15/12/2023
Protein bars – a healthy snack or waste of money?
Probably the single most common question I’ve been asked by clients over the last few months is what type of protein bar do I recommend?
In order to answer this question I take the client back to the first rule of effective nutrition – to always prioritise natural, wholefoods wherever possible – ie foods which the body has evolved to recognise and metabolise effectively (aside – have you read ‘Ultra-Processed People by Dr Chris van Tulleken yet?)
The problem with all ultra-processed foods, be they low-carb/ high protein/ low fat etc is that the body just doesn’t know how to correctly metabolise this strange concoction of ultra-processed ‘food-like’ chemicals – something that didn’t exist just 100 years ago (ie they have only existed for less than 0.05% of modern human evolution!) This creates a physiological ‘stress’ response to these novel food-like products.
Unfortunately all protein bars fall into this ‘ultra-processed’ category – containing some combo of highly processed protein, flavourings, sweeteners, preservatives, emulsifiers etc.. Not only has this concoction of chemicals been shown to lead to chronic health issues down the line, the fact is that rather than satisfying your appetite – it actually just makes you hungrier for more processed food later on!
So what should you do? Give your body what it recognises and keep your snacks as natural as possible! Much better (and cheaper!) protein-rich alternatives include raw nuts and seeds, low-fat cheese, natural Greek yogurt – even natural unflavoured ‘undenatured’ whey protein – which is a component of dairy which is minimally processed with no added ingredients. Unflavoured vegan protein shakes are an alternative option if you cannot consume any form of dairy (although note that many people with lactose intolerance can consume whey protein without any issues). Just combine with plenty of whole fruit, and you have a great energy-boosting snack that will keep you full for several hours – and is a lot cheaper than a protein bar!
So what about you – do you think it’s fine to have protein bars from time to time or do you think they’re a waste of money? Please let me know in the comments below!
And please check out Enhancedenergy.co.uk if you’d like to take out a 2-week free trial to my online membership programme which includes many more tips like this on how to work with your body instead of fighting against it!
