Lots of people are spending lots of money buying protein bars thinking that they’re a healthy, convenient alternative to processed snacks and candy bars.
Not so fast.
In most cases they are highly processed, expensive candy bars with added protein & a sprinkle of synthetic vitamins and minerals.
Can we do a little science before we tackle the products & marketing?
I really need everyone to understand this: your body is constantly working hard to keep your blood sugar stable. It’s dangerous if it gets too high or too low. Plus, when it gets too high, fat burning is prohibited.
But do you know what stable blood sugar looks like within the blood stream, approximately? It’s 1 teaspoon of sugar dissolved throughout your entire blood volume. One single teaspoon.
That’s 1 teaspoon of sugar dissolved in roughly 5.5 liters of blood for your blood sugar to be steady and stable.
Now, how much sugar is in the bar you’re buying? Heck, how much sugar is in anything you’re buying?
Here’s a quick tip: 4 grams of sugar = approximately 1 teaspoon.
So, if you buy a bar with 26 grams of sugar, that is 4 teaspoons. Four times the amount needed to keep your blood sugar stable (remember that blood sugar & insulin management is critical for fat loss).
Why do you think there are so many bars on the market, with more added every day?
Because we buy them.
Because it’s pretty easy, through marketing & packaging, to make us feel like they’re healthy even when they’re not.
Why do you think there is so much sugar in them?
So we continue to buy them. So that eating one makes us crave a second! (Ever had that happen? Eat one bar and find yourself going back for a second?)
Let’s take a look at how much sugar is in some of these popular bars.
Ever had the Chocolate Mint Cookie Crunch Balance Bar? Totally tastes like a Thin Mint. No surprise – each bar has 4 teaspoons of sugar! Four times as much sugar, in just one item, as your body needs to maintain stable blood sugar.
How about the Zone Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar? Pretty great marketing in the name, no? I’m not quite sure what’s perfect about a bar that has 4.5 teaspoons of sugar in each one!
Lots of people look at Lara Bar as a more fat loss friendly choice because it seems more “natural” and they tout that this bar only has 4 ingredients. Sounds healthy, right? Except that each individual bar contains 4 teaspoons of sugar!
Here’s the important thing to consider: when you eat these bars, it’s not the only item that introduces sugar into your system each day! This is 4 teaspoons in a tiny bar which is only one of MANY things you eat each day!
You have to consider – do these bars work for you?
Do they represent an improvement for you?
Do they satisfy your hungry?
Are they REALLY fat loss friendly or are you believing what the marketing hype tells you?
Food for thought!
Bar-buyer beware!