protein bars and sugars

hey all!

I tend to eat a pro bar a day, as people can probably see from my diary. Also as you can see, I constantly go over with my sugars! I just can't seem to stick under . . .

The protein bars I eat tend to have a fair amount of sugar. and obviously fruit with the natural sugars. Is it a big problem to have that much? I am a very active person, on my feet usually from 6am-6pm roughly. I would say my meals and such are healthy, I just tend to snack on sugary goods. As of beginning of next week I will also be doing a 3x a week full body routine to hopefully start gaining some muscle! will these high sugar levels affect my gains and such dramatically?

any help much appreciated, thank you!
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Replies

  • crackur
    crackur Posts: 473 Member
    just check the macros on the protein bars.......don't buy any if they aren't in the weight or protein powder aisles.

    Premier Protein is a good one....and there's another one I buy but the name slips me right now..

    I won't eat a bar unless its atleast 20g =180-190cals or 30gs = 270-280 cals.
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  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Well your protein bars have a ton of protein, so 11g of sugar isn't a big deal for them I think, as long as they keep you full. I've never heard of them or tried them though, so I can't tell. They seem to have a lot of calories, but again, 33g of protein is awesome.
  • jenmarqueiro
    jenmarqueiro Posts: 61 Member
    cheers all! yeah i've heard of quest bars, I checked them about and couldn't believe even with those amazing flavours, only 1g sugars! whattt??!!!

    yeah exactly according to the packet (choco mint flavour) 32.6g protein, 6.5g fat, 20.7g carbs of which sugars 11.4g. and 272 calories. about the same for all bars, with strawberry and yogurt, choco mint, choco orange and choco fudge flavours. and used to be 99p a bar! (around $1.54) now 1.50 (around $2.34) which is why I favoured them over all others as they were the cheapest I could find with such good values!

    I really wanna try quest bars!!! =D
  • Isakizza
    Isakizza Posts: 754 Member
    Quest bars. If you haven't tried them yet then you need to.

    ^^^ TOTALLY!
  • mellenorris
    mellenorris Posts: 99 Member
    Quest bars. If you haven't tried them yet then you need to.

    This. This this this this. Check out your local GNC if you don't want to buy online.
  • doctorsookie
    doctorsookie Posts: 1,084 Member
    hey all!

    I tend to eat a pro bar a day, as people can probably see from my diary. Also as you can see, I constantly go over with my sugars! I just can't seem to stick under . . .

    The protein bars I eat tend to have a fair amount of sugar. and obviously fruit with the natural sugars. Is it a big problem to have that much? I am a very active person, on my feet usually from 6am-6pm roughly. I would say my meals and such are healthy, I just tend to snack on sugary goods. As of beginning of next week I will also be doing a 3x a week full body routine to hopefully start gaining some muscle! will these high sugar levels affect my gains and such dramatically?

    any help much appreciated, thank you!

    I ignore my sugars... they don't differentiate artificial from natural (like from fruit) and I am over before i get done with breakfast.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Quest bars. If you haven't tried them yet then you need to.
    +1 for quest bars. Not a lot of crap in them either.
  • debbiestern
    debbiestern Posts: 3 Member
    I'm glad you said this. Today is my first day on this site and I had a banana and some pineapple this morning and was over on sugars. It was a little disheartening.

    Debbie
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    fruit sugars don't matter because they're bound to fiber and don't get metabolized as quickly as added sugars

    added sugars in protein bars and other processed foods can be an issue because there's nothing slowing the absorbtion, thus it can cause an insulin spike, which, if repeated daily for a long period of time, can cause insulin resistance.

    do you have to track sugars if they come from fruit? nope.

    should you track sugars if they're coming from processed foods? yup.
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    One of the few real problems with this site is that it counts all sugars as equal. Unless you are going over on carbs, I wouldn't worry about it at all.
  • staceypunk
    staceypunk Posts: 924 Member
    Be careful, i think the low sugar protein bars have sugar alcohol, which they must list on their label. Some folks have probs digesting and have gas issues.
  • Quest bars

    Did anyone mention Quest bars?

    Because if not, I recommend Quest bars....











    QUEST




    BARS!!!!!
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    fruit sugars don't matter because they're bound to fiber and don't get metabolized as quickly as added sugars

    added sugars in protein bars and other processed foods can be an issue because there's nothing slowing the absorbtion, thus it can cause an insulin spike, which, if repeated daily for a long period of time, can cause insulin resistance.

    do you have to track sugars if they come from fruit? nope.

    should you track sugars if they're coming from processed foods? yup.

