Protein bars- good or bad?

tothemoonalex
tothemoonalex Posts: 8
in Food and Nutrition
I'm trying to find something that will satiate me, while keep my calories at a good level, and maybe fill in missing nutrients. What's your opinion on these? What are good brands? I really know nothing about them....

Replies

  • ang3li
    ang3li Posts: 69 Member
    Hi There

    Well I would recommend eating real food instead of protein bars.. I am not against them, but if you can, i would prefer to get real food into you, then that would be better..

    E.g meat / veggies / fruit / nuts

    Even the canned variety of tuna, salmon, sardines etc would be a great snack and they are high in protein and omega3s.

    What meal is this for?
  • tothemoonalex
    tothemoonalex Posts: 8
    Hi! I'm pretty big on eating as clean as possible. I work in a remote location though, and am trying to see if any alternatives might be better. I fell off the wagon for almost a week, and am trying to figure out how I can make that not happen again. I don't get a lot of meat in my diet, my best protein, I think, is egg whites.
  • tothemoonalex
    tothemoonalex Posts: 8
    Oh and raw almonds!
  • JasmineOravec
    JasmineOravec Posts: 88 Member
    I am a big fan of Lemon Luna bars and keep one on me at all times in case I need something in a pinch. :)
  • Justkeepswimmin
    Justkeepswimmin Posts: 777 Member
    Although not preferable, in some professions/lifestyles protein bars can be a necessity.

    For example: My husband is a type 1 diabetic who travels weekly. He can't always access appropriate foods. ESP on a plane where you can't bring yogurt through security etc. He will buy greek yogurt when he lands, and he has powdered protein shake he keeps up there and mixes with milk or oatmeal.

    Sadly bars are needed at times, and beneficial even on our long hikes. Also when we're hiking long distances protein bars are plain convenient. Usually I find their stats not as good as other options, but convenience is a factor also.

    For the most part the fat and sodium levels are deterring....when necessary we use a variety depending on the situation:

    Vega Recover 240 cals NEGATIVES 7 g fat 3 saturated and 19 g sugar POSITIVES 15 g protein and 65 mg sodium, 3 g fiber

    Nugo Free 170 CAL 170 Calories NEGTIVES 11 g sugar POSITIVES 3 g fat (good for bar) 90 mg sodium 4 g fiber, 9 g protein

    Cliff Builders (Big Hike Only) 270 Calories NEGATIVES 5 g Sat Fat POSITIVES 200 potassium, 20 protein - high sugar fat and sodium acceptable for the circumstance of vigorous longer hikes

    Nugo Dark Chocolate Pomegranate 190 Calories 10 g protein, 5 g fat, 60 mg sodium, 26 carb (2 fiber)

    PS for clean / natural ingredients Nugo is the best of these.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Chocolate is probably not going to help with that.
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  • inspirationstation
    inspirationstation Posts: 209 Member
    I have started eating the Kind Plus Protein bars with Macadamia/Walnut/Almonds. Overall, the ingredients are wholesome and it it does satisfy me when I am on the run.
  • jamiek917
    jamiek917 Posts: 610 Member
    i see nothing wrong with bars or shakes unless they are sugary useless crap (which some are- just glorified chocolate bars). im a huge fan of QUEST bars and some Pure Protein bars- both have great stats and some really good tasting ones. i have 1 a day, since they are good sources of protein (and quest is an incredible source of fiber) and portable!

    QUEST is expensive, so i buy in bulk to make it cheaper- but the majority of the bars are all natural and the ones that arent are still healthier than most other bars.

    favorite Pure protein bar- Chocolate Peanut butter (i had to get used to these bars, since they are dryer than the more sugary ones i was used to in the past, like Luna or Special K protein bars)- but ones i got used to it i started to really like them.

    Quest- i recently fell in love with quest bars. Chocolate chip cookie dough is about as good as an actual cookie. cinnamon roll and apple pie are pretty damn delicious as well!
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    I used to use them for meal replacement or snacks on my really busy days, but they are expensive when you consider what you're really getting out of them. Now I bake my own protein bars and muffins which freeze just fine. It's a bigger initial investment to buy the protein powder (if you want it), eggs, pumpkin/applesauce/banana, baking soda/powder, and oats, but you can make a LOT OF BARS.
  • kkerri
    kkerri Posts: 276 Member
    I will buy Good Greens bars and Two Moms in the Raw granola. Both are raw, whole foods bars and are not bad for you. Good Greens has higher protein, but they are not the normal, chemical filled GNC variety of bars. They are a little pricer though.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    Although not preferable, in some professions/lifestyles protein bars can be a necessity.

