Are Protein Bars "Healthy" ?
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For decades I would have a cup of coffee, 2 biscuits (cookies), and an orange for my breakfast. When I wanted to up my protein the easiest thing was to sub in a protein bar for the biscuits. This has worked like a charm for well over 5 years.
(I really don't do savoury food well in the morning)
Most people have a treat drawer in their kitchen, I have a protein bar drawer with a mixed selection of my favourites.
Don't look at food as healthy or unhealthy (what does that mean anyway), look at fulfilling your nutritional needs for good health.
Protein powder or shakes can be a way of getting enough protein.
Cheers, h.5 -
What don't you like about meat? Have you tried some of the vegetarian alternatives? Veggie burgers are good. Tofu is good if you cook it with a lot of flavor. Morningstar makes a lot of vegetarian products.
Nothing wrong with protein bars though. I usually eat 2 in a day. If you are going to eat them for a protein source, look for ones that have at least 20 g of protein.
I dislike bones/fat/skin/gristle etc. Texture things. I do really like tofu, I made it once. It took a lot of prep. Sandwiches have been easier. Tbh I don’t get a lot of freezer space in my current living situation, so keeping larger (volume) meals was challenging.
Yeah I picked 20g and less than 200cal. It really makes a difference and I rarely eat below 55g of protein in a day now.0 -
Look at the nutrition facts and make sure it's not full of sugar and you should be alright.
I usually eat one a day when I'm cutting because it helps me meet my protein goals without going over on carbs.
I like Quest if I need a lot of protein, RX if I want a whole-foods-based product, and Bulletproof if I also need more fat. I'd also recommend protein powders/shakes to supplement your protein intake--they tend to be healthier and higher protein than the bars.
Synthetic food isn't fake food and it's engineered to meet the exact nutritional needs you seem to have, so go ahead and eat it!2 -
carolsoules wrote: »Look at the nutrition facts and make sure it's not full of sugar and you should be alright.
I usually eat one a day when I'm cutting because it helps me meet my protein goals without going over on carbs.
I like Quest if I need a lot of protein, RX if I want a whole-foods-based product, and Bulletproof if I also need more fat. I'd also recommend protein powders/shakes to supplement your protein intake--they tend to be healthier and higher protein than the bars.
Synthetic food isn't fake food and it's engineered to meet the exact nutritional needs you seem to have, so go ahead and eat it!
Thank you! Yes increasing protein without a ton of calories was my goal. I’ve been buying Pure Protein because they tasted better than the One bars to meand had a better protein/calorie ratio than others I saw. Yes they have fairly low sugar as well, just a couple grams. And they were fairly inexpensive, just about $1.40/bar. Compared to others that were near $3/bar. (Canadian dollars).
I have tried powders before and found them inedible for me. It is hard to try them, because the smallest tubs (at least at my local grocery) are like $40. I no longer have that kind of money to drop on something I might not use.I did try the vegan ones because again I was concerned about consuming too much dairy.
Also when I drank smoothies I never felt full even with lots of calories in the fruit/milk/yogurt etc. Something about physically chewing? Idk. I had the same issue when I tried having Greek yogurt for breakfast, even though I had fruit in it.0 -
carolsoules wrote: »Look at the nutrition facts and make sure it's not full of sugar and you should be alright.
I usually eat one a day when I'm cutting because it helps me meet my protein goals without going over on carbs.
I like Quest if I need a lot of protein, RX if I want a whole-foods-based product, and Bulletproof if I also need more fat. I'd also recommend protein powders/shakes to supplement your protein intake--they tend to be healthier and higher protein than the bars.
Synthetic food isn't fake food and it's engineered to meet the exact nutritional needs you seem to have, so go ahead and eat it!
Thank you! Yes increasing protein without a ton of calories was my goal. I’ve been buying Pure Protein because they tasted better than the One bars to meand had a better protein/calorie ratio than others I saw...
I also like Pure Protein bars - for pretty much that exact reason.
I would recommend not eating more than one of those per day, though - occasionally two. I've found that more than one on any sort of regular basis - sorry for the incoming TMI - gave me pretty ugly diarrhea. I think it was the sugar alcohols, but I'm not entirely sure.
But, yeah. protein bars aren't inherently healthy or unhealthy. And - as has been mentioned - if they help increase your protein intake to a better level, then I'd say they're basically a good addition to your diet.
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I think it’s fine to eat them on a regular basis if you want. I drink a protein shake every morning. I get plenty of other nutrition throughout the day. I don’t think it would negatively effect you unless that’s like, all you were eating. In that case you’d probably have some nutrient deficiencies.0
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carolsoules wrote: »Look at the nutrition facts and make sure it's not full of sugar and you should be alright.
