Protein bar trickery
RainbowLemon
Posts: 2 Member
Hi! I’ve recently gotten much more serious about eating healthy and decided to eat protein bars for snacks. The only problem is the majority are very unappetizing! I just discovered Luna bars and was so shocked at how amazing they tasted. Protein bars that I didn’t have to choke down?!? The only problem is apparently they have a pretty high amount of sugar is every flavor and pretty bad ingredients. I really need help finding protein bars that taste like actual food and are good for the body. Please help!!
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Replies
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Have you tried Quest bars? No protein bar is going to taste like “regular food,” they are all highly processed. Maybe eat something else for snacks that actually is real food?8
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I like Kirkland brownie and cookie dough3
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I gave up on protein bars. I find them all awful. So I either make protein mug cakes or have a protein shake with a Fibre bar instead. Or else I have snacks like beef jerky, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt and cocktail shrimp for added protein.7
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The think thin bats are ok and have fiber but honestly I haven’t had them in a while and don’t know the sugar content.
Protein bars tend to have a lot of calories and sugar so I avoid them. I eat a hard boiled egg. 1/2 avocado, fage 0% yogurt, cottage cheese, turkey slices etc.4 -
Standard Luna bars don't taste like protein bars because they aren't protein bars. Unless you're eating one of the special higher protein versions, their protein content really isn't very high compared to things marketed as protein bars, and even the "Luna protein" bars don't have that much protein in them. Eat them if you like them; don't expect a lot of protein from them.
There's also nothing inherently "bad" about the ingredients in common protein bars, unless you have a relevant medical condition that makes those ingredients bad for you personally, or you have a personal preference to not eat certain ingredients. Protein bars are just food. If you don't like them, you don't have to eat them. There are many other ways to get your protein.12 -
There is no magic to protein bars, and many are loaded with sugar. If you want to avoid sugar and have a healthy snack, try almonds. You can bring them anywhere, and they taste good and are good for you.
Another suggestion is plain greek yogurt...lots of protein, no added sugar. You can mix in some natural peanut butter or berries if you prefer flavor.
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Make your own4
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There's a new yogurt by Dannon Oikos triple O. No added sugar, artificial sweeteners, 0 fat. 15g protein. It uses Stevie leaf.2
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I'm not exactly sure what is trickery about them. They are not supposed to be "health" food. They are a way for people to get protein, even though there are plenty of other ways. But considering just eating protein isolates is pretty untasty, it makes sense they have to load them with sugars and flavors to make them taste palatable.6
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Whenever I see those "healthy" ads I try to imagine if those products grow on trees or on soil in some way. If not, I am not interested.19
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I'm in Europe and order Amfit Nutrition high protein bars on Amazon. I just had one and they are good. 1 bar = 192 cal, 20g protein, 1g sugar. I like the chocolate carmel and cookies and cream.0
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Rx bars don’t have any crazy unpronounceable junk in them11
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neugebauer52 wrote: »Whenever I see those "healthy" ads I try to imagine if those products grow on trees or on soil in some way. If not, I am not interested.
Well, a lot of protein doesn't grow on trees or in the soil--think chickens, fish, eggs,...... And protein bars are made from whey--a milk derivative.9 -
They aren't very good and the calories are rarely worth having one because it's kind of like having a gross candy bar. They are so centered on making them a dessert type of item.
I'd rather have some lean chicken or some beef jerky or boiled eggs. They are more filling and have better nutrition.8 -
I haven't had a protein bar that I liked enough to buy again. To me, so many tastes like chalk or a candy bar or I don't care for some of the ingredients.
Making my own protein bars works for me and I like control the ingredients. It took a while for me to perfect my recipes, but it was worth it.
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Outright bars are by far the best tasting bars on the market. Made with like 7 all natural ingredients, no bs fibers or glycerin. They taste like fresh baked cookies.
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The taste of whey makes me gag so I started making my own bars with pea protein, I like those SO much better! I really love the book Power Hungry by Camilla V. Saulsbury0
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MoiAussi93 wrote: »There is no magic to protein bars, and many are loaded with sugar. If you want to avoid sugar and have a healthy snack, try almonds. You can bring them anywhere, and they taste good and are good for you.
Another suggestion is plain greek yogurt...lots of protein, no added sugar. You can mix in some natural peanut butter or berries if you prefer flavor.
If the idea is to get in protein, I don't see almonds working out very well. To get 20 grams of protein like a lot of protein bars, it will take roughly 95 grams, with 547 calories. Even a Luna Bar (which isn't really a protein bar) is going to get more protein per calorie at 2.5 bars to get 2 grams for 500 calories.9 -
magnusthenerd wrote: »MoiAussi93 wrote: »There is no magic to protein bars, and many are loaded with sugar. If you want to avoid sugar and have a healthy snack, try almonds. You can bring them anywhere, and they taste good and are good for you.
