Protein bars as a snack, let’s hear it.

Buckle up, this is a long read. At the bottom of this blog, there is a table of comparisons, and we hope we can answer your questions along the way!

Protein is a key macronutrient in our diets, providing us with essential amino acids, promoting muscle repair and gain, keeping us feeling satiated and satisfied for longer, and tasting delicious. With the busy on-the-go lives that we lead in the 21st century (outside of these lockdowns!), it can be hard to ensure we are consuming enough protein, especially between meals as snack foods tend to be higher in carbohydrates. This is why we love protein bars – they are an easy, on-the-go option that will keep us satiated between meals, curb a 3 pm sweet craving, provide us with a good hit of protein to repair muscles after working out, and contribute to our daily intake of protein – and when it comes to protein, the more the merrier! They can also be super affordable and even be eaten after dinner for a healthier dessert option.

However, when it comes to protein bars, it can be overwhelming. There are so many options – vegan, gluten-free, low carb, refined sugar-free – so which one do I choose?

Protein bars ingredients lists can be confusing as they’re filled with names of things like, ‘sweetener,’ ‘emulsifier,’ ‘glycoside,’ ‘maltodextrins,’ and ‘flavours,’ as well as many other lengthy, scientific names. So what are these compounds, and what do they mean for our health?

What are food additives and artificial sweeteners?

A substance is added to food to enhance its flavour or appearance or to preserve it. Named ‘additive’ as it contributes very little, or no caloric value.

Artificial sweeteners go by many names – aspartame, saccharin, sucralose and stevia, to name a few. But what actually are they? Artificial sweeteners are chemically produced food additives that sweeten food without the high energy content that normal sugar contains. To put this into perspective, sugar contributes 16 calories per teaspoon, whereas the likes of sucralose have zero calories. The most common ones used in protein bars and across a wide range of other processed foods are sucralose and stevia.

Stevia is popular as it is derived from a plant and people prefer a more natural option over the usual chemically made sweeteners. It contains no calories and is 200x sweeter than table sugar and has no influence on blood sugar levels. Stevia has few health concerns and is a safe food additive and a great alternative to sugar. Sucralose is also a noncaloric sweetener and is 600x sweeter table sugar, however may elicit an increase in blood glucose, so people with diabetes need to be wary of this. All of the protein bars we have reviewed include artificial sweeteners in some volume.

So, how much stevia is too much stevia?

The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives revealed that stevia extracts containing 95% steviol glycosides are safe for human use in the range of 4 mg/kg of body weight/day. As Stevia is not required on the nutritional information panel of products, it is unknown as to how much is in a bar. However (as reported by Sweetly Stevia USA) it is safe for a 60kg adult to consume up to 45 teaspoons of stevia per day, and it is highly (hiiiighly) unlikely there is this amount in a protein bar.

Sugar alcohols. Sounds delicious? What are they?

Sugar alcohols also go by many names – mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol – and are similar to artificial sweeteners as they provide a sweet and sugary taste, and contain around half the amount of calories as normal sugar. Sugar alcohols are common across processed foods and are generally nothing of concern for the general population. However, they can cause issues with digestion if they are eaten in excess or for those who have IBS.

With processed foods being a large part of many diets these days, it may be harder than you realise to consume sugar alcohols in moderation, therefore we recommend limiting other processed foods if you are opting for a protein bar as a snack. For those who have IBS, most protein bars do contain some sugar alcohols, so it is important to keep this in mind when considering which is the right option for you.

Emulsifiers and Maltodextrin

Emulsifiers are food additives that maintain the consistency of the product, and they are extremely common across processed foods. The most common emulsifier found in protein bars is Soy Lecithin which comes from soybean and is processed to hold together food compounds that contain both water and oil. These food additives are considered safe to consume, however have been found to have some side effects if they are consumed excessively. For example, excessive consumption of emulsifiers each day may have effects on the gut microbiota (i.e. helpful bacteria in the gut which is involved in fermentation and digestion of foods) which can cause inflammation in the gut. Due to the small amounts of emulsifiers generally used in food, excessive consumption would mean eating a highly-processed diet. Consumption of emulsifiers in moderation by limiting processed food in the diet, or being wary of consumption should be fine.

This has been noted in people with IBS/IBD, so if you experience either of these, or are vulnerable to having digestive issues, it is best you consume emulsifiers minimally, or opt for products that do not contain them. The PranaON protein bars did not contain any emulsifiers, therefore are a great option for those concerned about digestion.

