Any good protein bars?
I was wondering which protein bars you have all tried that you like (that don't taste like card board). I'm trying hard to increase my protein consumption because I'm two months out and most days I'm struggling to eat enough! Nothing appeals to me anymore and I'll take a few bites of something and either hate it or it doesn't feel "quite right" going down and I won't eat anymore. Sometimes I won't even want that food again for weeks which really puts a damper on the variety of foods I eat! 
I'm sick to death of protein shakes and I have to gag them down lately because I know I'm not getting enough protein (or nutrition probably)! But if you have any recommendations on them, I'll take that too! Someone had recommended Dymatize and I got a sample and liked it so I just ordered a 5 lb tub from bodybuilding.com in chocolate mint. I was hoping something different might work!
Thanks!
Vi
I'm sick to death of protein shakes and I have to gag them down lately because I know I'm not getting enough protein (or nutrition probably)! But if you have any recommendations on them, I'll take that too! Someone had recommended Dymatize and I got a sample and liked it so I just ordered a 5 lb tub from bodybuilding.com in chocolate mint. I was hoping something different might work!
Thanks!
Vi 
I'll try the atkins, thanks for the tip!
Vi BUT not all atkins bars i find the peanut granola one reasonable. I am very careful about my sugar alcohols.
THAT chocolate mint flavor sound good let me know how it is.
I enjoy the stallone banana pudding w/ 20 grams of protein
as a change to regular shakes.
KEEP looking and trying you will find foods that you love that are
high protein.
ALL the best
lisa
Thanks for the suggestion! 
I personally see protein bars as GLORIFIED candy bars. MOST are full of crap...I do on ocassion in EMERGENCY use: southbeach cereal bars or Qsmart bars or the genisoy locarb crunch (PB or choc chip) (in a pinch BUT I dont fool myself into thinking I am really being healthy!). I think I used to eat the protein bars fooling myself to thinking they were healthy. Truth is protein is bound up just like in food and how much we absorb is questionable, just like food it is not predigested as shakes are. So shakes seem to be better in this way. I could also tolerate the detour line(GNC/Walmart carries) but to use reguarly I don't think is a good idea, the sweetness may trigger some to eat more also...
I have a good article on the good/bad/ugly on protein bars, let me search for that!....(Jamie off sear*****
OK GOT IT!
Jamie
Lap RNY 10/9/02 Dr. Singh
320/163 5'9'' (lost 45# before surgery)
Plastics 6/9/04 & 11/11/2005 Dr. King
"Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect, it just means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections!"
Protein Bars... The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly!
As you know, I'm a big fan of meal replacements --
they are a relatively cost-efficient way of replacing
a high-carb, high-fat meal with a high protein, low
fat, low-to moderate carbohydrate meal. Plus, meal
replacements take all the guess-work out of eating 5-7
small meals a day.
Granted, there is a down-side to meal replacements.
Some don't mix so well without a blender. And of
course, there'sthe small matter of finding something
to mix the shake with! And if you're somebody who
spends a lot of time in your car...
Well, large liquid meals and traffic jams just don't
mix. 
So protein bars would seem like the obvious
alternative, right? Well...
Yes and no.
Here's the problem...
It's much more difficult to create a great-tasting,
moist,and generally high quality protein bar without
adding a ton of sugar, corn-syrup, and/or fructose.
Obviously, this is not an issue with meal replacement
powders, since you need to mix them with water or skim
milk.
The problem with "protein bars" is that the quality of
the bar is directly proportional to how it tastes. In
short...
The better the bar is for you...
The worse it tastes.
The better a bar tastes...
The worse it is for you.
It's a rather sad reality.
If that isn't bad enough, there's another issue
here...
There is a serious problem with product labelling. In
a recent series of tests performed by ConsumerLabs
(www.consumerlabs.com), 60% of the 30 bars tested
failed to meet their labelling claims.
Wow!
Here's some of the disturbing statistics...
o 1 out of 12 protein bars met the labelling claims.
o 1 out of 8 meal replacement bars met the labelling
claims.
o 4 out of 10 diet bars met the labelling claims.
o 2 products exceed their claimed amounts of fat.
o 50% of bars tested exceeded their claimed level of
carbohydrates, some by a significant amount.
