Protein is necessary to building muscle. If you don’t take in enough protein, your body can’t build muscle, so it’s important if you are going on an intensive muscle building regime to increase the intake of protein that you have. Some people choose to do this just by adding extra protein to their diet, but many choose to use protein supplements as an easier method of adding in additional protein.
Protein bars are second only to protein powders in their popularity. They are very portable
and don’t need any preparation to take them unlike a powder. They come in a range of flavours, the commonest being chocolate, strawberry, and peanut, and they taste a little like flapjacks.
Whey Protein bars are generally more expensive than powders, but this is to be expected when they are so much more convenient, can be carried anywhere and eaten easily regardless of what you are doing.
Like with protein powders, protein bars come in different forms, some are just a supplement that you add to your diet on top of your normal regular meals to give you a supplementary boost of protein, while others are designed as meal replacements and contain slightly different ingredients to help you maintain a more balanced diet. These meal replacement bars are generally lower in calories, and are designed more for people who want to lose a little weight at the same time as building muscle, than those who are just looking to build muscle. The third type of bar is energy bars. These are packed with protein for muscle building but also contain carbs which you need to fuel your workout. These are most suited to people who have an energy intensive workout, or a high metabolism.
When you choose a protein bar, check the ingredients list. Take note of the calories in the bar if you’re trying to lose weight you don’t want a bar that exceeds 300 calories really. Watch out for ingredients that are not useful to your body such as sugar, corn syrup, sorbitol, mannitol, and glycerin. Check for fibre levels, you want your protein bar to have a decent amount of fibre – between 10 and 15g generally, and look at the carb levels as well. Try to find a bar that has less than 30g of carbs and less than 15g of sugar.
