Protein Bars
Protein bars… Are they really good for you? This is a hard one to talk about because it is one of the most popular ways in which people are attempting to get their protein. And lets face it we all are in the same boat. We want convenience, protein, and that ever so “comfort" feeling of having something sweet. Believe me we all live on the same street so to speak.
I have been down the proverbial “protein bar" road and for me I not only found it be a weight loss staller but a nutritional compromise as well. Why? Well, from my research (and I will try to not let my science geek side show through) it seems to be somewhat of a challenge for creators in the lab to come up with or create a “protein bar" that is high in a good quality protein source while also containing few carbohydrates as well as being low in fat. For example, look at a 3 Musketeers. It has about 8 grams of fat. Do you think that is a lot? It is a candy bar right? Well many of the protein bars out there contain nearly if not as much fat as some candy bars. Granted candy bars have more carbs, simple sugars and less protein but what is really in that “protein bar" that seems to make the nutritional value numbers look more appealing?
While in the lab, creators attempt to make a high protein bar and while doing this it is necessary to include something that will keep the bars soft and pliable or chewable if you will so that they don’t become a protein brick necessitating a trip to the local dentist. Glycerin is something companies use quite a bit. Glycerin or glycerol represents the fatty acid side chains in the creation and are what we commonly know as fat. (still trying to not be geeky here). In other words Glycerin is generally used to make a bar stay soft, while in the presence of ever increasing amounts of protein, by trapping water within the bar.
When given, glycerin has a hydrating/dehydrating effect. Glycerin has an ability to hold onto water. This could explain why bars produce stalls in some weight loss efforts.
The flip side to that is Glycerin’s water binding ability helps keep bars soft and may also be of benefit to endurance athletes and bodybuilders. Endurance athletes can use glycerin in combination with extra water prior to an event in order to support hydration and enhance their performance. But in reality I do not see many bodybuilders and endurance athletes here. However, we do have some and my hat is off to them for sure.
What does all this mean for the bar eater? It may help to have a better understanding of what it is exactly that you are eating. The government has yet to go after any companies not labeling glycerin correctly and they may never. Unfortunately this leaves you and me left not knowing how much glycerin we may be getting in your favorite bar. Call them and ask if you want to know and it is not on the label. Any reputable company will gladly give you that information.
So is the consuming of glycerin a negative thing? I don’t really know for sure, but for those of you attempting to monitor your daily nutrient intake you should be aware of how glycerol can affect your individual body chemistry and most importantly your goals. Consuming a bar once in a while when you are in a hurry is certainly preferred to as say a Big Mac, but I believe they should not be an option. Bars are by no means equivalent to a good well balanced meal of REAL FOOD.
The glycerol is just one drawback to the “protein bar", there are other reasons but this should give us somewhere to start and something to think about. You would be much better off packing a stick of cheese and 100 calorie pack of raw almonds for one of those I gotta have something times…. Keep it Real….
on 5/8/09 5:28 am
I love those PowerCrunch bars and plan to pick up some on the way home tonight (the boss is letting me leave in an hour! Yahoo!). HOWEVER, they will not be a daily snack for me. They will be a special treat to help keep my head from feeling deprived.
I'm focusing on getting my nutrients from a balanced diet. I find it hilarious that I have eaten more fish (tuna, tilapia and salmon) in the last few weeks than I have probably eaten in my life (Captain D's!) If I eat a protein bar or have a protein drink, I usually end up OVER my protein limit for the day! So I don't use them daily.
I'm fortunate enough to have space at my desk for a small fridge. So I'm able to keep carb master yogurt, cheese and my Crystal Light in easy reach. But keeping a protein bar in my purse for times when I've gone too long without eating and need a snack is a great thing. Nuts are challenging for us bandsters, so we'll see how that goes when I'm cleared to eat them. I do love 'em and they are good for you, too. But for now, I can use a protein bar to distract me from a drive through when I'm ravenous! (it has been SIX WEEKS since I've had fast food!!!! Quick, call Guiness!!) Or at dog shows when there's nothing to eat but (the horrors!) concession stand food!
It's funny . . . as I've been looking at lots of websites for things like bars and snacks, it's amazing what's out there. If you worked at it, you could consume an entire diet of puffed protein snacks, bars, cereals, etc. But I know I didn't have surgery just to switch from one processed food diet to another! For me, it's about reprogramming my head to eat healthy and real foods. But I gotta have some chocolate on occasion or I'll go crazy.
