Lara bars protein bars quest bars Lenny and Larry?

I eat them daily. Not because I think they are healthy, but because I like them. I used to eat 4 quest bars a day before they changed the formula. Now I eat one every once in awhile. I go through lenny and larry periods where I eat 1-3 of the 2oz cookies a day as well, lol. If they fit in your calories, there is nothing wrong with eating them daily, just as there is nothing wrong with eating oreos daily if they fit in your calories.

neldabg wrote: »

Teabythesea_ wrote: »

I don't think they're marketed as health food so much as they are protein bars or snack bars... but at the same time being higher in calories doesn't make something unhealthy. I'd hardly consider something that's 200 calories to be a meal and any protein bar with 200 or less is pretty low calorie. If you want quick low calorie snacks then fruit, popcorn and low fat yogurt would be even lower. Special K bars are lower at 130 calories but still have 12g of protein if I remember correctly.

The only Special K bars with 12g of protein that I know of are 170-180 calories.

Oh okay, thanks for the correction. It's been a long time since I've had one of those.

Beats a candy bar if you still need to get some protein in. And can stash in a bag/car for infinity for when you need a meal on the go. I usually only have a small dinner pre-cardio at work, and then have a protein/food bar (or half a bar dipped in peanut butter) in the car after running/cycling before heading to dancing venue. Or for breakfast while walking to the car heading out to the gym.

"healthy" and calorie count don't always go hand-in-hand. Something can be high calorie and healthy, and low calorie can be relatively unhealthy (though, those terms are all subjective, so there is a lot of variance in what someone might consider high vs low calorie, healthy vs unhealthy).

That said, I eat both quest bars and clif builder bars several times per week. I'm on about 1900 cals per day, so I have a bit more room than some, though not as much room as others. It's hard to beat the convenience of them, and if you pair it with a yogurt or something, it makes for a reasonable "meal". Not so great for people who prefer high volume foods/eating, though.

I eat protein bars daily as a snack and a way to get my protein in, but not the ones you mentioned. Lara Bars are good but not enough protein for the calories. If I'm going to eat 200 calories as a snack then the protein needs to be high enough to balance it out.

Right now my go-to protein bar is the Costco brand. My daughter really likes the GNC brand

"Healthy" doesn't mean low calorie. I eat a Clif bar just about every weekday as part of my lunch because I enjoy the taste and they fit easily into my goals. I will have a Larabar sometimes as a treat, but they're a bit too low in protein to be a regular choice for me.

If you feel like they're not worth the calories, then I think that is sufficient reason to avoid them.

ditto on the Larabars - I know I've checked the nutritional info at least a few times and put them back on the shelf. I usually have Clif, Balance, Nature Valley chewy protein, or Pure Protein bars (or the Aldi knockoffs of the first 3)(<$1.20/bar with decent enough macros).

I eat a quest bar every day after work - I find it's a nice treat, helps get my protein up and keeps me full for a reasonable period of time. Good happiness to calorie ratio IMO...

dwayneb2020 wrote: »

The Quest bar seems to be a love or hate thing. I've had 2 and reaction for me is... oof. Strange aftertaste and consistency. I guess there was some lawsuit about misrepresenting calories or fiber content, not sure about the outcome. Personally I like Kind bars for a 200 calorie treat. Kinda pricey though at $1.50 a piece.

Nothing came of it. Quest uses IMOs (certain type of fiber) which are partially digestible and therefore counted as 1.5 calories per gram rather than the full 4. A lab tested IMOs and found the full 4 to be digested, but performed the experiment using conditions that didn't accurately mimic the way that humans digest food, so the results were skewed. The calorie count is accurate, just in case you were wondering.

They're way better heated up but all the fruity ones taste chemically to me.

Teabythesea_ wrote: »

dwayneb2020 wrote: »

The Quest bar seems to be a love or hate thing. I've had 2 and reaction for me is... oof. Strange aftertaste and consistency. I guess there was some lawsuit about misrepresenting calories or fiber content, not sure about the outcome. Personally I like Kind bars for a 200 calorie treat. Kinda pricey though at $1.50 a piece.

Nothing came of it. Quest uses IMOs (certain type of fiber) which are partially digestible and therefore counted as 1.5 calories per gram rather than the full 4. A lab tested IMOs and found the full 4 to be digested, but performed the experiment using conditions that didn't accurately mimic the way that humans digest food, so the results were skewed. The calorie count is accurate, just in case you were wondering.

They're way better heated up but all the fruity ones taste chemically to me.

Sadly quest doesn't use IMOs anymore. I wish they did because they were amazing back then.

dwayneb2020 wrote: »

The Quest bar seems to be a love or hate thing. I've had 2 and reaction for me is... oof. Strange aftertaste and consistency. I guess there was some lawsuit about misrepresenting calories or fiber content, not sure about the outcome. Personally I like Kind bars for a 200 calorie treat. Kinda pricey though at $1.50 a piece.

They used to be really good back when they used iso-IMOs. The original recipe was awesome and is what made them so popular. Once they changed, they have never been the same. I used to eat 4-5 a day but now just eat one a month maybe.

I hate Kind bars. They taste like soap to me - not sure which ingredient it is.

Clif bars, which include Luna bars and Builder's bars, aren't marketed as diet or health foods. They're intended for people who are doing physical activities such as hiking, kayaking, or outdoor work. That's why the form factor is: fairly high calories, no low-calorie fillers, easily digestible ingredients, a good balance of macros including carbs, can be eaten on the go or with dirty hands, stays good for a long time in a variety of weather conditions, and has a wrapper that prevents the aroma of the food from attracting wildlife. I wish there was a bar out there like Clif bars but with no refined sugar though, maybe substituting date paste. The closest thing is Larabars but a lot of people have trouble digesting whole raw nuts. I used to like the ONE/Quest type of protein bars but lately I have been finding them gross and fake tasting.

I have the occasional protein bar, but usually more of an after workout protein kick (which is my afternoon snack) or sometimes as dessert if I'm still hungry and have the calories. I just hate the ingredients of most of them. I don't "Eat clean" ( hate that phrase) but maltitol and sorbitol bother my stomach, and it's in a LOT of them.