Protein Bar Questions

cosmonew

I have had quest but I have found they can get rock hard. I am eating some fitjoy right now that are good and soft and were on sale from amazon.... BUT I am really loving the CLIFF Builder crunchy peanut butter bar. I try to have a protein bar 1 x a day.

AngryViking1970

I like the Power Crunch Crisp bars in Sweet Vanilla Dream and Chocolate Brownie Wonder. I haven't tried the Salted Caramel, yet. The Premier Protein Yogurt Peanut Crunch is good, too, but it's pretty hefty calorie-wise (290 w/30 protein) so I can only eat half at a time.

rebel_26

Hornsby wrote: »

rebel_26 wrote: »

fiber one is a pooping bar. The "protein" content , even though limited, is just a "plus" in their eyes and used for marketing it as "healthy". Lets face it nothing processed beats whole foods as an equal alternative. convenience only and a quick way to pack in calories if that's your goal.

In your opinion.

Not sure if you pegging on the pooping bar comment or the rest of what I said.

Do you honestly believe any "protein" bar on the market outweighs a good whole food alternative? Do you also believe that the protein content on that label is actual and in fact that all the protein is usable for its intended purpose which is to build muscle ? The protein bar was invented with the intent to replace a meal or at least provide a source of protein the requires no preparation. If you are choosing to replacing a burger combo at McDonalds with a protein bar that is a great substitution and i would agree, but to replace a grilled chicken breast or some other type of food source with high bio-availability of protein i would choose the whole food any day of the week for obvious reasons.

also worthy of mention is Protein bars often contain high levels of sugar. In order to try to keep cals and carbs low, many protein bars use sugar alcohol as sweetener. In larger quantities, just like other incompletely digestible substances, sugar alcohols can cause bloating, diarrhea and gas.

As I said earlier, and yes in my opinion (which comes with some support reasons stated above). In a pinch its a great alternative if your short on supply of protein. For a late night snack...not so much.

Hornsby

I'm just saying that if I have two things and ALL macros and micros are equal, whole foods wouldn't always win out for me. Most of the time? Sure. Sometimes I just want a bar. I don't track or care about sugar or sugar alcohols at all so that's moot for me.

ChelzFit

I am addicted to protein bars. My favorites are the following:
Oh Yeah One-Birthday Cake
Quest-Cookie Dough, Cookies and Cream, Double Chocolate Chunck
Balance-Cookie Dough, Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie
Kirkland-brownie and cookie dough bars similar to Quest
Zone Bars-Mint Chocolate Chip

Pamela_43

wow, classy.

rebel_26

I also partake in bars as well as I said earlier. Generally if I eat one its on the way to the gym if I'm feeling "hungry". I just wouldn't suggest one eats them 2-3 hours pre-bed as there are much better things to ingest when preparing to go into a resting state.

dhadley1970

Finally, a post that I took some good info from . I will have to try the Oh Yeah One b-day cake bars... they seem to be a real hit here. For me...and this is all about the flavor - I like the Zone Chocolate Peanut Butter (14g protein) and Atkins Meal Bar - Peanut Butter Chocolate (17g protein!). Some pack the calories, some pack more fat, but if you need a chocolate fix, go for a half with a cup of coffee. Yum. Thanks for the post!

Hornsby

rebel_26 wrote: »

I also partake in bars as well as I said earlier. Generally if I eat one its on the way to the gym if I'm feeling "hungry". I just wouldn't suggest one eats them 2-3 hours pre-bed as there are much better things to ingest when preparing to go into a resting state.

Why not before bed?

Nightfall0x

Yes you can eat protein bars before you go to bed. It's would be ideal to find a protein bar that has Casein in it ( slow digesting protein) which will help your muscles recover while you sleep ! MET-RX Creamy Cookie Crisp has casein in it and tastes good as well. Quests bars are good but do not eat more than two a day or else you'll experience laxative effect. Power Crunch Bar's are my absolute favor right now for flavor French Vanilla Creme or Cookies and Creme can't go wrong. Heat up your protein bars no longer than 20 seconds! But at the end of the day they're all protein bars and they contribute to me making gains!

kristynemcfarlin23

i prefer Glukos whey protein bars. my trainer said that you should try to keep protein bars to have less than 10g of sugar. Glukos has lots of protein and like 5g of sugar, great for pre or post workout

rebel_26

I am making some assumptions. I am a "push plates person" so I might approach nutrition timing and what and when in a skewed manner due to this.

