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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….