Debunking the Protein bar aisle

Ever walked into a “health food” isle and been slightly overwhelmed (or completely) at all the bars, powders, bags of stuff that sit and scream at you about how healthy they are?

I have. And I’m the expert. Supposedly.

I can’t go over all bars in one post – so I’ve taken the top few that people stated (thanks guys!) they eat. I will try and get around to going through all the bars (New years resolution is to become a successful blogger and get free stuff)

Bar Numero Uno:

LARA BARS:

Cost: About $0.60 per bar

By far the most popular with the ladies.

The first time I ever saw/tasted a Lara bar was after a half marathon I ran in Nashville 8 years ago. They had sample mini’s and I loaded up my bag (this was when I was a poor college student) and lived off of these things for at least two months… anyway…

With anywhere between 3 – 6 ingredients per bar, you really can’t go wrong when following the mantra “eat as close to natural as possible” – which is my own mantra.

The base of these are dates, which are great! High in fiber, but is also a carbohydrate or a “sugar”.

They average about 200 calories per bar, 25 grams of sugar each and a few grams of protein and fiber. Depending of the bar of course.

I would consider this an energy bar.  The best time to eat this bar is directly before a hard workout.

Not a terrible thing to reach for when in a pinch either. I see nothing here that raises a red flag. Just don’t rely on these things to get you through every day.

Cliff bar:

Cost: About $1.13 per bar

The perfectly marketed bar.

The ingredients list on this thing is so long… punctuated by the constant word of “organic”. Sort of an annoyance when deciphering. And the ingredients list gets longer with the fancier the bar.

Here is an example of the cliff bar pictured:

INGREDIENTS

Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Cane Syrup, Organic Peanut Butter, Organic Roasted Soybeans, Soy Protein Isolate, Peanuts, Peanut Flour, Rice Flour, Organic Soy Flour, Organic Oat Fiber, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Barley Malt Extract.

If you notice.. the first ingredient is brown rice syrup. Which is a sugar. I tell my clients/friends/family not to pick up anything with sugar listed in the top three ingredients… so this throws that out for normal snacking.

This is a great bar for active individuals who aren’t afraid of soy.

So for the general public, think long cardio days – hiking, running, cycling long distances. These things are fuel. They are not much of a protein bar. They are not for snacking. I would eat half of one if using to fuel a regular hour long workout.

For hard core athlete, people working out hard more than once per day – this isn’t a terrible thing to reach for throughout the day to meet your energy needs. But again, don’t rely on it.

MUSCLE MILK:

Cost: About $1.60 per bar

I love muscle milk protein powders, I like the drinks… but I’ve never tried their bars.

These clock in about 200 calories per bar, about 15 grams protein and 25 grams carbs. A pretty good overall profile.

But then you take a look at the ingredients list:

INGREDIENTS

Milk Derived Protein Blend (Whey Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate), Soy Protein Isolate, Sugar, Soluble Vegetable Fiber, Maltitol Syrup, Fractionated Palm Kernel and Palm Oil, Glycerin, Soluble Corn Fiber, Water, Sunflower Oil with Tocopherols (To Protect Flavor), Molasses, Natural Flavors, Erythritol, Yogurt Powder (Whey Protein Concentrate, Nonfat Milk, Cultures), Tapioca Starch, Butter (Cream, Salt), Salt, Soy Lecithin, Egg White, Sunflower Lecithin, Calcium Carbonate, Edible Glitter as (Gum Arabic, [Beta Carotene, Radish Extract, Spirulina Extract and Turmeric (Added for Color)], Citric Acid, Safflower Oil, Vitamin E), Sucralose. CONTAINS: Soy, Milk, Egg.

**This is for the birthday cake as it seemed to be another popular flavor mentioned in my poll**

The edible glitter here made me laugh.

Again with the soy.

These bars are interesting science experiments. Which I love a good science experiment. Sugar just barely misses the top three ingredients by coming in fourth.

They have a small amount of erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol. Considered safe. But keep in mind that you do not digest these – which can cause gas a bloating. I’m guessing there is a very small amount. Which shouldn’t effect you too much… but everyone is different.

I would recommend grabbing for these post workout. OR even for an afternoon pick me up. Even with the laundry list of ingredients.

Quest bars: 

Cost: About $1.90 per bar

Out of the reviewed bars – this has the most protein per bar, averaging at 200 calories, 20 carbs and over 20 grams a bar… and something not seen in other bars.. a whopping 15 grams of fiber….

Let’s just jump right to the ingredients:

INGREDIENTS

 Protein Blend (Milk Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Isolate), Soluble Corn Fiber, Almonds, Water, Cocoa Butter, Natural Flavors, Erythritol, Cocoa Processed with Alkali. Contains less than 2% of the following: Coconut Oil, Sea Salt, Sodium Caseinate,Sunflower Lecithin, Baking Soda, Steviol Glycosides (Stevia), Xanthan Gum, Sucralose.

Looking at this – it’s essentially a protein shake in a bar. But with a few other interesting ingredients.

Corn fiber – but the soluble kind. Which means it pulls water into the gut to help push things through. Almonds are insoluble, so adding some bulk there. And then we find the erythritol and some stevia further down the list. This combination of high fiber and sugar alcohols is a sure fire way to aggravate anyone with a touchy gut. Think bloating and gas for sure.

I would only recommend this bar as a snack – not good for pre or post workout eating. And this is more of a fiber supplement than a protein bar. But again, just my opinion.

Conclusion:

I only reviewed a few bars – to keep this short. I will continue reviewing, but I think the posts will all end the same way.

Reach for REAL FOOD FIRST.

In the end it’s going to be cheaper, easier on the body, and you can control your macros and any GI issues you may have better.

You can also see that the more complex the bar – the more expensive it becomes.

Want a protein bar – grab a tuna packet, eat some chicken.

Want fiber? Eat your fruit and veggies, add in some grains.

Want carbs? Eat some fruit.

I understand that we enjoy bars and the way they taste. Marketing is genius to sell us these things labeled as a better and easier choice, when it is cheaper and just as easy to grab for God’s candy (fruit) or protein sources (meats). The real health food isle is the produce section.

I rarely ever write in protein bars in a meal plan for my clients. I will review and recommend them and I do admit that I almost always recommend a protein shake for active individuals. But bars are too tricky.

At the end of the day I remain by my statement/mantra.. “Eat as close to natural as possible and you’ll be okay”

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think – or send some of your favorite protein bars my way.