What’s the Deal with Nutritional Bars?
Posted November 18th, 2006 at 4:00 PM by Jonathan Faccone
Section: Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Supplements
Trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle while simultaneously managing all of the stresses in your life can seem like a daunting task. This is the main reason why many people don’t even try, or quickly give up on, eating frequently throughout the day. They believe they just don’t have enough time to prepare, or even think about, five or six moderate meals. However, as an increasing number of studies point out, this type of nutritional lifestyle can significantly benefit your health, your waistline and even your mood.
Everyone is short on time, but as I mentioned in my Healthy Eating Guide (Parts One and Two), there is a solution: SUPPLEMENTS. Supplements provide you with an already made, no cooking required mechanism for eating small, nutritious meals throughout the day. The most popular and effective means of supplementation for people on the go are nutritional bars.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that “Not all bars are created equal” . There are a plethora of nutritional bars; each claiming to help with a variety of nutritional goals: adding muscle, losing weight, staying fit, gaining energy, etc. It can be quite arduous trying to figure out what’s best for you and/or what nutritional ratios fit your personal needs. That’s why I’ve put together this brief guide about what to look for and some of the best bars for your particular goals:
For the working person trying to fit in a snack between meals or to lose weight, a lower calorie bar would be best (about 150 - 200 calories). Also try to make sure that it contains around 10-15 grams of protein, a moderate amount of fiber (to leave you feeling satisfied) and a very minimal amount of simple sugars and saturated fat. The point of this bar is to supply you with comparable nutrients that you would be receiving from eating normal foods, while preventing you from eating something from the vending machine that is sure to be loaded with extra calories and saturated fat. Some suggestions? Check out Clif’s Luna Bars and the small-sized U-Turn Bars. They taste great and nutritionally, fit your snacking needs. After your workout try Myoplex Lite by EAS.
Those aiming to build muscle should look for a bar with a larger amount of protein (about 25-35 grams; preferably whey for men and soy for women), complex carbohydrates and more calories (250 - 350). However, still focus on a solid amount of fiber (over 5 grams) and a very limited amount of saturated fat and sugar. Some good choices include: MET-Rx’s Protein Plus and/or Mesotech by Muscletech. Remember, you want a bar that is on the low-side in terms of fat (especially saturated fat) because too much fat can slow down your bodies digestive system, and therefore, your absorption of the muscle-building nutrients.
Before a race, endurance athletes should focus on bars that contain a solid amount of carbohydrates. A moderate amount of simple sugars is OK for that initial boost, but really focus on complex carbohydrates in order to help your body maintain a constant supply of energy. Similar bars can also be used after a training run or intense workout. Several liquid supplements and shakes would be ideal after such events, because they are digested at a much faster rate (Check out products by Vega and Myoplex), but if you are on the go, try the classic PowerBar Performance by PowerBar Inc.. Watch out for bars that contain more than 2g of fiber if you plan to eat them before an endurance event or you may find yourself suffering from some gastroenterological issues.
Are you an active individual simply looking to maintain your weight and want to use a supplement to replace an occasional meal or help you to properly recover from a workout? Try Myoplex Carb Sense Nutrition Bar and, our personal favorites (although they can be hard to find outside of the NY/NJ area) are CarbRite diet bars. Amino Vital’s Fit Bars contain 1,000mg of amino acids and are a good choice for the ride home form the gym. However, once you get home, add in a solid protein shake (Try mixing 2 scoops of GNC’s Pro Performance Whey Protein powder w/ a banana, ice, 1/4 cup of skim milk and a teaspoon of honey!).
Are you a vegetarian, vegan or just want something that is all natural or organic? Then the #1 choice, hands down, is Vega’s Berry Flavored Whole Food Energy Bar.
If you plan to use these products regularly, keep in mind that they can be expensive. Therefore, pay the $15 and sign up for a GNC Gold Card. You’ll get great discounts on their store brand (Pro Performance); it is the best generic brand for sports nutrition products on the market. In addition, you’ll receive 20% off everything in the store for the first seven days of the month. I’ve saved hundreds of dollars over the years because of the Gold Card. Another retailer that offers great money-saving specials is, believe it or not, Drugstore.com.
To get more information or if you would like free, customized advice - please send send an email to thefinalsprint@gmail.com
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: amino vital, best protein bars, carbrite diet, clif, complex carbohydrates, drugstore, EAS, energy bar, fiber, GNC, healthy eating, luna, met rx, muscletech, myoplex, powerbar, protein, supplements, u turn bars, vega
Like what you see? Subscribe to our feed!
The Final Sprint