Walk through any health food store, or even convenience store, and you'll surely find an isle or at least a section, where they keep the protein bars. I used to be a big consumer of protein bars myself, but after a closer examination of the ingredients, along with some of the negative effects that I have experienced as a result of eating them, I began to realize that protein bars are not really what they seem to be. They're touted as a healthy protein supplement, but if you've ever tried them, you've probably learned the hard way that they are nothing more than an embarrassing public disaster. If you haven't tried them, keep reading and you'll find out just why that is.
There are all different kinds of protein bars, but only two basic categories. There are those that are marketed as a supplement designed for the healthy addition of protein in your diet, and then there are others which are designed to be a complete meal replacement. The ones bars that are designed to be a complete meal replacement are usually filled with carbohydrates, which, if you are trying to build muscle, may not be such a bad thing. But in the area of health rather than fitness, generally, these types of bars are a poor choice for a meal replacement.
Weight Protein
From my experience, the types of carbohydrates that are found in the "meal replacement bar" are a combination of complex and simple carbohydrates, with some carbs coming from quality sources and other carbs coming from sugar and high fructose corn syrup, which you know (unless you've been living in a cave) are not conducive to good health OR building muscle. I would avoid these types of bars, especially if your goal is to lose weight. I made the mistake of not doing so some years ago, thinking "oh a meal replacement bar, it must be healthy, it's sold at a health food store." This thought process could not have been more incorrect. I wish I would have looked at the label more carefully. If I did, I would have found out that this bar was helping to sabotage my weight loss efforts!
The other type of bar, which is not designed as a meal replacement bar but rather as a healthy alternative for additional dietary protein, is equally bad, in a different way. The basic difference between the "meal replacement bar" and the "additional protein bar" is that while the meal replacement bar generally contains high amounts of the worst kind of carbohydrates, the additional protein bar is actually very low in carbohydrates. "So how could this be a bad thing if I want additional protein without the carbs?" You may be asking yourself this question, and the answer is because, in order to make up for what this bar lacks in taste due to its low carb content, it has to make up for by adding fat to it. And what's more, is that more often than not, there is not only a high fat content in these types of bars, but a high saturated fat content as well, which will not make your heart happy in the long run.
I mentioned earlier that protein bars can be an "embarrassing public disaster." Well, these "additional protein bars" are the ones that I was referring to. You see, these protein bars need to be sweet, for taste reasons. However, they also have to be low carb at the same time. So how do you make this bar sweet and low carb? The answer is to add artificial sweeteners called "sugar alcohols" to the bar. While sugar alcohols are carbohydrates, they do not cause any negative impact on your blood sugar levels, and therefore do not need to be counted as carbohydrates. Some of these sugar alcohols that you may see on the labels of these types of bars go by names such as: maltitol, sorbitol, and erithritol. These ingredients happen to have a laxative effect, so if you are like most people, after eating these types of protein bars, you will be flatulating uncontrollably and frequently throughout the day.
I hope after reading this, you make the choice the choice not to have protein bars, and if you currently eat them, I hope this article helps you make the choice to stop eating them. It is far healthier to make your own balanced meal replacement by adding protein powder and a piece of fruit to water or low-fat milk. And if you want to make that a low-carb shake, simply leave out the fruit and/or do not use milk, so you will be consuming only protein or close to it.
Yours in health,
James Ryan Hallmark