Flip That Protein Bar Over!

Protein plays a critical role in the structure, function and regulation of your whole body. Your organs can’t function properly without adequate amounts of protein.

Protein bars are a great option for meeting dietary needs-if done right. A regular diet could get most people an adequate amount of protein, but others need to supplement their protein intake for varying reasons-diet, exercise, recovery.

This is where protein bars come in.

However, be careful, some of the protein bars you find in the “healthy snacks” or “diet” sections of your local store have more calories than a Snicker bar! They are nothing more than glorified candy bars. You wouldn't think that, but take a closer look at the calorie and ingredient breakdown. You’ll be shocked at the calorie content of some so-called protein bars.

Certain protein bars claiming to be the “greatest protein bar ever to hit the diet industry” have more calories than an entire meal! Even if you’re looking for a way to ingest massive amounts of calories quickly and in small portions, you still want to play close attention to the back panel of protein bars.

Turn that protein bar over, and you’ll discover it’s mostly held together by high fructose corn syrup and fat, with some whey protein thrown in there-just so the label can scream “Contains whey!”

What are Your Protein Goals?

When perusing shelves or online for protein bars, ‌determine beforehand what your goals are.

What are you looking for in protein bars? For some people, protein bars are a guilt-free way to eat candy, whether or not they admit it. Is that your goal?

Or are you trying to aid muscle recovery after working out? Are you trying to infuse more protein into your diet? Are you trying to hit your protein goals for the day?

Are you eating because you need a quick snack and you’re trying to keep your calories lower and remain satiated? Are you bulking, or trying to put on weight as fast as possible?

These are all legitimate questions you need to ask yourself. Pinpointing your goals helps you pick out a protein bar that works for you.

If the goal is to supplement your protein intake, the protein bar you opt for should have at least 15 to 20 grams of protein, minimum.

Flip That Protein Bar Over!

The front packaging of all foods can be misleading. Particularly foods labeled “diet food” or in the health or sport nutrition section. They usually have eye-catching claims to lure you, the unsuspecting shopper.

Many of them have ingredients highlighted on the front of the packaging that make it look like they are super healthy. “Less than 3 grams of sugar,” “less than 5 grams of carbs,” but when you read the nutrition panel, they have 12 grams of fat in them!

Common sources of protein include eggs, soy, whey, milk and casein. You should know this: protein bar companies latch onto this knowledge when marketing their products.

Most of the marketing for protein bars key into some kind of fad diet. Keto bars, for example. Some bars that are keto friendly still have lots of carbs and trans fat in them. So ‌watch out. Read the back panel. Always.

Companies make millions of dollars selling protein bars they hype as being healthy when they are not. They are just candy bars with whey, casein, or soy added in for good measure. You see a protein bar with a trending ingredient on the front of it and you think it must be good, must be super healthy.

Nope. It’s not. That trendy ingredient is prominently displayed to capture your attention, deceiving you into thinking it’s super healthy. That ingredient is just a strategy to get you to buy a high calorie, super sweet candy bar.

Might as well grab a good old Payday bar. Or better still, eat an actual high protein meal.

Take this Fitjoy protein bar for example. It’s touted as a low carb, high protein bar. True, it has 20 grams of protein. Awesome, right? But it also contains 9 grams of fat, which accounts for 80 of the 230 total calories ‌in the entire bar.

Yes, you’re getting 20 grams of protein, but you’re also getting a bunch of fat from it. If your goal is to lose weight, it might not be a great option.

So What Makes a Great Protein Bar?

You have your goals, and you’re armed with the knowledge that most protein bars are marketing strategies to make people feel better about eating candy bars. Period. Now what? Below are things to consider.

Ingredients

Protein content. Does the bar actually contain any protein? Look out for more than trace amounts of proteins like casein or whey. A 60 gram bar should contain at least 20 to 25 grams of protein.

Fiber. Fiber should be the main carbohydrate in the bar. Minimum 3 to 6 grams per bar. Fiber helps control blood sugar, promotes healthy gut health and compared to other carbohydrates, you stay fuller longer.

Carbohydrates. Pay special attention to the carbs in protein bars. You want the good carb-fiber. You want to avoid the high-fructose corn syrup that’s prevalent in a lot of the bars on the market. Try as much as possible to avoid bars with added sugars in them.

Fat. This is another pitfall to watch out for. You want to avoid bars that contain high levels of fat, especially if dieting. Plant-based bars are best. The fat from nuts is healthier. So cashew nuts, peanuts, macadamia, for example.

Reviews

A useful activity when shopping for protein bars is to read as many reviews as you can. Go beyond the flashy highlights, dig deeper. Ask questions on diet forums. Do your research. The best protein bars contain low fat, low sugar and higher amounts of protein. They also contain natural ingredients.

Taste Test

While reading reviews might be helpful with picking a protein bar to stick with, you also want to make sure you like the taste. What tastes good for one person might be yuk for another. You want a staple of your diet to be something you actually enjoy. You deserve a bar that’s good for you and also delicious.

Budget-friendly

Okay, so you decide to incorporate protein bars into your diet and you find one you like, uh-oh, wait a second, that bar costs $5? It ticks all other boxes, good for you, great reviews, but super pricey. Unless you can afford it, there are bars out there that meet your dietary and budget needs.

The Final Word

Whichever bar you settle for, flip it over, read it, understand what you’re reading and make a choice that way. Make sure that you also look at the serving size versus caloric content. Read the even smaller print. Sometimes a bar could have multiple servings.

Pay attention to the macronutrients breakdown-does it serve your goals? Does it have enough protein and fiber? Some protein bars are not what they are marketed as; some of them are not high protein by any stretch. They are sugar bars with a dash of nuts, berries and other fillers in them to make them seem healthy.

If you’re dieting and need 20 grams of protein real quick, grab a protein bar. However, it should supplement your diet not replace it.

Your checklist for picking out a protein bar:

• Read the nutritional value, do not go by the highlights.
• Pay attention to all ingredients, not just the macros
• Read reviews
• Read the serving size-how many actual calories are you getting?
• What are your goals when buying a protein bar? Is it actually high protein?
• How much fat and sugar is in it? What type of fat and sweetener is in it?
• Is it tasty?
• Is it budget friendly?
• Is the company that makes it reputable?
• What are actual people saying about it?