Another suggestion is plain greek yogurt...lots of protein, no added sugar. You can mix in some natural peanut butter or berries if you prefer flavor.
If the idea is to get in protein, I don't see almonds working out very well. To get 20 grams of protein like a lot of protein bars, it will take roughly 95 grams, with 547 calories. Even a Luna Bar (which isn't really a protein bar) is going to get more protein per calorie at 2.5 bars to get 2 grams for 500 calories.
He didn't say the main goal was to get more protein. He said the idea was to eat healthy and, specifically, to find a snack that was compatible with that goal. He also expressed an interest in avoiding high amounts of sugar. A serving of almonds has 164 calories and 6 grams of protein...not bad at all for a snack. They meet both of his stated criteria, and are useful in supplementing protein.
The Luna bars you mention don't have much more protein than a single serving of almonds...looks like several listed in the mfp database only have 8-10 grams and are close to 200 (several seem to be 180) calories. At least almonds don't have all the sugar!
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MoiAussi93 wrote: »He didn't say the main goal was to get more protein. He said the idea was to eat healthy and, specifically, to find a snack that was compatible with that goal. He also expressed an interest in avoiding high amounts of sugar. A serving of almonds has 164 calories and 6 grams of protein...not bad at all for a snack. They meet both of his stated criteria, and are useful in supplementing protein.
The Luna bars you mention don't have much more protein than a single serving of almonds...looks like several listed in the mfp database only have 8-10 grams and are close to 200 (several seem to be 180) calories. At least almonds don't have all the sugar!
No, they didn't say the goal was to find a snack that was compatible with that goal, they said...I really need help finding protein bars that taste like actual food and are good for the body.6 -
MoiAussi93 wrote: »magnusthenerd wrote: »MoiAussi93 wrote: »There is no magic to protein bars, and many are loaded with sugar. If you want to avoid sugar and have a healthy snack, try almonds. You can bring them anywhere, and they taste good and are good for you.
Another suggestion is plain greek yogurt...lots of protein, no added sugar. You can mix in some natural peanut butter or berries if you prefer flavor.
If the idea is to get in protein, I don't see almonds working out very well. To get 20 grams of protein like a lot of protein bars, it will take roughly 95 grams, with 547 calories. Even a Luna Bar (which isn't really a protein bar) is going to get more protein per calorie at 2.5 bars to get 2 grams for 500 calories.
He didn't say the main goal was to get more protein. He said the idea was to eat healthy and, specifically, to find a snack that was compatible with that goal. He also expressed an interest in avoiding high amounts of sugar. A serving of almonds has 164 calories and 6 grams of protein...not bad at all for a snack. They meet both of his stated criteria, and are useful in supplementing protein.
The Luna bars you mention don't have much more protein than a single serving of almonds...looks like several listed in the mfp database only have 8-10 grams and are close to 200 (several seem to be 180) calories. At least almonds don't have all the sugar!
She said "I really need help finding protein bars that taste like actual food and are good for the body. " So tell me again how an almond is a kind of protein bar since you're going to tell me what the goal was? I think it is pretty fair to interpret the request for protein bars as looking to fit a protein goal. Getting in 6 grams of plant based protein isn't going to be that great for 164 calories. Depending on if the protein is for satiety, the almond is fine, but if it is based around a muscle building or preserving goal, plants based sources are going to pack less punch for their grams.
As for the 8-10 grams for close to 200, I'm aware. Notice I said to get 20 grams, you'd be at 500 calories from Luna bars? I actually used one of the worse protein to calories ones. I'm not going to dispute the sugar levels, and with Luna already meeting newer label guidelines, it looks like 7 out of 8 grams is just added sugar, so probably not great. I fail to see the relevance to what I said as I wasn't making a claim on their sugar content.6 -
magnusthenerd wrote: »She said "I really need help finding protein bars that taste like actual food and are good for the body. " So tell me again how an almond is a kind of protein bar since you're going to tell me what the goal was.
Beat me to it!
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dulcitonia wrote: »Rx bars don’t have any crazy unpronounceable junk in them
Just because a person can't pronounce an ingedient doesn't mean it's "junk". It means the person can't pronounce a word.29 -
OP, depends on why you decided to add protein bars to your diet. Do you think you need more protein?
Are you seeking an alternative to candy bars that feels more healthy to you? Do you want a snack that provides some nutrients? Something else?
