Protein bars are not just good for your health, but they’re super convenient too. It seems as though everyone leaves their home earlier in the morning these days. If you have to be out of the house early, you already know that you can easily shave off 30 to 40 minutes off your commute by skipping a sit-down breakfast.

Having a protein bar that you can eat during your commute can keep you full and satisfied until the next available meal. Plus protein bars are a lot better than digging into a bag of chips. Furthermore, we live in an age where nuclear families are an exception and not the norm. This means that most people now live in individual or smaller person homes. These are generally not designed for communal eating. Case in point, if you share a home with three of four other flatmates, you may not be able to sit down to share a meal. Great as that would be!

But with a protein bar on standby, you never have to worry about skipping meals. You can eat as many protein bars as you want. One for breakfast, one for lunch, and one as a pre-dinner snack without being too worried that they will do a number on your waistline. However look out for the lower sugar varieties.

Not all protein bars are created equal

There are some out there that contain a lot of fillers. An even higher number is more processed compared to whole foods. They often contain ingredients that you want to avoid such as soy or whey concentrates. Adding such ingredients to a protein bar would mean that the protein bar would not be as healthy or as readily utilized as a complete protein source such as chicken would be.

So, if you are going to eat protein bars regularly, you need to make sure that it is a healthy, low sugar variety. That will also give you the nutrition that you need to stay healthy and fit. With so many options to choose from in the market, it can be overwhelming trying to find a healthy protein bar. Especially one that has everything you need but tastes good.

Not to worry though. We’ve rounded up some important factors to consider when choosing a protein bar. Now you can be sure that you are eating something healthy for you. Here are tips for shopping for a protein bar:

Consider why you are buying your protein bar

Whenever you are shopping for a protein bar, be sure to check its carbohydrate content as it serves a vital purpose. You can check for the carbohydrate content on the protein bar’s nutrition information panel. The label is usually located at the back of the packaging.

Some bars are ideal for eating before or after a workout. Others are created for the sole purpose of being low calorie. So, it is important to figure out why you are buying the protein bar so that your needs can be met fully.

Look for the total number of calories in the protein bar

Take a close look at the carbohydrate content of every bar that you intend to purchase. If you are on a mission to lose weight, you don’t want anything that has more than 30 grams of carbs per bar. But it all depends on your needs and overall diet.

If you are buying a post-workout protein bar, then you can afford to splurge on one with more carbohydrates. As the main objective would be to increase your carbohydrate intake when trying to lose weight. In general, you should also go for protein bars that are low in fat if your objective is to trim down.

Look at the list of ingredients

As mentioned earlier, a lot of protein bars available in the market contain cholesterol, artificial sweeteners, and an excess of saturated fats. What you need to keep a close eye on is the form of carbohydrates used to make the protein bar. You want to avoid anything that contains a lot of high fructose corn syrup.

Many protein bars contain trace amounts of high fructose corn syrup. However, on your ingredient panel listing, it should appear second or third. This means that if your protein bar has high fructose corn syrup as the first ingredient, it is best to leave it alone.

Look for sugar alcohols

If you are buying a protein bar that’s low in carb count, you will also need to look for the presence of sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols are not typically a danger for most people. However, major issues can arise if you have problems tolerating them.

Consumption of sugar alcohol can lead to digestive problems. Such as diarrhea, bloating, cramping, and excessive gas. There is no way to tell if you will react to them unless you try. So, before you consume a large portion of a protein bar that contains sugar alcohol, it would be a good idea to try a little bit first to determine whether you will have an allergic reaction.

Final Words

Protein bars are great snack food for anyone that is time poor and needs convenient foods on standby. Protein bars may have been previously reserved for fitness buffs and bodybuilders. But they are a suitable snack for people of all ages. Best of all, they are perfectly safe to include as part of your regular food intake.

Protein bars are easily accessible in grocery stores, online supplement stores, drug stores, you name it. And gone are the days of bland, cardboard tasting protein bars that were a sure recipe for a sore jaw. These days, protein bars taste and look as good as regular chocolate- minus all the unwanted calories.

But don’t be fooled. For every super protein bar, there is an even larger number of yucky tasting ones. These tips above should help you pick the right protein bar so that you can escape the chewy texture and the astonishing calorie content.