It's all about balance and creating a new life that is do-able and pleasurable. I'm finding out that I really prefer to prepare my own food than let someone else. I had crockpot chicken and black bean dip with 1 oz of cheese for lunch this week. It ran about 325 calories, 16.5 g fat, 12.4 carbs and 32.7 g protein and it was sooo goooood. Most of those Lean Cuisine type frozen dinners my dieting friends eat have upwards of 60g of carb per meal! And they don't taste very good. Blecch.
I like preparing and controlling what I eat most of the time so I can splurge some of the time on things like those protein bars. Baaaaalance!
How have you been doing these days, Trina? Haven't seen you around much, but I know life has been hectic for you lately! Hope all is well in Trina-ville!
HUGS!!!
Denise
p.s. I just had a dawning realization: I always feel happy and satisfied from my teriyaki salmon, which is the complete opposite of how I felt after Captain D's (why did I do that?!? Urrrp!). How funny!!!!
Hi Denise,
It is so good to see you.. Now that is funny, “Trina-ville" 
I gotta remember that one… Things are going really great.. Thank you for asking. Yea, that small little pesky thing called work, or a job, or place of employment, whichever we choose to call it does take up most of my time and leaves me little time to spend on the boards but remember I am with you in thought and spirit.
I wish I was more of a fish eater. I try but it does not always work out cause I can’t stand a strong fishy taste to my food. My friend Tawnya here on the boards is an avid fish eater, every time we order something out she chooses fish. I have always admired that and she has done phenomenally well on her weight loss journey. I wonder if there is some magic potion that was placed in fish?
Yea, I know what you mean about moderation. I wish doing things in moderation was one of my strong suits, but sad to say it is not. On my WLS journey I discovered that I have to take responsibility for my own behavior not anyone else’s, just mine. And just because something is a problem for me does not in anyway mean it would be a problem for someone else. But I think it is good to share things just in case on the off chance that someone else is like me.
The crock-pot chicken and black bean sounds delish. Will you make some for me? I will pay you in dimes and shine your shoes for one week.. Yep, I would choose that over a Lean Cuisine any day. See that takes a little more time and effort to prepare and pack as opposed to the convenience of the frozen box you grab out of the freezer section of the local grocer and throw into your lunch sack and be done with it but just look, you don’t have any of those pesky preservatives in your body…
We are going to be having some Vanderbilt surgeries coming up soon, are you gonna get to have lunch with us in the cafeteria?
on 5/11/09 1:37 am
I wasn't an avid fish eater before. And I'm picky as to how it's prepared. But I love tilapia with garlic powder and parsely with a tsp of diet tub margarine, and I love salmon with a tbsp of sesame teriyaki. Now I just need to come up with my own teriyaki recipe so I can cut down on those sugar carbs. I haven't tried it in a restaurant yet, but maybe I will. It's so hard to not order the good stuff, ha, pre-op stuff!
I'm lucky, though. A lot of bandsters can't tolerate fish. No problem. However, ask me again after my fill on Wednesday!
Moderation is a huge challenge. I'm typically all or nothing. I consider my surgery day the date we hit my reset button. Since then, it is trial and error. What can I have in the house and what can I not? What things serve as triggers, what is not? It's great to read the boards here because people have such valuable info to share. Helps me get to my light bulb moments a little quicker!
Please keep me posted about the upcoming surgeries! I'd love to meet the crew and hang out in the cafeteria. I'll just bring my own food and if you're really nice, maybe I'll bring you some chicken and black beans!
No shoe shining necessary. And you might not want to get that close to my feet anyway. With all the walking these days, they can get pretty ripe! HUGS!!!
Denise
Hi Beth,
It is good to see you back.
I am so glad that you and Scott had a good time on your mini work/vacation. I got my souvenir that you brought me back from your trip to the beach. I JUST LOVE IT…. Thank you for thinking of me while you were gone….
It is always fun at family gatherings around my house with my brother-n-law being a chemist for an analytical lab and my son is in the same field. You can just imagine the conversations that go on at the Thanksgiving dinner table.
I hope you have a great week and welcome back…
Karen
Hi Karen,
You know after I wrote that and read where you stated “protein bar road" it reminded me of something out of the game “Candy Land". Isn’t that funny? I know I know, you can say “Trina, you are just not right". LOL.. That would be okay, I would understand.
I feel the same way about my protein source as you do. You are doing a great job. Your new pics look great. Keep up with whatever it is you are doing cause it is working..
