| Qns. There are so many protein bars in the market, I'm confused which one to buy!! Yes, there are a huge number of protein bars to choose from, and they taste so good because if they didn't we wouldn't eat them...right? Protein bars are a supplement, meaning that they are supplemental to a balanced diet which means we don't actually need them to achieve our health and fitness goals, but they certainly can be useful in certain situations such as: · That mid afternoon chocolate craving (provided you didn't already eat your afternoon snack) · Convenient source of nutrition when out and about, rushing around etc · As variety when other snack ideas become 'boring' Which bar to choose really depends on your health and fitness goal, what your calorie and carb/protein/fat requirement is and what your tastebuds and stomach like the best. I surveyed 5 different bars from the supermarket and their nutrients were as follows:
First thing to ask yourself is, what would I normally eat instead of a protein bar? How many calories is that approximately? What are my macronutrient amounts approximately? Let's look at something like 150g chicken with 150g kumara (and salad) for lunch as an example. This whole meal is approximately 350 calories, with 35g of protein and 38g of carbs, and 4g of fat. If you were to replace this meal with a protein bar, you might look at Aussie Bodies Protein FX as it has the lowest fat content with a relative amount of carb and protein. Or you may choose the HPLC bar as it meets the calorie requirement (NB, your body can only deal with 30g of protein max per meal) Let's take this snack example, a small tin of tuna with 10 rice crackers is approximately 15g of carb and 16g of protein with only 1-2g of fat and 137 calories. The closest bar again appears to be the Protein FX. I can't say to you to pick the lowest fat or the lowest carb bar, because only you know what you need in terms of calories and macronutrients. As a general guide, for weight loss, stick to the bars with the lowest fat and carb content, and no more than 200 calories (as a snack) and for those using bars for energy, weight gain or general fitness without weight loss include a bar that contains impact carbs (sugars and starches). If you're doing endurance events where you need quick energy top up, stay clear of protein bars as they slow the rate of carbohydrate absorption. Many bars are also fortified with nutrients like calcium, iron, vitamin C, B-Vitamins etc - this shouldn't be what helps you decide which bar to choose, if you require a protein bar for these nutrients, then your whole diet needs addressing. Just a few words of caution with protein bars, too many can cause a laxative effect, and in some cases they can actually cause constipation (make sure you keep your water intake high). They are promoted as health foods, but they are still highly refined, processed foods which don't sit well with some people. Read the ingredients list and make sure there are things in there that you're happy putting in your body. They can also cause food cravings, so if you find yourself reaching for another bar...and another then it might be a good idea to switch to a different type of food. Stacey 8 March 10 |
| I know personal trainers and nutritionists always recommend rolled oats or special K and things like that but I want to eat nice cereals so can you tell me what I should be looking for to still stay healthy. Great question! Provided you look closely at the nutrition panel and ingredients list you can certainly make some great cereal choices. Here are some guidelines. SUGAR Aim for no more than 10g of sugar per 100g. (10% sugars). For a 45g serving this would be no more than 4.5g, or a 30g serve should have no more than 3g of sugar. Look for where the sugar comes from on the ingredients list, is there a lot of added sugar (will be listed as sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syryp...and most words ending in -ose) FAT Great if the fat is coming from things like nuts and seeds, not so great if it's from added fat. Again aim for no more than 10% of the cereal being fat. Avoid cereals with the words hydrogenated, and trans fats on the nutrition panel or ingredients list. Avoid them like the plague, they contribute to heart disease. PROTEIN Not really an issue. Cereal is not designed to fuel our protein needs, any protein in cereal is just a small token bonus. FIBRE Go for a high fibre cereal. There are no minimum standards, just compare the 100g panels with each box to see which has the best amount of fibre. LOW PROCESSING This kind of goes hand in hand with fibre. The more processed and refined a grain is, the less fibre it will have. Have a look at the cereal, does it look like the original (eg, do cocoa pops really look like rice and do fruit loops look anything like wheat?). Aim for cereals that look like cereal. SERVING SIZE Always stick to the serving size on the box. Measure it, weigh it, do what you need to do to show yourself that you may have been overeating those yummy cereals. Try making your own toasted muesli, then you can control what goes in it, and even better still, you can control the taste! Stacey 18 Feb 2010 |
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