I don't care for protein bars. Used to eat them occasionally and then just stopped liking any of them (and the ones I ate before I found just so so). Mainly I ate them as a quick breakfast or lunch on the go, as I travel a lot and you can generally find them in airports.
If your goal is more protein, consider something like greek yogurt or cottage cheese or perhaps a hard boiled egg (although that will have less protein). If just a healthy/filling snack, there are tons of options -- veg, fruit, nuts are all easy enough to carry around. (Protein bars have the benefit of being portable.)0 -
I've made some of my own protein balls in the past - protein powder, oats, powdered peanut butter w/ a little water, and almond butter. I divide them up into an appropriate portion size for me based on typically calories available.0
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Have you tried Quest bars? No protein bar is going to taste like “regular food,” they are all highly processed. Maybe eat something else for snacks that actually is real food?
I LOVE Quest bars. I have one nearly every day as part of my lunch. The ones I eat have 20 g of protein. Some people like to soften them in the microwave, but I like them just they way they are in the package. I bought lots of individual bars in various flavors at the grocery store. Now I subscribe to my favorite flavors on Amazon.1 -
neugebauer52 wrote: »Whenever I see those "healthy" ads I try to imagine if those products grow on trees or on soil in some way. If not, I am not interested.
This is relevant if you define "healthy" to mean "vegan." Otherwise, there are many things people may consider "healthy" that don't come directly from plants.6 -
I make my own. i make a batch of like 16 at a time. the only "issue" is they are not shelf stable (there may be some that are, the ones i like making are not). this way i have full control of ingredients and can adjust to the taste to my liking.0
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magnusthenerd wrote: »MoiAussi93 wrote: »magnusthenerd wrote: »MoiAussi93 wrote: »There is no magic to protein bars, and many are loaded with sugar. If you want to avoid sugar and have a healthy snack, try almonds. You can bring them anywhere, and they taste good and are good for you.
Another suggestion is plain greek yogurt...lots of protein, no added sugar. You can mix in some natural peanut butter or berries if you prefer flavor.
If the idea is to get in protein, I don't see almonds working out very well. To get 20 grams of protein like a lot of protein bars, it will take roughly 95 grams, with 547 calories. Even a Luna Bar (which isn't really a protein bar) is going to get more protein per calorie at 2.5 bars to get 2 grams for 500 calories.
He didn't say the main goal was to get more protein. He said the idea was to eat healthy and, specifically, to find a snack that was compatible with that goal. He also expressed an interest in avoiding high amounts of sugar. A serving of almonds has 164 calories and 6 grams of protein...not bad at all for a snack. They meet both of his stated criteria, and are useful in supplementing protein.
The Luna bars you mention don't have much more protein than a single serving of almonds...looks like several listed in the mfp database only have 8-10 grams and are close to 200 (several seem to be 180) calories. At least almonds don't have all the sugar!
She said "I really need help finding protein bars that taste like actual food and are good for the body. " So tell me again how an almond is a kind of protein bar since you're going to tell me what the goal was? I think it is pretty fair to interpret the request for protein bars as looking to fit a protein goal. Getting in 6 grams of plant based protein isn't going to be that great for 164 calories. Depending on if the protein is for satiety, the almond is fine, but if it is based around a muscle building or preserving goal, plants based sources are going to pack less punch for their grams.
As for the 8-10 grams for close to 200, I'm aware. Notice I said to get 20 grams, you'd be at 500 calories from Luna bars? I actually used one of the worse protein to calories ones. I'm not going to dispute the sugar levels, and with Luna already meeting newer label guidelines, it looks like 7 out of 8 grams is just added sugar, so probably not great. I fail to see the relevance to what I said as I wasn't making a claim on their sugar content.
I'm not sure why you are being hostile about this. Relax, everybody here is just trying to add in anything that might be helpful.
She started off by saying she was trying to eat more healthy (not defined, so we are free to interpret that the way we think most likely) and decided to eat protein bars for snacks. You may assume the only goal is to maximize protein. You made all kinds of assumptions about her primary goal being muscle building or preserving that I didn't make. I viewed it simply as OP thinking that protein bars are an especially healthy snack idea and not liking the taste...or sugar content...of any she has tried.. So I gave options that, in my view, taste good, are healthy (my definition) and certainly have less sugar...which she clearly stated was a goal. That's it...she can take or leave my suggestions. I don't get paid if she eats an almond as a result of my post, so I'm good either way!!!
As to the SHE you bolded, I saw no picture and didn't know OPs gender. Frankly, since I don't use this as a dating site and gender is irrelevant to her question, I did not see the need to investigate gender before replying and usually go with a default "he". I am sorry if you are offended by this...but it seems silly to me.8
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