help you build muscles, and reach your fat loss goals while consuming others may completely sabotage your efforts.
Speaking of the last, this happens as we often end up buying things at face value not questioning their true worth. When it comes to healthy living there are no shortcuts as we best apply what we’ve learned ourselves. To figure out what kind of protein snack bars you should start consuming you need to be on the lookout for some useful features. Knowing the importance of each one of them can help you find better quality products filled with high nutrient ingredients. So, let’s have a look at some of them.
Total Calorie Count
The first factor you need to be on the lookout for is the total calorie count. This is very important if you are trying to lose weight for example, as you probably don’t want to sabotage your efforts of hours spent in the gym with a protein bar that isn’t going to help achieve your goals. So many protein bars are labeled under the name “healthy” but they actually contain much more sugar than proteins. Most often carbohydrates are concealed under various names such as dextrose, fructose, rice syrup, molasses, honey, gave nectar, or others.
If your daily goal is to obtain 1200 calories in order to be in a caloric deficit and start losing weight it’s isn’t wise to fill up half of your protein intake from consuming bars. You can instead obtain those calories from eating real food such as fish, steamed veggies or rice that are known to possess a big deal of proteins in their content and will make you feel fuller for a much longer time.
Carbs to Protein Ratio
Protein bars are extremely popular because of their low-calorie content making them suitable as a weight loss supplement. Many people love them because they are convenient and provide a quick source of proteins intake that seems to be a perfect match for their busy and active lifestyle. Most types of energy bars derive proteins from high-quality ingredients such as oats, nuts, and fruit. However, protein bars that contain more than twice the number of recommended carbohydrates in comparison to proteins are the ones you should probably avoid.
For instance, there are bars containing 40g of carbs versus 10g of proteins. Based on this ratio it’s obvious that the energy bar falls more on the sugary side. While athletes and more physically active individuals will be fine with consuming a higher proportion of carbohydrates, overweight people and those less active need to be especially mindful, and pick bars that can provide an effective source of fuel for their body and feature fewer calories number.
Consider the Brand and Always Check the Label
Most often people buy products that are considered generally healthy by the majority of people. These products are usually produced by brands who established themselves as healthy and safe. However, marketing sales is a great way to advertise a certain product as “healthy for you”. While some of these companies truly live up to their standards others just try to make a profit by making the media believe the products are of high nutritional value. For this reason, you should be careful when buying products, in this case, protein meal bars. It’s best to ignore the flash and fame and don’t forget to have a peek behind the label to see if these protein energy bars really support your fitness and health goals.
Have in Mind the Ingredients Included and Those you Want to Avoid
Some of us buy things unconsciously and we rarely take time to check the chart with the ingredients. Still, in order to end up buying a bar that tastes great and is healthy, you must know what to avoid as well. Ingredients that you can’t pronounce or have no idea what they’re are is best to avoid buying. These include ingredients that are often added as a substitute to some others. For instance, protein bars that are labeled free of added sugar usually contain a high level of artificial sweeteners that are responsible for giving a sweet taste to the bar. They belong into the category sugar alcohols and some of these ingredients include potassium, aspartame, sucralose, mannitol, sorbitol, maltitol, etc.
For many people, these ingredients can cause intestinal pain, diarrhea, or constipation while others have no problems with using them. Another ingredient you want to avoid is the seaweed carrageenan. Carrageenan is an additive that is used to thicken, emulsify, and preserve foods and drinks and is commonly found in protein bars as well. This product has been shown to cause many intestinal troubles for people, including gastrointestinal ulcerations, inflammation, and sustained damages to the digestive tract. Many brands have taken measures against removing this ingredient entirely or labeled the products with a warning or under the name “unsafe”.
Besides these two, many proteins bars are loaded with high doses of sugar and fructose corn syrup. These ingredients are responsible for adding unwanted calories that don’t have any nutritional value. If losing weight is your goal you should avoid them entirely. Also, other synthetic ingredients such as various preservatives and chemical compounds are often included in many protein bars in order to increase their taste and make them last longer. If you are truly dedicated to a healthy lifestyle you better get acquainted with each one of these ingredients so you will know the nutritional value of each one of them and know which to avoid.
