Protein bars are a great way of filling that gap between meals or for increasing your protein needs BUT there are endless options available so how do you know a good protein bar from a bad protein bar? Before you make that purchase, have a look at our top tips for what to look out for below –
Shona Wilkinson
Protein Content – This may seem obvious but how much protein does the protein bar actually contain! The recommended daily amount of protein you should eat a day is worked out as 0.9 grams per kilogram of body weight – but who bothers to work that out! An easy way to think about it is that you should have about 20 – 40 grams of protein with every meal and try to have protein with every meal you have. This is where a protein bar becomes really useful. Look for a bar which doesn’t have less than 20g of protein. In fact, 20g is a great amount to look for because the body can’t absorb too much protein in one go. If you eat too much at once, you won’t get the benefits and if you eat it regularly, you run the risk of gaining weight. So, opt for a bar with 20g or protein but remember that it may have this amount of protein but lots of other bad ingredients - so keep aware of the other things to watch out for below!
Fibre Content – Fibre is incredibly important, and we know that we aren’t getting enough of it. We are recommended to eat approximately 30g of fibre a day, but the average intake is only approximately 18g! Fibre fills up and makes us feel full plus is vital for good digestive health. This is another reason that protein bars can be great to have – their fibre content. Look for a bar which has 7g of fibre. If a bar has anything less – give it a miss!
Sugar Content – Protein bars can often have horrendous amounts of sugar. Some have as much as 30grams of sugar! Only settle for ones which have 2.5g or less of sugar. They should be labelled “low sugar”. They will still taste great but won’t have the disadvantages of being too sweet and upping your sugar intake too high.
Calorie Content – If you want to look at the calories in your protein bar, try to stick to one that has around 250 calories. Any more than that is a bit too much and may not be beneficial.
Fat Content – Remember that not all fat is bad for you so depending on the ingredients (nuts for example), the fat content will vary. Try to avoid anything over about 15g of fat and instead choose one which has 10g or under.
Type of Protein content – Most bars have a protein blend made up of milk and soy protein. If you have any allergies or sensitivities to these ingredients or are a vegan, there are other options available. Make sure you eat a protein bar that has a type of protein that is safe for your needs.
Taste! – Opt for a well-known brand that specialises in the area of protein. It is always good to look for a brand with lots of different flavours. You don’t have to suffer by eating a bar that you don’t like – there are plenty of great tasting protein bars out there so choose one you love eating and enjoy it!
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