-----SIDEBAR-----
The main reason for this is that a major
ingredient in most of these bars - glycerin
(used as a sweetener, and to keep the product
moist), is not regarded as a carbohydrate by
most manufacturers.
So they don't include glycerin content in the total
tally of carbohydrates, "because it has a minimal
effect on blood sugar levels."
Um... so what?
The United States Food And Drug Administration says
glycerin IS a carbohydrate, and that's good enough for
me.
This is deceptive marketing, plain and simple...
This is a "low-carb" bar simply because 2/3 of the
carbs in the bar aren't includedin the final count.
Nice.
To be fair though - I've found that bars that are
formulated with glycerin don't cause the same "energy
crash" that I find with traditionally-sweetened bars.
In other words, I'm not adverse to using glycerin to
make a product taste good. I'd just like to have it
included in the total carbohydrate count so I REALLY
know what I'm getting.
-----SIDEBAR-----
o Of the bars that passed, 40-70% of the calories were
provided by carbohydrates, mostly sugars.
In other words, "protein bars" is a deceptive term,
since most bars contain far more carbs than protein.
ConsumerLabs says a typical bar contains...
o 49% of calories from carbohydrates, mostly sugars.
o 29% of calories from proteins.
o 22% of calories from fat.
The ConsumerLabs report is a little annoying though...
They don't report which bars failed their test. In
other words, they list and report on the 12 out of the
30 bars that passed, but nowhere do they show which
bars failed. Conspicuous in their absence however are
these brands...
o Labrada
o Muscle-Tech
o Advantage (Atkins) Bars
o American BodyBuilding
o Jenny Craig
And of course, just because a bar passes the
ConsumerLabs test does not mean it is worth buying...
It just means it meets its label claims, and that all
the nutrients are reported in the Nutrition Facts
panel.
Some of the brands that DID pass...
o GeniSoy Soy Protein Bar
o Barry Sears, Ph.D. Zone Perfect Nutrition Bar
o Balance Bar -- Nutritional Food Bar
o Xetalean Diet and Energy Bar
o Eas Myoplex Lite Nutrition Bar
o Met-Rx Food bar
In order to get a better grasp on the whole "protein
bar extravaganza" I've experimented with about 10
different brands over the last couple of weeks.
I only experimented with brands that listed the
sweetening agent (sugar, glucose/fructose, corn syrup,
high-frustose corn syrup) after the protein source on
the ingredients panel.
Why?
Ingredients are listed according to weight. If the
sweetening agent is listed first, it no longer
qualifies as a protein bar in my books. It's a carb
bar, or more accurately...
A sugar bar.
The best quality bars (ingredient wise) tasted pretty
awful. I'm not sure anyone would want to eat them on a
regular basis. The best tasting bar I encountered was
Muscle-Tech's Meso-Tech bar (cookies and cream
flavor).
Unfortunately anything that tastes this good can't
possibly be good for you, and the Meso-Tech bar
contains 28 grams of sugar per serving. And 15-20
minutes after consumption my blood sugar levels
sky-rocketed, leaving me dying to lie down!
High blood sugar levels and the corresponding rise in
insulin means that Meso-Tech bars are NOT a dieters
best choice (they might make a decent post-workout
snack, where a swift rise in blood sugar can support
faster recovery).
On the other hand, the best tasting, best-for-you bar
I
encountered was MuscleTech's Nitro-Tech bar. The
strawberry flavor is down-right unbelievable. The
"S'mores" flavor is pretty good too. The "Crunchy
Chocolate Crisp" flavor contains 4 grams of dietary
fiber -- not bad for a protein bar!
It contains no sugar (it's sweetened with malitol (a
non-digestible sugar-alcohol) and glycerin). Carb
content varies according to flavor...
Strawberry - 4 grams carbs (not including glycerin).
S'Mores - 7 grams carbs (not including glycerin).
Crunchy Chocolate Crisp - 9 grams carbs (not
including
glycerin).
Nitro-Tech bars contain 35 grams of protein compared
to 25 for the MesoTech bar. It did not send my blood
sugar levels sky-rocketing, and it tastes like it
should.