Maltodextrin. Although it sounds like a daunting term, maltodextrin is simply a carbohydrate that is added to food as a thickener. It is a polysaccharide that is produced from corn, rice, wheat or potatoes, therefore is a form of fibre. Maltodextrin is common in processed and packaged foods and is of little concern to the general population, other than when consumed in excess which may result in digestive issues. Those with IBD/IBS may have digestive issues with any consumption of maltodextrin, and it may cause damage to their gut - therefore may choose to avoid it. Like emulsifiers, excessive consumption of maltodextrin has been linked to the impaired gut microbiota, however, in moderation and alongside a balanced diet, consumption is not concerning.

Food additives

Food additives may seem daunting, however, most of us are consuming them every day without even realising it as they are in so many processed foods. Most of us consume bread every day, and unless you bake your own bread, most supermarket bread contain emulsifiers and acidity regulators. Even baking soda is considered a food additive! Whilst a protein bar is more nutritionally beneficial than a chocolate bar, they are both highly processed foods, and thus best consumed in moderation alongside a diet that is full of wholefoods - vegetables, fruits, grains, meat, legumes, milk etc! We don’t want our diets to consist primarily of these foods, but they are great tools to use in moderation.

We’ve covered the additives, now let’s talk about the main components of protein bars – the fats, carbohydrates and protein of course! What should we be looking for, and why?

How much protein should we aim for?

When it comes to protein – the more the merrier! We should be aiming to eat 1.2g-1.8g or protein per kilogram of body weight per day if we are sedentary, and even more if we are active and wanting to either maintain weight or build muscle. So a sedentary adult weighing 70kg would need at least (least!) 84g per day, and at least 98g if they are active and wanting to maintain weight. A protein bar provides around 10-25g of protein (with some providing a massive 45g), so it's up to you to choose which fits in with your diet and your goals. Those who are exercising frequently and are wanting to build or maintain muscle should opt for a bar with at least 20g of protein, whilst those who are just looking for a satiating snack may choose an option that’s slightly lighter. At the end of the day, as long as we are eating ENOUGH protein throughout the day, you can fit a protein bar in however you wish!

Fats

As protein bars often contain nuts, seeds and oils, there will be some fat content in them. Fats are a great source of energy and can provide many health benefits, however, it is important to look at the kind of fats that products contain. Of the protein bars we reviewed, most of them were below 7g of total fat – but what does that mean in relation to a normal diet? Considering the average 2000kcal diet, it is recommended that fat contributes to 20-35% of your daily energy intake, which is equivalent to 44g – 77g of fat. Eating a protein bar with less than 7g of fat then contributes a 9-16% of your daily fat intake. So if you’re eating a balanced diet with limited processed foods, then this is a perfectly fine contribution to your daily intake! Saturated and trans fats in particular are those that can cause inflammation in the body, and increase the risk of developing diseases, so we want to limit our intake of those. Of the bars we reviewed, the Musashi P45 bars did contain more than 4g of saturated fat, so if choosing this bar it is important you limit any other sources of saturated fat in your diet, or choose this bar as a weekly treat rather than a daily go-to.

Sugar vs Carbs

Carbohydrates are on the labels of ALL packaged foods, and often labels say ‘total carbohydrate’ and ‘sugar’. To make it easier to read labels, let’s break down the difference between total carbohydrates and sugar. Carbohydrates are our bodies MAIN source of fuel – they are molecules that are broken down into smaller molecules of glucose that fuel our bodies and brains, so we do need them in our diet. On labels, carbohydrates refer to the TOTAL amount of carbohydrates in foods – including the complex, long-chain carbohydrates which release energy slowly, and the simple carbohydrates that give us a fast release of glucose, thus a quick boost of energy. Sugars, on the other hand, refer ONLY to the ADDED simple sugars (that give us these quick energy boosts) are usually added in the forms of maple syrup, table sugar and glucose. So, when reading a label, the ‘added sugar’ is the sugar on the nutrition panel, whereas the total carbohydrate is the complex and the added sugar! So when reading a nutrition label, we want to aim to minimize the ‘sugar’ content, rather than the carbohydrate content.

Different types of sugar

Be wary - companies love to trick us into thinking products are ‘healthier’ or ‘better’ if they contain things like rice malt syrup, maple syrup, date syrup etc, instead of regular table sugar – but really, these products are still simple sugars which our bodies recognise in the same way it recognises table sugar!

How much sugar?

When reading labels, we want to be choosing foods that are lower than 10g of sugar per serving. All of the protein bars we have reviewed are less than 5g of sugar, other than the PranaON Plant-Based Protein bar. While this bar does have more sugar than the other options, it is still a great choice and a great hit of protein - just view it as more of a ‘treat’ or be wary of the rest of your sugar intake during the day!

I’m looking for low carb and high protein - what bar is my best option?

