Are protein bars healthy?
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ibamosaserreinas wrote: »How high is your protein goal? I get about 120 grams of protein a day and I don't have to eat 8 ounces of meat for dinner.
I work in protein throughout the day though.
I do have a protein bar or a shake four or five times a week. Usually just if I don't have time to cook or shop. Bars and shakes can be really convenient. Some of them taste really good so if a craving hits I swap candy and sweets for a protein bar.
Same. I eat protein throughout the day. I can easily wind up eating more protein in my first two meals than is needed and wind up with little need for protein in the evening, or I can over-eat my goals. I ate almost 160g last night, so I'm not bothering to make sure i hit my 120g goal (which I probably will reach anyway if I do a greek yogurt + nutella or PB + frozen raspberries combo)
My diary is open if you need to see how a 120g goal is reached, OP. I eat any protein source that I like, nothing is off limits. I rarely use protein powder/bars on their own now, I will buy PowerBar ones though if I am starving on the go and need something to eat. I liked the Pure Protein ones as well, Xtreme is another decent one (300ish cals). I also will increase the amount of meat I use in recipes that call for meat, or I will add meat if htey don't (e.g. soup, macaroni).
ETA I've been ~200 short since Sunday for calories because I'm not doing my normal workout routine this week (midterms) and I use TDEE method, so I just decided to eat 200 less for the week.
Thanks. I will check out your entries
Np. All of the recipes though will not show ingredient info, but for e.g. the sloppy joes I've been eating are made with ground turkey breast (tastes better with beef but we just had the turkey). Things like protein pancakes or baked oatmeal have added protein powder in them. Not much else I can think of that needs clarification though.
Thanks for info. Is your diary restricted to friends. I don't see it.0 -
"Real" foods will generally be a better option, so eat that 12oz steak or whatever you're going to do to get your protein in. Protein bars, powders, liquid shots, etc. are fine for hitting your numbers as long as you're not basically living on them. They'll get you the protein you need, but usually don't do much for you in the whey of micronutrients.
Quest and Pure Protein are the bees knees.
Optimum Nutrition and Truetein are powders that won't make you gag. Be sure to drink with milk, not water.0 -
I weigh 180ish. That would put me at 170g or 50% + of total calories.
just FYI it's usually rec'd to based that off of total weight, not lean body mass! 0.8 is usually a general number given, based off of total weight. But if you find that the lower intake is okay for you with respect to your weight lifting and body composition goals then just increase if results change.Wow! Everybody eats so much protein here! Because I weight train, my protein goal is about 0.75-1g per pound of lean body mass (NOT per pound of total weight) so for me, that's 70-94g of protein per day. I struggle to get the higher amount, but I generally get between 70-80 pretty easily. I can't imagine having to eat the 120-160 a lot of people are doing here. That's twice what I consume. That would be so expensive. I'd be in trouble for sure, since I can't use whey protein (I don't digest casein properly
)!
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Wow! Everybody eats so much protein here! Because I weight train, my protein goal is about 0.75-1g per pound of lean body mass (NOT per pound of total weight) so for me, that's 70-94g of protein per day. I struggle to get the higher amount, but I generally get between 70-80 pretty easily. I can't imagine having to eat the 120-160 a lot of people are doing here. That's twice what I consume. That would be so expensive. I'd be in trouble for sure, since I can't use whey protein (I don't digest casein properly )!
I do 30% and that puts me at 112g. I was surprised to see the high numbers of others as well, esp if not training.0 -
For those in the UK, even better than Quest (if you're ok with having just one flavour and it being chocolate) are the Peak Body Pro Lite 25 bars. 4g carbs, 25g protein, 177 cals. I've not found anything to beat them. Cheapest right now is in the Dolphin Fitness online store. They work out at a not much more than a pound each after postage. Here you go: http://www.dolphinfitness.co.uk/en/peak-body-pro-lite-30-bar/236070
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AmberAntoine wrote: »The protein bars are specially used by the athletes who are looking for competitive edge. But a days if anyone wants a nutrition boos or want to boost themselves with protein then they must use protein bar after consulting with your physician or doctor. Protein bars are generally for active people who are looking for something to tide over between workouts and meals.
I think you have protein bars confused with PEDs0 -
Just like anything else, you have to look at the nutrition information and figure out which one works best (and tastes ok) for you. My husband tried some different protein bars and has ended up preferring the Clif Builder Bars.
I like a certain protein bar, but more for it's fiber content than anything else. I guess just because I haven't had much trouble boosting my protein with stuff like string cheese, greek yogurt, and whatever else I eat - I've ended up okay on my protein numbers.
The "protein bar" I like is Chocolite protein bar - moreso because it has about 10g fiber in it, but the 10g protein doesn't hurt either!! I get them from www.healthsmartfoods.com, and there are coupon codes on www.retailmenot.com
So - make sure you know what you're using it for (more protein? more fiber? other nutritional considerations?), and it serves that purpose (nutritionally).0 -
They're not unhealthy...0
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If you just need a protein top up then consider a powder. Many 'protein' bars have less protein that either fat or carbs so it depends what you need. Whatever fits your requirements0
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For those in the UK, even better than Quest (if you're ok with having just one flavour and it being chocolate) are the Peak Body Pro Lite 25 bars. 4g carbs, 25g protein, 177 cals. I've not found anything to beat them. Cheapest right now is in the Dolphin Fitness online store. They work out at a not much more than a pound each after postage. Here you go: http://www.dolphinfitness.co.uk/en/peak-body-pro-lite-30-bar/23607
Thanks0 -
It depends on the protein bar.