Here's the bottom line on "protein bars"...
o Keep a careful eye on the ingredients label -
especially the sugars/carbs/fats. In general, the
lower down the sweetener in the list of ingredients,
the better the bar is for you.
o If possible, experiment with a few of the higher
quality bars before you buy a boxful (MuscleMaster
sells them individually)...
You need to find the optimum blend of taste,
ingredients and product quality that works for YOU!
o Pay attention to how you feel 20-30 minutes after
you
consume the bar. If you suddenly catch a dose of the
"yawns", this bar is likely not for you.
o Most "protein bars" don't contain a whole lot of
fiber, and don't do a great job of filling you up.
Eat a medium serving of high-fiber, low glycemic fruit
with your bar - apples, pears, strawberries, or
raspberries. It'll really fill you up!
o Choose higher-quality whey protein over soy whenever
possible.
Whatever way you slice it...
A protein bar makes a convenient snack that is far,
far
better for you than a fast food alternative!
Written by Paul Crane
President, Ultimatefatburner.com
(c) copyright 2002 Ultimatefatburner.com,
All Rights Reserved
So protein bars would seem like the obvious
alternative, right? Well...
Yes and no.
Here's the problem...
It's much more difficult to create a great-tasting,
moist,and generally high quality protein bar without
adding a ton of sugar, corn-syrup, and/or fructose.
Obviously, this is not an issue with meal replacement
powders, since you need to mix them with water or skim
milk.
The problem with "protein bars" is that the quality of
the bar is directly proportional to how it tastes. In
short...
The better the bar is for you...
The worse it tastes.
The better a bar tastes...
The worse it is for you.
It's a rather sad reality.
If that isn't bad enough, there's another issue
here...
There is a serious problem with product labelling. In
a recent series of tests performed by ConsumerLabs
(www.consumerlabs.com), 60% of the 30 bars tested
failed to meet their labelling claims.
Wow!
Here's some of the disturbing statistics...
o 1 out of 12 protein bars met the labelling claims.
o 1 out of 8 meal replacement bars met the labelling
claims.
o 4 out of 10 diet bars met the labelling claims.
o 2 products exceed their claimed amounts of fat.
o 50% of bars tested exceeded their claimed level of
carbohydrates, some by a significant amount.
-----SIDEBAR-----
The main reason for this is that a major
ingredient in most of these bars - glycerin
(used as a sweetener, and to keep the product
moist), is not regarded as a carbohydrate by
most manufacturers.
So they don't include glycerin content in the total
tally of carbohydrates, "because it has a minimal
effect on blood sugar levels."
Um... so what?
The United States Food And Drug Administration says
glycerin IS a carbohydrate, and that's good enough for
me.
This is deceptive marketing, plain and simple...
This is a "low-carb" bar simply because 2/3 of the
carbs in the bar aren't includedin the final count.
Nice.
To be fair though - I've found that bars that are
formulated with glycerin don't cause the same "energy
crash" that I find with traditionally-sweetened bars.
In other words, I'm not adverse to using glycerin to
make a product taste good. I'd just like to have it
included in the total carbohydrate count so I REALLY
know what I'm getting.
-----SIDEBAR-----
o Of the bars that passed, 40-70% of the calories were
provided by carbohydrates, mostly sugars.
In other words, "protein bars" is a deceptive term,
since most bars contain far more carbs than protein.
ConsumerLabs says a typical bar contains...
o 49% of calories from carbohydrates, mostly sugars.
o 29% of calories from proteins.
o 22% of calories from fat.
The ConsumerLabs report is a little annoying though...
They don't report which bars failed their test. In
other words, they list and report on the 12 out of the
30 bars that passed, but nowhere do they show which
bars failed. Conspicuous in their absence however are
these brands...
o Labrada
o Muscle-Tech
o Advantage (Atkins) Bars
o American BodyBuilding
o Jenny Craig
And of course, just because a bar passes the
ConsumerLabs test does not mean it is worth buying...
It just means it meets its label claims, and that all
the nutrients are reported in the Nutrition Facts
panel.
