Choosing A Protein Bar

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I am a protein bar eater. Frankly, it is like a candy bar for me, its a big treat. My shot of chocolate for the day. It is so convenient for this momma who is out the door to take the kids to school, then I don't come home until lunch time. I eat these bars for a snack, NEVER for a meal. I always prefer to eat REAL food, not this processed stuff. But frankly, life gets in the way and if I'm being honest I eat these 5 days out of 7. Since I'm on the go most mornings, they usually are eaten around 10:30 AM for that morning snack. I'm good until lunch.

There are soooo many protein bars on the market and it can be very overwhelming. I did a little shopping, grabbed nine popular protein bars. I chose the ones that are good for women who are trying to lose or maintain their weight. And I choose mostly the same flavor just to simplify things: Chocolate Peanut Butter.

I have always told my clients that the basic rules of thumb for protein bars are these two things:

1. It must be under 200 calories.
2. It must have over 10 grams of protein.

We are not talking a cereal bar, we are going for protein. However, there were some protein bars I picked up and promptly dropped due to the calorie count alone: 360 calories?!? 280 calories? 410 calories? OK, we are not Arnold Schwarzenegger here, gals. Leave those bars for the orange looking guys, with white teeth, short shorts, dyed hair, and biceps so big they have to cut slits in their sleeves. No, we are going for a different genre of bar here.

So, are you ready for the breakdown? I did a very, highly scientific comparison of nine protein bars. NASA has called for this top secret Trainer Momma algorithm to see which bars are the best on the market. I would not share it with them, but I will share it with you.

From Personal Training pics

I added up the calories, the total fat, the sugars, then subtracted the protein (since that is the good stuff). The lowest number in the end wins. Here's what it looks like for all you mathematicians out there:

Top Secret Trainer Momma formula

(calories + fat + sugar) - protein = grand total

	Calories	Fat	Sugar	Protein	TOTAL
Detour (Lower Sugar)	170	5	3	15	163
Pure Protein	200	6	2	20	188
Luna Bar	180	6	11	9	188
EAS Myoplex Lite	190	6	10	15	191
Balance Gold	210	6	14	14	216
Snickers Marathon	220	7	17	10	234
Odwalla Original	230	8	14	7	245
Power Bar Performance	240	4	25	9	260
Clif Bar	260	6	21	11	276

So, it looks like those top four are the winners in my book:

From Personal Training pics

I personally am a huge Pure Protein fan because :

a. It has 20 beautiful grams of protein and keeps me fuller longer.
b. I can buy it bulk at Costco and Sam's Club.

So, if you are in the market for protein bars, here's your guide. Taste is an entirely different part of the equation. Some of these taste like cardboard (that's why I didn't do the Go Lean bars, for me it's like eating a box). Others may have different effects on your digestive tract, if you know what I mean. Experiment with one at a time.

And AS ALWAYS, drink 24 oz of water after you eat one of these bars. It will fill you up and keep you happy until your next meal.