What do Protein Bars Provide?
Athletes have unique nutritional needs. Due to their demanding activity levels, they require certain nutrients, such as proteins, in a constant and efficient manner. A balanced diet would supply these requirements, but sometimes you have to go further.
Many products are constantly being released on to the market to fill the needs of athletes, for ease and convenience. Among these are protein bars, a very interesting food supplement for those who practice sports or do a lot of physical exercise.
Non-athletes also consume protein bars
These bars are particularly useful when you have food cravings for something sweet between meals, which can sometimes happen when we follow a diet. When they are not eaten to excess, protein bars are ideal as occasional snacks. On the other hand, although they are not designed to help you lose weight, they can be an aid to achieve your goals.
It’s good to remember that protein bars don’t replace a balanced diet. Therefore, a professional opinion is always advisable to allow you to maintain a healthy diet or to lose weight.
When to eat a protein bar?
After each workout, it’s recommended that athletes consume foods that are rich in protein. This helps the recovery and formation of the muscles. Although it’s not always possible to have the option of sitting down to enjoy a protein-rich meal after exercise. That’s why protein bars are a such good option.
You can consume protein bars before exercise too. This can translate into an increase in physical performance. By ingesting proteins, muscles don’t deplete their energy reserves quite so quickly and physical activity is prolonged. When we combine consuming protein bars with anaerobic exercises, such as weights, they can promote the development of muscle mass.
What’s in a protein bar?
Although they may be convenient and beneficial, it’s important to carefully review the ingredients of the ones we are going to eat. The ingredients used are not always the best choice for our health.
These bars are manufactured, in principle, from a protein source. Generally, the protein used is whey, recommended over soy, another widely used ingredient. The latter, according to some studies, can be toxic because of the way it’s processed.
Other sources of protein are: egg albumin, casein, hemp, peas, and brown rice. These bars contain carbohydrates, sweeteners, fats, fiber, and flavorings.
How to choose the best
The idea is to choose protein bars with ingredients that are as natural as possible. We must also ensure that the percentage of proteins is greater, than that of the other ingredients. It is always better to choose those with less sugar and fat content. It’s good to avoid ingredients such as, artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols.
If we aren’t using protein bars as a substitute for meals, we should choose protein bars with a lower calorie content. The calories that we consume in one protein bar increase our total daily intake.
Benefits of protein bars
- Good source of protein, to complement a balanced diet.
- They fill us up more than carbohydrates and fats.
- Reduce the consumption of calories.
- Depending on their ingredients, they could lower blood sugar levels.
- Provide energy.
- They are a convenient option that we can easily take with us anywhere.
Make them at home
The main advantage of commercial protein bars is the ease of acquiring and carrying them. However, there is the option to prepare our own bars at home. In this way, we can ensure that they contain natural ingredients of our liking.
Protein powder, nuts, coconut oil, peanut butter, cocoa, granola, honey, and others. All these ingredients will give us great results. There are many options for the ingredients that we can use to prepare our protein bars.
You can easily find hundreds of recipes on the internet. It’s a matter of finding the one that suits your needs and tastes. Not only will you be able to enjoy a personalized product, but you’ll save money too.