    Should you avoid protein heavy foods due the insulin spike they produce, so you don't become insulin resistant?
  • TheBitSlinger
    TheBitSlinger Posts: 621 Member
    I like Pure Protein bars. They sugar alcohol, which isn't a problem for me. They have 2g of sugar.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    fruit sugars don't matter because they're bound to fiber and don't get metabolized as quickly as added sugars

    added sugars in protein bars and other processed foods can be an issue because there's nothing slowing the absorbtion, thus it can cause an insulin spike, which, if repeated daily for a long period of time, can cause insulin resistance.

    do you have to track sugars if they come from fruit? nope.

    should you track sugars if they're coming from processed foods? yup.

    Should you avoid protein heavy foods due the insulin spike they produce, so you don't become insulin resistant?

    sure. chicken is more likely to cause diabetes than hawaiian punch. ok. you got me.

    smh
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
    Absolutely without a doubt only protein bar I will eat is Quest Bars.
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
    I like Pure Protein bars. They sugar alcohol, which isn't a problem for me. They have 2g of sugar.

    ech. i used to be able to handle those. but the sugar alcohols cripple me now. literally, i will be bent over in pain. plus, i try to stay away from sugar alcohols in general. you must have an iron stomach.
  • JasonT1973
    JasonT1973 Posts: 229 Member
    Switch from the bar to muscle milk 20g protein shake. There is only 2-5g of sugar based on the flavor you pic.
  • Most protein bars are just high protein candy bars covered in chocolate. High in cals/carbs/sugars

    I love quest bars also but from what i'm hearing now they aren't as great for you as they claim. The carbs are "fibre carbs" although if you read into it. its a man made fibre which can cause bloating and other intestinal problems. Also they claim low sugar but sugar alcohols are going to have the same affect on your body causing a insulin spike and wont help with sugar cravings. there is still arguments going on wether sugar alcohols are any safer for you than real sugar. just my 2cents

    If i were you i would look into easy homemade protein cookies/bars that way you know the food you're putting into your body and it isn't made up of 100s of chemicals that you can't even pronounce.
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
    Switch from the bar to muscle milk 20g protein shake. There is only 2-5g of sugar based on the flavor you pic.

    have you tried quest bars? they have 16-19 grams of fiber in them (depends on flavor), no sugar (some flavors have 2-6 grams of sugar, again, depends on the flavor) and no sugar alcohols AND they're lower in fat than most protein bars, especially with respect to saturated fat. all bars have 20 grams of protein.

    have with a glass of water and it will seriously keep you full for hours.
  • TheBitSlinger
    TheBitSlinger Posts: 621 Member
    ech. i used to be able to handle those. but the sugar alcohols cripple me now. literally, i will be bent over in pain. plus, i try to stay away from sugar alcohols in general. you must have an iron stomach.

    Nope... it's adamantium coated.
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
    Switch from the bar to muscle milk 20g protein shake. There is only 2-5g of sugar based on the flavor you pic.

    have you tried quest bars? they have 16-19 grams of fiber in them (depends on flavor), no sugar (some flavors have 2-6 grams of sugar, again, depends on the flavor) and no sugar alcohols AND they're lower in fat than most protein bars, especially with respect to saturated fat. all bars have 20 grams of protein.

    have with a glass of water and it will seriously keep you full for hours.

    correction-- very low sugar alcohols. but i mean, low. i'm very sensitive to sugar alcohols and quest bars do not affect me in that way at all.
  • sobriquet84
    sobriquet84 Posts: 607 Member
    ech. i used to be able to handle those. but the sugar alcohols cripple me now. literally, i will be bent over in pain. plus, i try to stay away from sugar alcohols in general. you must have an iron stomach.

    Nope... it's adamantium coated.

    eeeeeeeeeeeeeeven better!
  • Lifelink
    Lifelink Posts: 193 Member
    muscle milk

    Those are painful to my wallet. I wish they weren't as they're pretty tastey too.
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
    + 1 for Quest Bars
  • SharonCMach
    SharonCMach Posts: 305 Member
    Quest Bars all the way!! Love..Love..Love them. Tried Chocolate Brownie for the first time today, taste just like one of those little Debbie brownies with the colored candies on top, no joke!! Coconut cashew taste close to an Almond Joy to me. Had the Cinnamon Roll one for breakfast this morning, taste just like a cinnamon roll, so good. Apple Pie & Strawberry Cheesecake are both good too. Great amount of protein & fiber, low sugar & calories. PERFECT!!
  • daniellegwilliam
    daniellegwilliam Posts: 122 Member
    does anyone know where you can get quest bars for cheapish..in canada?? they are $4 at the little nutrition store by my work! OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • beertrollruss
    beertrollruss Posts: 276 Member
    I like the Pure Protein Bars as well. For best prices buy online from either nutritionexpress.com or bodybuilding.com.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    does anyone know where you can get quest bars for cheapish..in canada?? they are $4 at the little nutrition store by my work! OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Dunno. I get them from amazon. I've never seen them at a regular market in Canada, only the nutrition boutiques.