What to look for in protein bars

Protein bars can be the ideal solution for ultra-busy days when you might otherwise go without the nutrition your body needs to keep you going. Yet, many protein and nutritional bars offered are a lot less virtuous than their names and attractive packaging suggest. Protein is an essential nutritional building block your body uses to repair tissue and muscle, sustain energy, maintain or lose weight, and many more vital processes and systems. So, before you pick up a protein bar at the grocery store with just 5 grams of protein and 27 whopping grams of sugar, its important to get savvy and to get picky with your protein. Clean protein. Not all protein is created equally. A clean protein can be plant-based or derived from animal ingredients and has a few key things that set them apart from the rest. Plant-based or vegan protein bars should have organic, sprouted grains and legumes, such as brown rice and pea protein because the complex carbohydrates in the rice combine with the protein of the peas to create a complete protein so your body can absorb the protein effectively. If looking for a protein product with whey in it, be sure the whey is from organic, grass-fed cow’s milk. Gluten-free and soy-free protein bars are also ideal for those with gluten or soy allergies and intolerances, making clean protein accessible to many more! Not your sugar mama. A good protein bar should not be high in sugar and it should definitely have significantly more grams of protein than grams of sugar. Case in point: our Organic Protein Bar packs twice as much protein as sugar. Also, be on the look out for sugar disguised as other ingredients such as fructose or high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, or sucralose. Remember that a higher sugar count means more of a sugar crash and the body converts sugar into unwanted stored fat, not ideal if you are trying to lose or maintain a healthy weight. Quality over quantity. When reading the ingredients list, avoid things you can’t pronounce or don’t recognize. A wholesome bar should be made of clean, simple, organic ingredients you can feel good about putting in your body. That’s why we stick to ingredients like organic chia sees, dates, almonds, cocoa, and other whole, organic foods in our Organic Simple Protein Bar… plus, they taste delicious. High fiber, high energy. Fiber is necessary for healthy digestion and for prolonged satisfaction after snacking. Fiber is also key in working with protein to give you longer lasting energy and to regulate your blood sugar, keeping you on an even keel and preventing that afternoon slump.