The best options are;

Musashi P45 high protein bar with 3.1g of carbs and 45.5g of protein;
Musashi ‘Shred and Burn’ bar which contains 2.7g of carbs, and 20.1g of protein;
Aussie Bodies Low Carb Whipped Protein bar containing 1.2g of carbs and 14.9g of protein.

Is my lower-carb protein bar higher in fat?

It was an interesting observation that the low car bars (Aussie bodies and Musashi P45) were no higher in fat than the others.

Plant-Based vs Non-Plant based

When choosing a protein bar, plant-based bars tend to be higher in sugar, carbohydrates and fats, and as a result – energy. Also, they tend to be slightly more expensive. If you don’t follow a vegan / plant-based lifestyle, we recommend opting for a bar that is not plant-based, as they can deliver you with your protein hit without the extra carbs and fat. However, vegan options such as the PranaON bar, and the Nice and Natural bar still provide you with a good source of protein – just be wary of the extra sugar and fats when you are choosing your other food throughout the day. If you are opting for a vegan bar, the PranaON bar provides the most protein, however is more expensive and has a greater amount of carbs and fat. The Nice and Natural option is also fantastically affordable, and is lower in carbohydrates and sugar, however does contain significantly less protein than the PranaON bar, and has a higher fat content.

Also, if you are vegetarian – be sure to watch out for ingredients such as collagen and gelatine which are not vegetarian! The Musashi P45 High protein bars, and the Horley’s Carb Less Protein Bars both contain these products, so are not suitable for vegetarians!

Shred & Burn? OK, that sounds aggressive...what does it mean?

As the name implies, the idea of Musashi ‘Shred & Burn’ protein bars is to support weight loss. The product is marketed as a “Fat Burning Protein Bar” - so what exactly does this mean?

The product contains a “powerful blend of Garcinia Cambogia, Green Tea extract and L-Carnitine”.

Carnitine is found naturally in the body and is a compound that supports the body's natural process of fat oxidation - burning fat- by transporting long-chain fatty acids to the mitochondria where they can be oxidised. This process of fatty acid occurs during exercise where fats can be oxidised to fuel the cells. So, the idea behind adding carnitine as a “fat burner” is that more carnitine means more efficient transport of these long-chain fatty acids so they can be broken down. Evidence that this actually occurs in humans is conflicting and inconclusive.

Garcinia Cambogia is a plant derivative and contains a chemical called Hydroxycitric acid (HCA). HCA has an effect of increasing serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that suppresses appetite. However, evidence to suggest the HCA in Garcinia Cambogia can support fat burning / weight loss is inconclusive.

Green tea extract is another plant derivative of the green tea plant. Its active compounds are caffeine, polyphenols and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Green tea extract has been found to have a support weight loss and weight management by promoting fat-oxidation during exercise.

Whilst this sounds promising, Musashi themselves state that changes in body fat will not occur until 8-12 weeks of training. This implies that their products are more tailored to athletes or those who are exercising regularly, so the effect of fat burning will likely not be seen unless you are one of these individuals.

So if I was to go for the most ‘healthy’ bar, what would it be and why?

All factors considered, the best bar to choose would be the Musashi ‘Shred & Burn’ protein bar. It has 20g of protein (amazing) and is low in sugar and moderately low in fat compared to the other bars. It is also not too high in energy, and is relatively affordable per gram of protein. Second best would be the Quest bar, which like Musashi bar, is relatively low in sugar and has 21g of protein!! However this bar is just a bit higher in fat than the shred and burn bar, but overall contains less energy. Both are great options!

Lastly, the Musashi P45 bar is another great option, especially for those who are really active throughout the day. It has a whopping 45g of protein and because of this does contain more energy. But it will definitely keep you going for a while!

But in reality, our food comes down to what do we genuinely love, what tastes good? What brings us joy - choose that :)

If I sometimes have issues with digestion, please tell me my best option.

Definitely opt for the PranaON protein bar. It is made with natural ingredients and only contains a small amount of organic stevia. It has 18g of protein and is dairy-free and gluten-free. It does however contain a higher amount of sugar, so keep this in mind! For the vegans amongst us, it is vegan - but you probably knew that!

What about when I’m on the go and just need something from the supermarket or petrol station to keep me going?

Check out the ‘health food’ aisle of the supermarket! You’ll be surprised by how many options there are in most supermarkets. The Musashi, Horleys and Quest bars are available at most Countdown stores! Petrol stations may not have such a vast array of options, however, if you can find a product with around 15g+ of protein, and >5g or sugars - you should be good to go.

We hope we’ve answered your questions, this was a fun one to pull together. If you have a burning question, you can contact us at info@feelfreshnutrition.com.