PROTEIN BARS

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JUST A QUESTION TO ANYONE OUT THERE. WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT PROTEIN BARS AS MEALS, SNACKS ETC. ANY FAVORITES? SOME SEEM HIGH IN SUGAR, OTHERS FAT. I THINK MAYBE THEY ARE BETTER THAN EATING SWEET STUFF( SINCE I HAVE A VERY SWEET TOOTH. ANY SUGGESTIONS OR IDEAS ABOUT THE BARS OR KICKING THE SWEET HABIT.

 

[tracye]

Hi.

I would have a protein bar almost every a.m. with a cup of coffee... but I agree with you they are high in sugar and fat... so now.. I just have a "Payday" with all the peanuts for protein..all it is missing is vitamins and minerals which I take daily anyway. (But I do not have a "payday" daily anymore.. just a few times a week.)

As far as kicking the sweet habit.. . not gonna happen here.

tracye

 

[winsomehill]

I eat Luna Bars a lot. They are, however, high in carbs 24 grams to 10 grams protein. But, they are really yummy and only 180 calories. My favorite is the Nutz over chocolate. I need a few "okay" chocolate treats in my world. Of course, it's better if you can cut off the sweets totally, I haven't been able to do that.

Heather

 

[laura35]

I usually eat south beach cereal bars with 10grams of protein or the replacement bars that have 19 grams low carb. I also eat the pria bars they have balanced carb,protein ratio. the zone bars are pretty good, also balanced carb,protein fat ration. Met tx I think that is what they are called arent bad depending on the flavor they have 32 grams of protein. I just recently bought whey protein powder at walmart and it is pretty good. It has 19grams of protein and only 3 carbs. I mix it in my yogurt. I usually use the higher calorie bars as a meal and the lower ones as a snack. I was told snacks should be around 200 calories for a bar.(sarah from the firm boards is a nutrionalist) I just usually use that as a guide though. I have a piece of fruit with the bar or powder if it is a meal replacement.They are good to have if you are in a hurry and dont have time for breakfast. hope this helps

 

[Juliebeth]

You can find Detour, One Way, Joy Ride or U-Turn bars usually at WalMart. They range from 150-180 calories, 4-6 grams of fat, 13-19 carbs, 2-6 grams sugar, and all have 15 grams protein. They are made by Next, who puts out Designer Whey protein products. A bit under $6.00 for a box of 6, or can be purchased individually. They are also sold at grocery stores and the like.
They are all of a candy bar consistency, however, with flavors like Caramel Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, White Chocolate Peanut Butter, and some have nuts. Kinda like a fake Snickers or Milky Way. They absolutely kill my sweet craving, and I can fit them into my daily caloric ranges pretty easily. You can check them out at:

http://www.detourbar.com/

Julie

 

[JuliaBelle]

I rarely eat protein bars because I try to stay away from all processed foods. Most of them are basically candy bars disguised as healthy food, IMO. I make my own bars. Here's my recipe for Apple Oat Protein Bars:
Apple Cinnamon Protein Bars
(Adapted from a recipe on Kristin Reisinger’s website: http://www.kristinreisinger.com/recipes/proteinbars.html)

3 cups rolled oats (or quick oats)
1 cup nonfat dry milk
2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Baking powder
4 scoops vanilla protein powder
½ cup Splenda
1 cup low fat or fat free cottage cheese
1 cup Torani’s or Davinci’s SF vanilla syrup
½ cup egg whites
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup chopped apple or dried apple pieces that have been soaked in boiling water for 15 mins. to re-hydrate. You could also use raisins or any other dried fruit. You don’t have to re-hydrate it.

In a large mixing bowl, blend all dry ingredients (I use my stand mixer on the stir setting). Add wet ingredients and blend well. Spread into a 10x13 pan that has been sprayed with butter-flavor cooking spray. Bake at 325 for approximately 17 mins. or until the edges begin to brown and the center is solid. Cut into 10 bars.

 

[clareMc]

Also try the MOJO bars, also from the makers of Cliff bars. They have no trans fats and are made of wholesome ingredients, with 10 g's protein in each bar, which I reckon is enough as a snack.

Clare

 

[kathryn]

I think most protein bars are just glorified candy, and a way for manufacturers to make a heavy profit. They also are highly processed foods, based on protein isolates or concentrates, which is not a natural way for your body to get protein. I'm of the opinion that your body wants real, whole foods, and does best on them.

I like to snack on raw food bars like "Larabars" (which usually have only two or three ingredients, and at most 6, all of which are raw fruits and nuts--my favorite is the Cherry Pie bar, just dates, almonds and cherries), Vega whole food energy bar (with hemp protein, dried fuits, nuts, seeds, sprouts), vegan bars (similar to Vega bars).

 

[debra123]

>I rarely eat protein bars because I try to stay away from all
>processed foods. Most of them are basically candy bars
>disguised as healthy food, IMO. I make my own bars. Here's
>my recipe for Apple Oat Protein Bars:
>Apple Cinnamon Protein Bars
>(Adapted from a recipe on Kristin Reisinger’s website:
>http://www.kristinreisinger.com/recipes/proteinbars.html)
>
>3 cups rolled oats (or quick oats)
>1 cup nonfat dry milk
>2 tsp. Cinnamon
>2 tsp. Baking powder
>4 scoops vanilla protein powder
>½ cup Splenda
>1 cup low fat or fat free cottage cheese
>1 cup Torani’s or Davinci’s SF vanilla syrup
>½ cup egg whites
>½ cup unsweetened applesauce
>1 cup chopped apple or dried apple pieces that have been
>soaked in boiling water for 15 mins. to re-hydrate. You could
>also use raisins or any other dried fruit. You don’t have to
>re-hydrate it.
>
>In a large mixing bowl, blend all dry ingredients (I use my
>stand mixer on the stir setting). Add wet ingredients and
>blend well. Spread into a 10x13 pan that has been sprayed
>with butter-flavor cooking spray. Bake at 325 for
>approximately 17 mins. or until the edges begin to brown and
>the center is solid. Cut into 10 bars.


Julie, thanks for the recipe they sound great
Have a nice day

Deb

 

[jooge]

when I need to eat a quick meal - like a protien bar. I eat parrillo energy bars - in graham cracker. The taste is great and the ingredients are great! I also use the parrillo Cap-Tri oil to make my salad dressing. It is also awesome! Check them out at www.parrillo.com - No, I don't work for Parrillo - a nutritionist turned me on to his products about a year ago because of the high quality ingredients.

jooge

 

[NekkoCat]

They are not protein bars, but I like Bora-Bora bars. Like some of the bars that Kathyrn mentioned, they are made of nuts, seeds, fruit and natural sweetners like rice syrup and agave syrup. They have no preservatives and have fewer sugar carbs than most protein bars. I find them to be quite tasty and they do not give me sugar cravings.