That’s right; I’m asking you, what do you look for in a protein bar? Everyone is different in the types of bar that they personally like, from taste (flavor), how much protein, carbs, how much fat, fiber and on and on. So in this article I’ll tell you what I look for in a protein bar and will rate the importance from first to last. Don’t be afraid to get back with me and let me know what you like or if I’ve left out any ingredient that you think is important.
But before I get started on the things that I look for, let me state that I use protein bars not as a meal replacement but as a feeding between my 3 big meals. I may eat a bar between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner. Or let’s say I’m working out in the yard on a Saturday afternoon. When I come in for a break I’ll down a bar along with some H2O mixed with some BCAA’s of course!

1. PROTEIN: Stands to reason that Protein is what I look for first. I like around 20 grams or more since around 20-30 grams of protein is what we need at each feeding. One of my favorite bars only has 15 grams of protein but I love the taste so I’ll go with a lower dose of protein once in a while. The type of protein doesn’t matter (I just need to get some protein in the machine) however most bars now contain Whey or Casein or even both. A lot of bars contain either Hydrolyzed or an Isolate whey protein, meaning in simple terms; the hydrolyzed is broken down to be easily digested by the body (contains some lactose) and an isolate is broken down even further (sort of a predigested protein) but has no lactose. If you find a bar that contains concentrated protein, then it would have a lot more calories, fillers and much more lactose. One particular bar that I consume has both of these types of protein. I also like a protein bar with “less net carbs” than grams of protein. That means that the “net carbs” in a particular bar is the total amount of carbs minus the grams of fiber. Then if that total is less than the total grams of protein then 9 times out of 10 you’ve got a good protein bar on your hands.

2. SUGAR: A lot of protein bars are going to lower sugar content. Personally 8 grams of sugar is my ceiling. If a bar has more than that I probably won’t consume it unless that’s all that I have to eat at the time. Some bars have 20 grams of sugar or more. If that’s the case one might as well be eating a Snickers bar. However a lot of bars now are sweetened with stevia, a natural sweetener. The general public is getting to where they are demanding a more natural bar, and the manufacturers are trying to meet that demand.

Question: What exactly are Sugar Alcohols? A lot of companies are putting sugar alcohols in protein bars to give the bar a sweeter taste without adding real sucrose. Sugar alcohol is made from fruit or berries. The carbohydrates in these plants are altered through a chemical process to provide fewer calories than the table sugar (sucrose) mainly because they are not well absorbed and may even have a small laxative effect. One may grab a protein bar that says only one gram of sugar when if you read the label it has 16 grams of sugar alcohol—so even thou the sugar alcohols provide less of an effect on blood glucose, diabetics should beware. And please – read the profiles (labels) to see if any bars contain sugar alcohols. I personally don’t respond well to sugar alcohols and in many people sugar alcohol can cause some gastrointestinal issues as well—and I am one of those!

FAT: I don’t know why I look at the fat content of a bar before carbohydrate profile but I do. Most of the time you’ll see 2 types of fats listed; Saturated, and Transfats. Let’s take a look at what each one is.

-Saturated fats from a chemical stand point are simply fat molecules that have no double bonds between carbon molecules because they are saturated with hydrogen molecules. That’s why they are called “Saturated Fats”. Saturated fats are typically solid at room temperature. These fats are found in fatty beef, butter and cheese. Now on another personal note, there’s a ton of research out there that says saturated fats are not as bad for you as we once thought. Now this topic on saturated fats is for another article because it can be very complex, however I like to limit my saturated fats to or not over 10% of my diet and I do eat some red meats but as lean as I can get them.

-Trans-fats are man-made through a chemical process in which the hydrogen atoms are restructured which make foods taste good and give foods a better texture, however it makes them also really bad for you! The good news is that in the year 2018 the US government is banning them from all foods. Usually in 95% of the protein bars out there you won’t find a trace of any Tran’s fats.

