Let’s say you’re hungry, but having a busy day and so don’t have time to cook something for yourself and don’t want to grab something out to eat. The easiest thing for you is to just grab a protein bar from the gas station real quick.
When you get there, there’s a ton of different bars to choose from and you don’t know which is the best for you.
Here's what to do:
-The first thing to check for is the amount of sugar the bar has. If the protein bar has anymore than 5-7g of sugar, drop that thing like a hot potato. There are definitely better options.
-Next thing is to take note of amount of sodium (salt). Most bars will have a reasonable sodium count, but check just to be sure. I’d say anything under 200mg is good for the most part, but a bit over won’t hurt too much. Just stay away from anything that is 250mg and up as there are better alternatives.
-Finally, be sure you are aware of the number of servings per pack! Often time, companies will display lower numbers on their nutrition labels to look more appealing to the buyer (you), but when you take a glance at the serving size, it may say 2 or sometimes even 3 servings per container. If you see this, it means you have to double (or triple) every number that the nutrition label has. This 99% of the time makes the good looking bar turn into a bad bar.
-Now if you’re somebody who counts their macronutrients (protein, carbs, fats) daily , be sure to check those out on the back as well. At the end of the day, no matter which meal protein/meal replacement bar you choose, you still need to be wary of hitting your macros. So if you’re on a low carb day, look out for bars high in carbohydrates and look at the amount of fiber that makes up those carbs. Same thing if you are doing a low fat day, just be aware!
Keep these tips in mind next time you buy a protein bar!
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