When you are feeling hungry and want a snack, but try to stick to something you perceive to be a healthy option, there’s a good chance that a protein bar will be on your radar.
All sorts of myths and misconceptions exist about the actual quality or health benefits of some protein bars being marketed. It largely depends on where you buy your protein bars from. Reputable health food companies and similarly reliable online retailers aim to provide genuine health benefits with the bars they are selling.
With this in mind, how do you separate fact from fiction about protein bars?
A great way to get some protein in your diet
Quite simply, getting some protein in your diet is not that challenging when you eat a bar that gives you those benefits. A good protein bar is an excellent way of giving yourself a valuable nutrient boost.
The ingredients tell the story
You can’t just rely on the amount of protein in a bar to determine how good for you it is. Quality over quantity is the thing to focus on. If the bar has real, whole food ingredients, that tells you that that the bar will give you a quality protein experience.
You need to choose the best time to have your protein bar
This is actually a myth. The idea that you should only have a protein bar before or after a workout, for instance, is incorrect.
Protein bars can be consumed as a supplement to meals, breakfast, or even to tide you over as a snack. There is no optimum time to have a protein bar, it can be consumed on your terms and schedule.
All protein bars have been processed
It is true that a certain percentage of protein bars being sold have been heavily processed. Eating something that has been ultraprocessed defeats the object of trying to eat something healthy that is packed with protein.
Make sure you read the ingredients label so that you can spot the rogues that contain things like fructose corn syrup. Organic bars with natural ingredients should not be tarred with the same brush.
All protein bars are not the same
It is an absolute myth that all protein bars are created equal. For all the reasons already outlined, you need to be vigilant and focus on bars with natural ingredients.
Protein bars can impact your weight
Another common misconception is that you can lose or gain weight by eating protein bars. For sure, a diet that includes protein bars can support a weight loss program, for instance, but they are not the sole influence.
You have to compromise on taste to get the health benefits
If you think that you have to suffer a bar that is a bit tasteless and chewy for the sake of goodness, think again.
There is no truth in the perception that protein bars have to taste bad if they are good for you.
A chocolate protein bar is like eating a candy bar
This is also a myth. You can have healthy ingredients such as honey that tastes sweet and give you the same sugar hit that candy bars can deliver, but without it getting anywhere near being classed the same as junk food.
Eating protein bars is an adult-only experience
Although protein bars are generally consumed by adults, for obvious reasons, that doesn’t mean that children can’t have a go at something that is so nutritious. As they say, everything in moderation.
Now you know what’s true and pure fiction about protein bars, you can make a more informed decision the next time you buy one.