    For example: My husband is a type 1 diabetic who travels weekly. He can't always access appropriate foods. ESP on a plane where you can't bring yogurt through security etc. He will buy greek yogurt when he lands, and he has powdered protein shake he keeps up there and mixes with milk or oatmeal.

    Sadly bars are needed at times, and beneficial even on our long hikes. Also when we're hiking long distances protein bars are plain convenient. Usually I find their stats not as good as other options, but convenience is a factor also.

    For the most part the fat and sodium levels are deterring....when necessary we use a variety depending on the situation:

    Vega Recover 240 cals NEGATIVES 7 g fat 3 saturated and 19 g sugar POSITIVES 15 g protein and 65 mg sodium, 3 g fiber

    Nugo Free 170 CAL 170 Calories NEGTIVES 11 g sugar POSITIVES 3 g fat (good for bar) 90 mg sodium 4 g fiber, 9 g protein

    Cliff Builders (Big Hike Only) 270 Calories NEGATIVES 5 g Sat Fat POSITIVES 200 potassium, 20 protein - high sugar fat and sodium acceptable for the circumstance of vigorous longer hikes

    Nugo Dark Chocolate Pomegranate 190 Calories 10 g protein, 5 g fat, 60 mg sodium, 26 carb (2 fiber)

    PS for clean / natural ingredients Nugo is the best of these.

    Why would protein bars be "not preferable"?

    OP, I just discovered Quest bars after my friends raved about them. They are delicious, natural, most are under 200 calories and have 20g protein.
  • jonward85
    jonward85 Posts: 534 Member
    When i find myself hungry between meals, i typically reach for beef jerky. My wife and I make our own at home so it's more cost effective. Took us probably 6 mos of trying but we've got a spicy jerky recipie that we love. It's pretty easy to make and if you store it properly it can go anywhere with you and doesn't need to be refrigerated. Also, since we make it i know what's in it. But that is just my 2 pennies. I do agree a lot of times you'd be better off with real food rather than a protein bar.
  • Tenster
    Tenster Posts: 278 Member
    In my opinion i would stay away from protein bars due to the amount of sugar thats kickin about in 99% of them.

    why not try Beef jerky, if you like meat? Meat is good, rich in good fats, low in carbs and high in protein!

    If to why not just have a protein shake mixed with oats?

    Regards
  • cosplayerkyo
    cosplayerkyo Posts: 30 Member
    Real food is usually what I prefer but protein bars do come in handy on those busy days.
  • karensdream
    karensdream Posts: 135 Member
    When i find myself hungry between meals, i typically reach for beef jerky. My wife and I make our own at home so it's more cost effective. Took us probably 6 mos of trying but we've got a spicy jerky recipie that we love. It's pretty easy to make and if you store it properly it can go anywhere with you and doesn't need to be refrigerated. Also, since we make it i know what's in it. But that is just my 2 pennies. I do agree a lot of times you'd be better off with real food rather than a protein bar.
    Would be interested in your recipe. I love jerky because protein-wise it gives you a lot of bang for your buck. But cost-wise and with such a high sodium count in commercial brands, it's not a good option. I'd like to make my own too.
  • Wilbur_NOLA
    Wilbur_NOLA Posts: 120 Member
    I like them in a pinch, and usually get the Pure Protein - Chocolate Deluxe from Wal Mart or Target. They're a little more than $1 per bar and they taste pretty good too.
  • twoss9112
    twoss9112 Posts: 162 Member
    I'm a HUGE fan of Kind Bards, and Lara Uber. I also do Pure Protein occasionally - these are high protein, but relatively low sodium and low carb (about 10-11 net carbs or so).

    I also like Gnu Foods Flavor & Fiber bars... I don't find them too often though, I only know of one local grocery chain that has them.
  • alishacupcake
    alishacupcake Posts: 419 Member
    I say protein bars = good..

    Recently I tried Luna protein bars (chocolate and mint chocolate), Muscle Brownies (really good but more calories than I prefer), Simple Truth (which is Kroger's store brand) double chocolate protein bar, Pure Protein chocolate, Power Bar - Triple Threat- Chocolate Toffee Almond and Zone Perfect - Double Dark Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Caramel Pecan. These are the ones that I like. I have heard lots of good things about Quest bars but I haven't been able to find them for sale anywhere and I'm too cheap to pay shipping online when I really like the ones I can get at Kroger.

    In the past I tried Larabars and regular Luna bars, which are both really yummy but about 200 calories and I was hungry right after. Slimfast bars and Special K bars I tried in the past which I didn't find really that yummy and not very filling. I guess the difference is the protein.

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