We know you are having a hard time figuring whether your favorite bar is worth your money. Is it good for you? The options available in the market are vast and confuses. Here, we have consulted a nutritionist who has given us tips to identify the best high-quality protein bar.
Proteins Bars Are All Different
The health and nutrition sector has for years made a huge chunk from peoples pockets. They label most protein bars as healthy and high quality. It’s all a fake. That’s why we have gone further to provide you with all the necessary info about good quality protein bars.
We are here to help you identify and shop for the best protein bars. You need not get learned to discover these tricks. Follow these insights and you will greatly benefit. No more lies. Let us take a close look at these insightful insights.
Insight #1: Ignore sugar it’s not the best ingredient for a good quality protein bar
Consider these points!
- Look at the ingredients carefully. Most ingredients look a things like protein and calories which is not important.
- The order of ingredients reflects the quantity present in a product. If protein and sugar come first, that means they are more concentrated.
- Sugar comes in different forms. If Dextrose and turbinado appear it means there is plenty of sugar.
Remember a bar that is full of whole foods could still be made out of sugary stuff.
Valerie Goldstein a reg dietitian says “Even if you see these whole grains and raisins through the label, the bar can have huge sugar content. “It just looks like a compilation of whole nuts. As such, it looks very innocent. But even these ‘whole food-looking bars have to be held together by something. Usually, that’s sugar syrup.”
A HEALTHY BAR SHOULD BE RICH IN PROTEIN. FRUIT, VEGETABLES AND HEALTH SOURCE WHOLE NUTS MAKE THE DEAL
The best source of energy should come from a diet consisting of protein, fat and carbs. The later should be consumed with fiber. These take longer to digest compared to simple sugars. They should help keep you full all day long.
These ingredients first help to determine a good protein bar from an ordinary one. These ingredients have been recommended by nutritionist as having a good beneficial effect on your overall weight. 10 grams of fiber should reduce your fat content by 4%. A 2015 research published in Nutrition found that people who eat high protein rich diet have a lower BMI.
Insight #2: Good protein bars should have 10 grams of protein
For people using the bar as a supplement for protein, they basically need at least 10 grams or more from the bar. Learning on how to use the bar is important. If you are looking to replace protein, then go for around 20 grams of protein. The bar should have a high concentration of protein products like whey isolate or egg protein.
Most protein labels place soy crisps in their product, but they don’t have high protein concentration. If you are consuming a protein bar with soy crisp as the first ingredient, it’s not the best choice.
Insight #3: Go for less than 15 grams of sugar content
Remember earlier on we said most protein bars are actually just fake candy chocolate bars. Its all but lies.
Proof
A fact: Gatorade’s Whey Protein Bar consists of 29grams of sugar content. CLIF Builder Bar has 21 grams of sugar and 20 grams of protein. Taking a close comparison to Met-RX Big 100Colossal bar. It consists lost of protein but negatively impacted by calorie and sugar content.
Sugar should not be considered a negative insight as such. If a bar has more than 10 grams of sugar content, most come from fruits and natural sugars.
Importance of natural sugar
Lactose mostly found in dairy products and fructose from sugar has 4 calories per gram. These natural sugars come combined with other nutrients we consume from fruits and our dairy product intakes. They comprise of Vitamin C, calcium and other traces important for your overall body function.
A fact: Added sugars can ruin your overall long-run health. People consuming more than 21% of their daily calories from these sugars have a high probability of heart-related diseases. This is made in line to people who consume 10% of calories from added sugars.
Insight # 4: Beware of sugar alcohols
Sugar alcohols are categorized as artificial sweeteners. Examples are isomalt, sorbitol and xylitol. They are present in all kinds of stuff labelled as “sugar-free”. For some people, they can cause stomach upsets. This though depends on how you react towards them.
You have to pay close attention to the ingredients that affect you. If the bar you are consuming makes you feel bulk and at the same time rushing to the loo, you should avoid it as much as you can.
Insight #5: Look for bars with less than 400 calorie concentration.
Protein bars that are high in protein should act as supplements. These should supply an adequate amount of nutrients, calories and proteins. They should supplement what you lack from your daily diet.
Popularly known bars with over 200 calories can only give you 6 grams of protein. In comparison, a boiled egg will avail only 7 grams a day. This translates to less than 80 calories. If you can be able to consume whole food, then go for it. This might not always be the case.
“Maybe it’s difficult to pack a meal because you’re on a tight job schedule and don’t have access to a refrigerator,” D’Orazio says. In these cases, protein bars do offer you some pros. “They are a portion-controlled and pre-measured. They supply the sort of nutrition you might not get at a drive-thru window.” (But even then, the 400-calorie “rule” is still a good guideline to follow.)
Final tip
It’s paramount to know the content of what you are eating. If your plan is two bars a day, then go for it. These can help you control your overall diet. You can now comfortably control your daily food intake in terms of nutrition.