-A side note: I am a big fan of Medium Chain Triglycerides. These fats are derived from coconut and palm oil plus some dietary fats. Some studies have shown that this type of fat lowers the BAD cholesterol LDL’s, and Raises the GOOD cholesterol, the HDL’s. I agree with William Lagakos Ph.D. that in time you’ll see more MCT in protein bars as you do with some RTD Protein drinks.

CARBOHYDRATES & THE CALORIES: This is where the main source of energy comes from in the protein bar. I really don’t pay much attention to these two because my weight has never been a problem, however to those of you who do count the calories and carbs let’s do some basic math (that might be a problem for me).

Let’s say a Profile of a Bar looks something like this:

-Grams of Fat or Total Fat = 13 grams / Each grams of fat = 9 calories so 9 x 13 = 117 calories

-Grams of Protein = 13 grams / Each gram of Protein = 4 calories so 4 x 13 = 52 calories

-Grams of Sugar = 5 grams / Sugar is a Carbohydrate so each gram of Carb = 4 calories so 4 x 5 = 20 calories

-Grams of Carbohydrates = 10 / (other sources of carbs that the company puts in the bar) so again 4 calories x per gram or carbohydrate which in this case is 10 = 40 calories

-Fiber is a carbohydrate so if there is 3 grams of fiber in a bar, 4 x 3 = 12 calories from the fiber.

-Total Calories if we add all the calories up should = 241 calories for this particular bar.

Personally, I would like a bar with more protein and less fat than this particular one. I would also like a bar with more carbs because of my long and busy days so I need the energy, but remember, I’m going off of a real live protein bar. If you are one of those (and most are) who are watching their weight so you pay attention to the calories, then the same would
apply, except you would not want the extra carbs plus a little less sugar. SODIUM: I’m looking at a bar right now that has 140 milligrams in it which is really nothing. The daily recommended allowance is 2000mg so this bar has only 6% of the RDA. For those who really hold in water with the least amount of sodium keep the amount in a bar that you like and eat often as low as possible.

Other INGREDIENTS: You’ll see Ingredients listed below the Nutritional Facts. If you see a protein bar with over 15 ingredients or more and you can’t pronounce half of the words then look for another bar! Two ingredients that you may see the most often are Corn Starch and IsomaltoOligosaccharides.

Let’s take a look at both.

-Corn Starch is simply starch derived from corn. Corn starch is also Gluten free and is mostly used in baked goods to give more structure, fullness and moisture. To say that corn starch is natural or is good for you is debatable. It’s made from the tiny endosperm of the corn kernel, however to get to the endosperm the kernels are processed so that the outside shell is removed. After that process is completed the endosperms are ground up into a fine white powder we know as corn starch.

-Isomalto-Oligosaccharides (IMO) is a plant starch so it is natural; however it’s not economically feasible to extract IMO foods on a large scale so this plant carbohydrate
can also be man-made through a chemical process. So in most bars it may not be “natural”—so as to cut down the cost. IMO’S are promoted as a prebiotic dietary fiber with a light sweetness profile that has properties such as moisture retention that is suited well for a nutrition bar. However, I could write another article on this type of
carbohydrate classified as dietary fiber including the good and the bad. Some of the good stuff is; Fermentation of IMO by colonic bacteria results in production of Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA) that metabolize in liver and confer many physiological benefits including: protection from colonic cancer, stabilize blood glucose levels, decrease cholesterol synthesis, lowering the digestive tracts pH which allows for an increase absorption of dietary minerals and help stimulate the immune function.
Some of the not so good is that only a small percentage when escaping digestion is able to cause a potential prebiotic effect however more studies need to be done. Some call IMO’s a fake fiber, and claim that whole grains can provide a much better profile for your digestive system than the IMO’s.

So, with all that being said, what do you look for in a protein bar?? And please, don’t make it as complex or as detailed as I just did, please!!

Chip Sigmon, CSCS*D, USAW, CISSN
Wellness Coordinator, Europa Sports Products
chipsigmon@europasports.com

References:
1. EAS Academy; IMO in Nutrition Bars: Not So Guilt Free, By Steve Hertzler, PhD
2. How to Choose a Healthy Protein Bar That Isn’t Candy, by William Lagakos,
PhD