I usually eat one a day when I'm cutting because it helps me meet my protein goals without going over on carbs.
I like Quest if I need a lot of protein, RX if I want a whole-foods-based product, and Bulletproof if I also need more fat. I'd also recommend protein powders/shakes to supplement your protein intake--they tend to be healthier and higher protein than the bars.
Synthetic food isn't fake food and it's engineered to meet the exact nutritional needs you seem to have, so go ahead and eat it!
Thank you! Yes increasing protein without a ton of calories was my goal. I’ve been buying Pure Protein because they tasted better than the One bars to meand had a better protein/calorie ratio than others I saw...
I also like Pure Protein bars - for pretty much that exact reason.
I would recommend not eating more than one of those per day, though - occasionally two. I've found that more than one on any sort of regular basis - sorry for the incoming TMI - gave me pretty ugly diarrhea. I think it was the sugar alcohols, but I'm not entirely sure.
But, yeah. protein bars aren't inherently healthy or unhealthy. And - as has been mentioned - if they help increase your protein intake to a better level, then I'd say they're basically a good addition to your diet.
Yes, I find one is enough in a day. I haven't had that side effect, but I also haven't had more than one in a day. Although I have had one a day for an entire week.0 -
I think it’s fine to eat them on a regular basis if you want. I drink a protein shake every morning. I get plenty of other nutrition throughout the day. I don’t think it would negatively effect you unless that’s like, all you were eating. In that case you’d probably have some nutrient deficiencies.
True, thank you!0 -
What don't you like about meat? Have you tried some of the vegetarian alternatives? Veggie burgers are good. Tofu is good if you cook it with a lot of flavor. Morningstar makes a lot of vegetarian products.
Nothing wrong with protein bars though. I usually eat 2 in a day. If you are going to eat them for a protein source, look for ones that have at least 20 g of protein.
I dislike bones/fat/skin/gristle etc. Texture things. I do really like tofu, I made it once. It took a lot of prep. Sandwiches have been easier. Tbh I don’t get a lot of freezer space in my current living situation, so keeping larger (volume) meals was challenging.
Yeah I picked 20g and less than 200cal. It really makes a difference and I rarely eat below 55g of protein in a day now.
You're similar to me. I actually eat a lot of meat, but I don't eat meat with bones still in it, I don't eat skin and I won't won't touch any meat than is tough or chewy.
I have found a lot of pre-prepped products that are good. Tyson makes boneless, skinless, grilled chicken strips that are pre cooked and frozen. They are really tasty too. I just microwave for 2 minutes and they don't get dry or tough. The seafood department has packed smoked salmon that doesn't have any bones. Frozen seafood has fully cooked and de-tailed shrimp.
If you actually just don't like the taste of meat, then go with meatless options -
I also like the Boca burgers and the Morningstar burgers. Tempeh and Seitan can be trickier to cook and will need a lot of seasoning unless they are packed in seasoning. For tofu, let it marinate overnight. Or, rub it in a little oil and then put the seasoning on it before cooking.1 -
Thanks again for all your comments here. I just got a mini intervention because my mom caught me eating a bar after exercise, because she thinks “fake food” will do “more harm than good” and she is “seriously concerned” about my “health and well being”. So I was glad I’d already looked into this. It’s not like I eat more than one a day, or even have one every day. I ate half before exercise and half after, so I was still eating some when I got home. It’s usually something that I’d do when out. Just rereading the replies here.2
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Have you tried Epic bars (Bison are good) - real food, ready to eat, very filling, few ingredients, no nitrates, 7 g protien, 130 calories.4
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But you can just as easily carry some almonds and dried fruit in your purse, protein, fiber, calcium, good fat and carbs.
The OP could carry a newspaper too, and that would be about as much use.
The OP needs protein. How much protein is in that dried fruit? How much protein is in those almonds? Go and take a look at the actual figures. I think you’ll be surprised at how poor a protein source nuts actually are.6 -
The best thing I have done for my protein intake was to introduce protein powder. I don't do protein bars because I like the cal/protein of powders better, but it's the same principle. I stopped worrying about how much protein I get, and I just fill any gaps with powder. I used to have to make food choices that I like less in order to get more protein which made dieting more work than it needed to be.
Protein bars are healthy when they make it easier for you to eat a healthy and balanced diet, and they're unhealthy when they serve like candy bars that take you over calories consistently when you're trying to lose weight. Context is always important.
P.S: most of my protein intake is from dairy and I haven't had any issues with that.
P.P.S: carrying almonds and dried fruit around would be the unhealthiest thing I could ever do to my diet. I'm not satisfied by small amounts of them and I'm very prone to overeating them. That's why I only have them in a very controlled manner. Another example how context is important and you can't call any single food healthy or unhealthy without it.3
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