Posted on September 25, 2014 by Jenny Cromack

You only have to walk into any corner shop, gym, petrol station or supermarket and you will see protein bars, energy bars, diet bars and food bars on sale. These bars are designed to be appealing to people who are unorganised and don’t plan their weekly food or need to grab something quick when on the go. The bars are marketed to make people think  that a protein bar is high in protein, an energy bar provides a high amount of calories for sustained energy, a diet bar is lower in calories and a food bar is one that serves as a meal replacement by containing a balance of the three macronutrients (protein, carbs and fats). That’s the idea, but it’s not often reflected in reality!

Protein Bars
it would be extremely difficult to to design a protein bar that makes a significant contribution to daily protein requirements. Protein is not sweet so making a protein bar of pure protein that takes good is difficult, therefore many other unhealthy ingredients are often added to these bars. It is therefore important that you ensure that if you are using a protein bar to increase your protein intake you don’t settle for a bar high in sugar.

Energy Bars
These bars appeal to the aerobic athletes big on carbs and energy such as runners and cyclists. The fast-acting carbs in these products provide the needed energy to finish strong. The problem is, the most popular energy bars are full of things you really don’t want your body to take in. For example, a very popular energy bar contains 230 calories broken down into 45g carbs, 2.5g fat, and 10g of protein. Unfortunately, the number-one ingredient in these bars is fructose corn syrup, which promotes type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. Not so healthy now eh?!

Diet Bars.
A diet bar is usually simply lower in calories. Too many people rely on these bars as a healthy snack options or an alternative to meals. The bottom line is these are no substitute for real food and with high levels of fructose and corn syrup they really are not the best option to help lose weight.

Food Bars.

A food bar should provide a balance of the three macronutrients and is designed to be a healthy snack and an occasional, low-calorie meal replacement. Again these are not the best alternative to healthy food as most health bars on the market contain fructose, which causes a high spike in blood sugar that is associated with an insulin crash that causes drowsiness and carbohydrate cravings. Further, excess consumption of fructose products is considered a contributor to insulin resistance and the obesity epidemic. many health food bars contain soy. Soy products are associated with hypothyroidism and attention deficit disorder, and block mineral absorption and decrease testosterone levels in men. Soybeans are also one of the most sprayed crops, and the resulting high pesticide content increases the toxic load on the body.

Everyone reports being rushed off their feet juggling work, children and running a home but it is vitally important to plan your meals and snacks whether fitness goal is to lose weight, gain muscle or have more energy to perform to the highest level to ensure that you are providing your body with best fuel available. It is often too easy to get caught up in advertisement of a product just because it says it is high in protein be sure to read the contents to ensure it doesn’t have any hidden surprises

click here to see a protein bar suitable to add that extra benefit to your training, however do not use as an alternative to good quality natural protein