Are Protein Bars a Good Thing?

Let’s talk about protein bars for a second. Before I say anything else, I’m not anti-protein bar. They absolutely have a place, and I use them occasionally too! But they need to be understood, not blindly trusted.

What brought this up is a popular brand that recently was in a class-action lawsuit. While this lawsuit was eventually dismissed, the major concern was around how those calories are actually being calculated because of a fat-replacement ingredient used in the formula.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened. Back in 2013, another popular brand went through a similar situation, except it was around carbs instead of fats. Independent testing suggested the body was actually absorbing more calories than what the label showed (they eventually reformulated and updated their labeling).

Another aspect to protein bars is the other ingredients that make them up. Often, there is just as much sugar as there is protein! Even with what might look as a good protein option on the surface, both the nutrition breakdown and ingredient list should be examined.

Anything in a wrapper should be looked at with a little more awareness. At the end of the day, ultra-processed food is never going to be as straightforward or reliable as whole food.

Just because a wrapper, package or box has “protein” plastered on it, doesn’t make it automatically a great choice.