If that's not the case and this really is a basic calorie in calorie out maintenance/weight loss thread the rest below is moot.

If the protein bar the OP is eating at night is for muscle preservation and not just simply to meet a caloric or macro need. A much more beneficial late night snack would consist of 25-30 grams of slow digesting protein (casein) 12-20 grams of carbs, and .5 grams of a fat or so . Or one could just simply invest in some casein protein powder and add 1/2 cup of milk or drink 2 cups of milk, or eat some greek yogurt, or cottage cheese to meet the goals. Eating along this line has proved, in controlled studies, it promotes protein synthesis and also curbs the catabolic state for a few extra hours.

Most protein bars are using whey in their construction. A few add some casein, but its more expensive.

Out of curiosity what brand bars do you eat? I don't think I saw you post it in the thread.

Looking at your AV and assuming that it may be a picture of yourself you likely know all or some of this so I'm still trying to gauge if your just trying to take the thread in a direction or honestly curious why I make certain comments.

Hornsby

Yes, the avatar is me.

I just happen to think that meal timing is irrelevant for the most part, especially for the average person. I was curious what your thinking was and I get it. It just falls in the minutia category and really isn't all that important to a person no matter their goals. Tis all.

I prefer think thin bars as well as pure protein. Really, just whatever is on sale at Target though.

rebel_26

I agree with the average person statement above.

I try to eat in a way that fosters an anabolic state as much of the day as possible. I suffer from a hypothyroidism diagnosis so in my changing of eating habits and several well balanced meals a day I have seen progress and change. I tend to approach a thread as if it applies to me.

Pure protein are decent and have good taste. Think Thin are the ones that taste like those cookies (cant think of the name) ? My SO was eating them one day and her personal trainer told her not to eat those lol. To each their own. Give the Metrx meal repl bars a shot if you never have. 400 calories but fairly dense. im pretty sure Target carries them.

Hornsby

Wonder what the trainer's reasons were on the think thin bars. They are my favorite and have served me well.

Sucks about your medical condition.

JaxxieKat

heyitslexi95 wrote: »

Hey everyone,

I am new to protein bars & am a little curious about a few things....
1. Can you have protein bars about 2-3 hours before you go to bed?

Usually I have eaten them as a snack-on-the-go between breakfast and lunch, if I skipped breakfast. On the rare occasions I've consumed them after dinner, I didn't notice any ill-effects on my digestion or ability to sleep soundly.

2. For QuestBar eaters, what are you favorite flavors? If you heat them up, for how long?

My all-time favorite was the limited edition pumpkin pie one, but for regular line flavors I liked S'mores, Cookies n Cream, and Chocolate Peanut Butter. Never heated them up.

Other than Quest, what are your favorite protein bars?

Now that I'm vegan, I don't eat Quest, but I find that the D's Naturals No-Cow Protein Bars are very tasty, very filling, and have the same dense, chewy texture as Quest bars.

chirae29

Pure Protein!!!

zamphir66

Another vote for Pure Protein. Howevs, I think all protein bars are probably an acquired taste. I gave one to a friend once. He's not my friend anymore.

KelBgess

Cookie dough is my favorite Quest bar and about the only one of theirs that I buy. I agree that Pure Protein has better tasting bars, including bars with added fiber. Pure Protein also has these "crunch" snacks that are really similar to Whoppers candies. Oh Yeah! Bars are okay, IMO. Pure Protein is by far the cheaper of all of them. Another option would be making cakes, cookies and other treats from protein powders. There are a ton of great recipes available online. Kay's Naturals has a line of protein snacks that include cheerios type cereals, pretzels and chips. I try not to snack past 9p and usually drink or eat a snack made from casein protein about two hours before bed to sustain me through the night and because I do fasted cardio almost every day.

BiggDaddy58

I don't know IF these bars are actually healthy or not..or even have the nutrition they claim?

http://www.fooducate.com/app#!page=post&id=57A351AD-2EBA-77AC-49DE-8FBDAE463A22