Are Protein Bars the Low Carb Solution?
One of the buzzwords you hear a lot these days is ‘low carb’. In fact, low carb has become its own industry with dozens of brands of low carb-this and low carb-that. Lately we are seeing a lot of protein bars that claim to be the low carb solution.
The fact is most Americans eat way too many unhealthy carbs in the form of deep fat fried foods, sugary candies and cakes, chips and crackers, and high fructose corn syrup sodas and drinks. We naturally reach for these highly processed carbohydrate foods when we are hungry.
The idea of the protein bar is to give people something healthier to snack on. Since a lot of people don’t find raw fruits and vegetables appealing, the candy bar shaped protein bar becomes a low carb solution to snacking.
There are different kinds of protein bars for different purposes. Some protein bars are used by athletes and bodybuilders to give them fast energy. Other types of protein bars are for dieting. It’s important that you find the low carb protein bar solution that is right for you and your goals.
It is also important to read the Nutrition Facts label carefully. In order to improve taste did they add a lot of sweeteners? For instance glycerin is often used as a sweetener. Glycerin is classified as a carbohydrate by the FDA but many of the manufacturers selling protein bars do not include glycerin in the total carbs on the Nutrition Facts label.
Check the calorie content as well. If you are trying to lose weight, you don’t want a protein bar that is high in calories.
Finally, what about price? Many low carb solution protein bars are very expensive. Maybe you’re better off to spend that money on an all natural appetite suppressant like Hoodia gordonii so you don’t snack between meals at all.