Why eat protein bars?
Rich in protein and fiber, the protein bar will distinguish itself from energy bars (endurance sports) or cereal bars, which are generally too sweet and nutritionally useless. The aim of a protein bar is to provide the body with protein to supplement its diet. These proteins will help build/repair muscles or prevent muscle wasting during weight loss.
How to choose a protein bar
Some of the bars you'll find on the market will be more of a treat than a bar intended to help you make up for your protein deficiency: these are cereal bars. How can you tell the difference between these different bars? To choose the right energy bar, you need to analyze the nutritional information on the packaging.
You'll find proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and fibres. Energy bars contain a lot of fast carbohydrates with high glycemic indexes. Cereal bars will contain much the same, but the form of sugars used is not necessarily the healthiest. Protein bars will be rich in protein (around 15 g per bar), and more or less rich in carbohydrates (rich in carbohydrates for weight gain and low in carbohydrates for weight loss) and lipids (rich in lipids for weight gain and low in lipids for weight loss). They will also contain fiber to aid digestion.
Prioritize carbohydrates with a low glycemic index to avoid a dip shortly afterwards. The bar should contain more protein than carbohydrates. This will help to limit fat* gain and therefore move towards "dry" muscle gain. Proteins can be of animal origin (milk, egg white) or vegetable (soya, hemp, rice...). If you're lactose intolerant, opt for egg-white or vegetable-based proteins.
Body fat*: is one of the three components of body weight. It is determined by the amount of water, fat and muscle.
In summary, to choose a good protein bar, you need to look at:
- The protein content (at least 15 grams per bar)
- The type of protein: animal or vegetable depending on your tastes and possibilities.
- The sugar content
Protein dosage:
It's considered necessary to have between 1.5 g and 2 g of protein per kilo of body weight to build muscle. This varies according to several criteria:
Your physical activity, your diet, and your goal (weight gain or weight loss).
How many protein bars can I eat a day?
It depends on your day (intense or not), your goal and the physical activity. With all the information given in the article, by the end of it you should be able to know what you need. As you can see, an athlete will need to consume more protein than a beginner.
When should you eat your protein bar?
Protein bars are useful when you're exercising, since the role of protein is to build and maintain muscle mass.
You can enjoy your protein bar at any time of day. At breakfast, as a mid-morning snack, as an afternoon snack, or at the end of the day if you're feeling peckish before dinner.
You can also take it anywhere, and enjoy it after the effort of a sports session, for example. Or, on the contrary, before a workout (enjoy your protein bar about 1 hour before physical activity, so that you can digest it before the effort), which will help you avoid hypoglycemia, as the body will benefit from a source of energy.
Why eat protein bars?
For a dry period you need to:
- Reduce calorie intake
- Reduce carbohydrate intake to achieve fat loss without abandoning it completely to protect muscle.
- Increase protein intake
We recommend the Caramel Cashew or the Cookies & Cream bar Inshape Nutrition bar.
For mass gain you need:
- Increase protein
- Increase carbohydrates
Here, protein bars containing slightly higher carbohydrates will be useful for your mass gain! The aim is to produce a caloric surplus with a sufficient protein intake.
We recommend the Crispy Caramel or the Choco Coco bar.
