Protein Bars are full of SUGAR!

[MacMadame 81]

I wanted to start trying some Protein Bars pre-surgery since a lot of people here eat them post-op to get in their Protein requirements. I started grabbing ones at Target that looked good. Then I read the labels... these things have TONS of sugar in them. Their nutritional composition reads like a bowl of sugary kids Cereal. I put them all back.

I am looking for a tasty bar that has under 10g of sugar and at least 7g of protein. It would be nice to have some Fiber too.

Any suggestions?

[georgia girl 35]

Right now I have the South Beach Diet Living High Protein Cereal Bars.......wow that's a mouthful. I bought the variety pack. It comes with Peanut Butter, chocolate, and cinnamon raisin (I love the cinnamon raisin.....yummmm). They have 6g of sugar and 10g of Protein. I really like them.

I have used the Kashi ones too. I like them as well, but I don't remember how much sugar is in them. I think the protein is around 7g.

[snowbird 2]

I used to eat Quaker QSmart bars--lots of Protein and little sugar. I don't know if they still make them, though.

[Oregondaisy 2,020]

I am hooked on Atkins bars. They say they have like 2 net carbs.

[MacMadame 81]

I swear the South Beach and Atkins bars I picked up had a lot of sugar. But the nutritional info on the web says no. Maybe I just picked up the wrong ones. I guess I'll have to try again.

[Jachut 487]

Seriously, I'll probably get flamed for this but my view is that Protein bars and Protein shakes are really just a "healthy" way of eating around the band. I dont consider them healthy foods, they're manufactured, pften sugar laden (and if not, artificially sweetened) and the risks of eating too much soy based foods are quite real also if you're choosing soy Protein isolates. People sometimes seem to use these foods much as I tend to fall off the wagon and eat crap like biscuits and chocolate - because eating real food can be hard work and I cant always be bothered. OK, so maybe eating a Protein Bar is a better choice than eating cookes, well, it definitely IS but its not a better choice than eating proper food.< /p>

Its entirely possible to meet your protein needs without eating Protein Bars.

[Scarlett O'hara 0]

Macmadame, I agree!! I was buying my Protein Drink to start my pre-op diet and was not sure if I got the right one, so I bought a Protein Bar to get me through the 1st morning until I could find the right drink. That bar had 17g of sugar! blew my mind! I am going to look for the south beach ones, they sound good!

[georgia girl 35]

I swear the South Beach and Atkins bars I picked up had a lot of sugar. But the nutritional info on the web says no. Maybe I just picked up the wrong ones. I guess I'll have to try again.

I went and checked the box, lol. After I saw your post I started second guessing mine. They do have 6g of sugar and 10g of Protein. I really like them. I am going to look and see if they have a whole box of the cinnamon raisin (only 2 of them in the variety pack), they are my favorite!

[MacMadame 81]

I dont consider them healthy foods, they're manufactured, pften sugar laden (and if not, artificially sweetened) and the risks of eating too much soy based foods are quite real also if you're choosing soy Protein isolates.

There are definitely tons of them out there that have nutritional labels that read like a candy bar with some Protein powder mixed in. That's not healthy AT ALL imo. Which is why I didn't buy them. :smile2:

I am a big believer that there are no bad foods or good foods though. It's really about choices in the context of your entire diet. If you are deciding between a Milky Way bar or a South Beach chocolate Bar, I think the SB bar is clearly a better choice. If you are snacking on Protein bars between meals instead of having a piece of fruit, some carrot sticks or a yogurt, then maybe it's not such a good choice.

[Luscious 1]

I have to say I agree with Jacut. There is very little healthy stuff in these bars. They have very little (if any) natural nutrients.

I understand they are convenient at times, but not really a great thing to put into your body on a regular basis.

[MacMadame 81]

So I went back to Target and I realized why I hadn't found the Atkins or South Beach bars ... they don't sell them individually. I was in the individual section because I wanted to get One Bar of each kind to see if I liked the taste before buying an entire box. Most of the ones that were sold individually had 15g of sugar. I think these are bars that were originally marketed as "energy" bars. Even the Balance bar and the Zone bars were like that.

I bet there are people eating those things like crazy thinking they are eating healthy when they aren't.

[blesdbyonmzur 0]

Keep in mind that there is a difference in nutrional value for the Meal Replacement bars vs. the regular sized or even the snack size that I've seen lately. It depends on your needs to the approriate bar you purchase.

[MacMadame 81]

In my case, my surgeon's office recommends them as an occasional Breakfast item. It's because a lot of people are tight in the morning and want to skip Breakfast and also because most fast breakfasts are carb heavy. Since I'm trying to eat like a banded person, pre-band, I thought I'd give it a shot.

They recommend that the bars have less than 25g of carbs, less than 15g of sugar, over 10g of Protein, less than 250 calories over all. So far, only the Atkin Advantage bars meet that criteria. Maybe there are similar bars in the "health" food stores, but I don't shop there.

The main problem I have with *all* the bars, aside from the sugar in some of them, is that they have a lot of fat and a lot of sodium. Oh, and they taste like crap. I almost forgot that one.

[Alexandra 55]

For a long time I swore by Atkins bars for breakfast--they answered all my needs and actually kept me full until lunchtime! No other brand I've ever seen has the good balance of nutrition that those bars have, particularly since most flavors have well over 5g of Fiber to boot.

Jachut, in principle I agree with you about bars--well, about ANY convenience food, actually. But in my world sometimes convenience has to trump all. Atkins bars were a blessing to me and solved several problems at once.

[georgia girl 35]

I have used the Atkins bars too. I really liked them and Alexandra is right, they kept me full for a good while!