Some of the brands that DID pass...
o GeniSoy Soy Protein Bar
o Barry Sears, Ph.D. Zone Perfect Nutrition Bar
o Balance Bar -- Nutritional Food Bar
o Xetalean Diet and Energy Bar
o Eas Myoplex Lite Nutrition Bar
o Met-Rx Food bar
In order to get a better grasp on the whole "protein
bar extravaganza" I've experimented with about 10
different brands over the last couple of weeks.
I only experimented with brands that listed the
sweetening agent (sugar, glucose/fructose, corn syrup,
high-frustose corn syrup) after the protein source on
the ingredients panel.
Why?
Ingredients are listed according to weight. If the
sweetening agent is listed first, it no longer
qualifies as a protein bar in my books. It's a carb
bar, or more accurately...
A sugar bar.
The best quality bars (ingredient wise) tasted pretty
awful. I'm not sure anyone would want to eat them on a
regular basis. The best tasting bar I encountered was
Muscle-Tech's Meso-Tech bar (cookies and cream
flavor).
Unfortunately anything that tastes this good can't
possibly be good for you, and the Meso-Tech bar
contains 28 grams of sugar per serving. And 15-20
minutes after consumption my blood sugar levels
sky-rocketed, leaving me dying to lie down!
High blood sugar levels and the corresponding rise in
insulin means that Meso-Tech bars are NOT a dieters
best choice (they might make a decent post-workout
snack, where a swift rise in blood sugar can support
faster recovery).
On the other hand, the best tasting, best-for-you bar
I
encountered was MuscleTech's Nitro-Tech bar. The
strawberry flavor is down-right unbelievable. The
"S'mores" flavor is pretty good too. The "Crunchy
Chocolate Crisp" flavor contains 4 grams of dietary
fiber -- not bad for a protein bar!
It contains no sugar (it's sweetened with malitol (a
non-digestible sugar-alcohol) and glycerin). Carb
content varies according to flavor...
Strawberry - 4 grams carbs (not including glycerin).
S'Mores - 7 grams carbs (not including glycerin).
Crunchy Chocolate Crisp - 9 grams carbs (not
including
glycerin).
Nitro-Tech bars contain 35 grams of protein compared
to 25 for the MesoTech bar. It did not send my blood
sugar levels sky-rocketing, and it tastes like it
should.
Here's the bottom line on "protein bars"...
o Keep a careful eye on the ingredients label -
especially the sugars/carbs/fats. In general, the
lower down the sweetener in the list of ingredients,
the better the bar is for you.
o If possible, experiment with a few of the higher
quality bars before you buy a boxful (MuscleMaster
sells them individually)...
You need to find the optimum blend of taste,
ingredients and product quality that works for YOU!
o Pay attention to how you feel 20-30 minutes after
you
consume the bar. If you suddenly catch a dose of the
"yawns", this bar is likely not for you.
o Most "protein bars" don't contain a whole lot of
fiber, and don't do a great job of filling you up.
Eat a medium serving of high-fiber, low glycemic fruit
with your bar - apples, pears, strawberries, or
raspberries. It'll really fill you up!
o Choose higher-quality whey protein over soy whenever
possible.
Whatever way you slice it...
A protein bar makes a convenient snack that is far,
far
better for you than a fast food alternative!
Written by Paul Crane
President, Ultimatefatburner.com
(c) copyright 2002 Ultimatefatburner.com,
All Rights Reserved WOW, thanks for the information. My head is spinning 
from trying to absorb it all. 
After my original post, I did more research and looked at tons of protein bars and came to the same conclusion: they are all crap and most are either loaded with sugar or taste like card board.
So I ditched the protein bar idea to supplement and instead found a protein shake I love: Dymatize Chocolate Mint -- so on the days that I can't eat enough, I have my shake (or 2).
I do keep Q-smart bars handy too by the way!
Thanks for the tips!
Vi
from trying to absorb it all.
After my original post, I did more research and looked at tons of protein bars and came to the same conclusion: they are all crap and most are either loaded with sugar or taste like card board.
So I ditched the protein bar idea to supplement and instead found a protein shake I love: Dymatize Chocolate Mint -- so on the days that I can't eat enough, I have my shake (or 2).
I do keep Q-smart bars handy too by the way!
Thanks for the tips!
Vi Most Active
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