I usually try to go for protein bars that offer 1g of protein per 10 calories. That's a good way to filter out some of the candy bars pretending to be protein bars (looking at you Special K).
The reality is that these are supposed to supplement your diet not serve as your diet0 -
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I eat quest bars. I find it hard to get the 100 grams I need from meat/veggies.0
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Thanks for all of your inputs. I am scaling up to 40% proteins in March... Just to see which 40/30/30 ration works best for me (I already did 40 carbs and am now trying 40 fats). So, I wanted a little advice to put a game plan in place for my protein up. Thanks again0
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Make your own it's what I do, if your concerned about the fat content just substitute the double cream with water, they're delicious just like eating a healthy alternative to a snicker bar yum yum
http://youtu.be/2srUe9-JD1Y 0 -
I'm a fan of the Clif Builder Bars. 20g protein, 270 calories, low-glycemic (not that matters for me), and keep me full from about 8am until noon or 1pm. When I'm running late for work, I normally wait until I get in the office and eat one with some ice water. They also come out to just over a dollar per when buying by the box.
I've never tried Quest or the other bars. How do they compare?0 -
BigLadBigLad wrote: »Make your own it's what I do, if your concerned about the fat content just substitute the double cream with water, they're delicious just like eating a healthy alternative to a snicker bar yum yumhttp://youtu.be/2srUe9-JD1Y
Nice idea. My kids might enjoy helping.0 -
I'm a fan of the Clif Builder Bars. 20g protein, 270 calories, low-glycemic (not that matters for me), and keep me full from about 8am until noon or 1pm. When I'm running late for work, I normally wait until I get in the office and eat one with some ice water. They also come out to just over a dollar per when buying by the box.
I've never tried Quest or the other bars. How do they compare?
I like quest because they taste great, are low in sugar and are lower in cals than most. They have a ton of flavors too.0 -
BigLadBigLad wrote: »Make your own it's what I do, if your concerned about the fat content just substitute the double cream with water, they're delicious just like eating a healthy alternative to a snicker bar yum yumhttp://youtu.be/2srUe9-JD1Y
Nice idea. My kids might enjoy helping.
They're really good, you've just got to experiment with the amount of cream/water you add to get the right consistency. They're too dry if you follow the video I linked by the book, enjoy!0 -
I'm a fan of the Clif Builder Bars. 20g protein, 270 calories, low-glycemic (not that matters for me), and keep me full from about 8am until noon or 1pm. When I'm running late for work, I normally wait until I get in the office and eat one with some ice water. They also come out to just over a dollar per when buying by the box.
I've never tried Quest or the other bars. How do they compare?
I like quest because they taste great, are low in sugar and are lower in cals than most. They have a ton of flavors too.
Where do I find quest bars? I checked a few stores that I regular, but saw none. Do I have to go to a health food store, GNC,...?0 -
I wouldn't say they are healthy or unhealthy. Just depends what you're looking for. I ate one yesterday and it had tons of protein and fiber so I thought it was good for my diet. It also had a lot of sugar so it depends what you consider healthy.0
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Protein bars are just fine to eat.0
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When I up my protein calories, If I don't eat protein bars during the day, I have to eat 8-10oz meat for dinner to reach my goal. The protein bar is easier because I can eat it at anytime and don't feel like I am stuffing myself. Are bars healthy?
They are fine. Adherence is most important in reaching goals. If the bars help with adherence then they are good. Real food IMO is a better option but I see nothing wrong with protein bars...
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I'm a fan of the Clif Builder Bars. 20g protein, 270 calories, low-glycemic (not that matters for me), and keep me full from about 8am until noon or 1pm. When I'm running late for work, I normally wait until I get in the office and eat one with some ice water. They also come out to just over a dollar per when buying by the box.
I've never tried Quest or the other bars. How do they compare?
I like quest because they taste great, are low in sugar and are lower in cals than most. They have a ton of flavors too.
Where do I find quest bars? I checked a few stores that I regular, but saw none. Do I have to go to a health food store, GNC,...?
I'm way too cheap for Quest bars, but I think most people buy them online through sites like Amazon. My Dillons/Kroger doesn't carry them, but HyVee does, so you might just have to look around for them.
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I didn't read all the comments so I apologize if this is repetitive- you can get a pack of 18 at costco that ends up at a dollar a bar. Pretty damn good.ibamosaserreinas wrote: »I don't think Pure Protein Bars are actually more pure or higher quality or anything. They are just more reasonably priced. They are like $1.50 each compared to $2.50 for other types.
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I, too, have a hard time getting enough protein without eating Quest bars, even tho I eat meat, beans, eggs and yogurt. I particularly like the chocolate chip cookie dough and the Oreo ones.0
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If you're just trying to hit your protein goal for the day, you might want to look into a protein powder instead of a bar. I got a big bag of whey protein from CostCo, and each serving is 27g of protein for only 140 calories.
Another option is Lucerne (Safeway brand) Plus Protein skim milk; 12g of protein for only 80 calories. It tastes just like regular skim milk but a little less sweet.0 -
When I up my protein calories, If I don't eat protein bars during the day, I have to eat 8-10oz meat for dinner to reach my goal. The protein bar is easier because I can eat it at anytime and don't feel like I am stuffing myself. Are bars healthy?
I think protein bars are a great alternative, in moderation.
You might want to try some nuts, or create your own snack of granola and nuts. Then you know what is in it and you know that it is healthy!
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