Is it only me?

I don't think a day goes by without someone posting: OMG I LOVE THESE "insert some name" {energy, meal replacement, fiber, protein} bars. Anyone else prefers real food to those bars as a snack, or whatenot or is it just me? Don't get me wrong I eat cliff bars, energy gells, consume energy drinks on my various training rides (depends on distance, intesity etc) because they are convenient. So I am not some kind of all organic, etc cruisader, but given a choice I would rather have real food.

P.S. Nothing hits a spot like a potato two hours in to 3-4 hour ride in miserable weather. :)

UD

I used to eat bars and stuff all the time. But I do prefer REAL food. It's more satisfying, and I've become obsessed with all natural (or close to it) ingredients. Even the all natural bars with plain ingredients like "oats, peanuts, and honey" I don't eat much. To me, a tiny bar is not worth the 200 calories when I could have a huge plate of veggies for less than half the amount.

amen

Most of the time, I'd rather have real food.  I do occasionally get a craving for something sweet and bar-like, though, and keep a few in my desk drawer at work for those occasions (since the alternative there would be to have a candy bar).

To me, all of these bars are just glorified cookies/biscuits.  So I think they're best treated as such and enjoyed as an occasional treat.  It's only the packaging and marketing that suggests they're mega-healthy or some kind of meal replacement. 

Original Post by umneydurak:

I don't think a day goes by without someone posting: OMG I LOVE THESE "insert some name" {energy, meal replacement, fiber, protein} bars. Anyone else prefers real food to those bars as a snack, or whatenot or is it just me? Don't get me wrong I eat cliff bars, energy gells, consume energy drinks on my various training rides (depends on distance, intesity etc) because they are convenient. So I am not some kind of all organic, etc cruisader, but given a choice I would rather have real food.

P.S. Nothing hits a spot like a potato two hours in to 3-4 hour ride in miserable weather. :)

UD

Not all of them are high in calories... we like it because its less effort (the reason most of us are now big) especially after work when you know dinner is about 2 hours away!

also you can keep tabs on those better like plan your day better, as well as the fact that it makes you feel like you havent eaten much i.e. you're losing weight!

Don't get me wrong, i'll go berserk if I don't get a 'real dinner' but when you are starving and you don't like to bring food to work or school..these are better. you can also eat it anywhere! i.e bus, train, office...

I work in aldgate so in lunch hour I like to take a bus and go sightseeing while eating my lunch!

I think if I was going hiking or some long bike ride, homemade trail mix would be the best. Lots of dried fruits w/ some almonds and some peanuts or cashews and some chocolate chips (cant have trail mix w. out them it wouldnt be complete) I do love real food though. I to be honest cant stomach fruit and nut bars. sometimes a protien bar or an energy drink is good before a gym work out but other than that its real food all the way.

Ughhh I am SO with you - absolutely NOTHING in bar form fills me up whatsoever. I don't care how much protein and fiber is if it's packaged like a candy bar, my brain is going to treat it like a candy bar - I'll eat it in 2 seconds and still want more. The other thing I don't understand is "protein powder". Why is everyone so apt to add a caloric powder to their food? I like to EAT - that's why I've gained weight. I would rather have a chicken breast, tuna, or a handful of almonds than any kind of powder in my food that adds calories.

Mmmm, I agree with Gem86, homemade trail mix, Or any type of trail mix!

I defiantly approve of real food, mainly, those energy boosters/bars cost an arm and a leg, and I am so poor! I can get like, 3 apples for that price lol. . Energy drinks leave me bloated (what's the best in your opinion???)

As someone who loves actual food, I don't really have much interest in all these "food products." Most bars taste too sweet to me, and that is coming from a sugar fiend! I have started packing my own trail mix, which is much tastier not to mention cheaper. If I need extra oomph, like on a winter hike, I'll toss in some chocolate covered espresso beans. Yum! I also don't really understand the protein powder thing either, unless you are a serious body builder or trying to gain. There are a million delicious foods that are a great source of protein.

Agreed. As soon as I see the word "Splenda", I leave a post! Same with most packaged foods.

people like these products for ease, convenience and easy portion control.  I use to eat them a lot but find real food more satisfying.  I also recently started to make my own to avoid processed foods.  I think they have there time and place but shouldn't be relied in place of foods.   

Original Post by lafoutloud01:

 The other thing I don't understand is "protein powder". Why is everyone so apt to add a caloric powder to their food? I like to EAT - that's why I've gained weight. I would rather have a chicken breast, tuna, or a handful of almonds than any kind of powder in my food that adds calories.

 The foods I most like to eat don't have much protein in them.  I'm trying to get my diet closer to a 40-30-30 split (carb-fat-protein) and have succeeded in at least getting it to 50-25-25 with the help of protein powder (and making myself cook with meat more often than I used to and eating more beans/pulses and consuming more dairy and eating eggs more often...). 

Part of it is that I consider milk and milky drinks to be more "food" than "drink" so a 150-200 calorie glass of "chocolate milk" made from skim milk and protein powder is, to me, a very good use of calories and fills me up just as if I'd eaten a chicken breast.  Now, I won't have more than one a day, and I don't have them every day either (maybe every second day?), but it helps and is very tasty.

I agree, real food rises above all. However, the bars make a great ocassional treat, especially when I need a protein/nutrition/calorie boost. Even the natural kinds taste like dessert :)

About the protein powder... I don't use it much, but about once a week I'll add a packet of Spiru-tein (soy protein powder) to my rolled oats in the morning for a chocolate or vanilla or even cookies and cream (they have TONS of flavored oatmeal treat that has many vitamins and minerals plus 20 grams of protein.

Energy bar a treat? Yikes. My idea of a treat is chocolate, ice cream, frozen yogurt, pudding, mousse. Anyway the list lis long, but no energy bar makes it. :) Sometimes I under eat on training rides (not a good idea I know), so I can make some tasty stuff at home.

UD

uuugh yeah completely agree. I hate that things like bars are advertised as 'breakfast on the go' etc. uuugh, I can't think of anything worse I'd like to start my day with - an overly sweet but tiny and insubstantial thing out of a packet. They do not fill me up whatsoever.

Like has been said, I don't care how much protein or fibre is in it, I would rather eat a plateful of actual food for the same amount of calories and feel satisified. I am never too busy to eat proper food, however hectic my day.

It takes 1 minute to slap some almond butter on a piece of bread and grab an apple/banana on the way out of the door, and eat on the walk to my bus in the mornings if I have overslept or something, and that will tide me over until lunch much better than a little sweet bar of chemicals will do.

I think 'convenience' is entirely subjective to lifestyle and organisation and personal priorities.

I think the thing about protein powder, for me at least, is that it's hard to get in all the protein I'd LIKE to get in a day (some of us are aiming to eat 1g of protein for 1lb of goal weight, stuff like that) without also going high on calories and in particular fat.  Protein powder is pretty low cal - you can get in around 25g of protein for 120 calories, which is really hard to do with "real" food.  In addition, post workout, the protein powder is predigested so it helps instantly with recovery, whereas food needs to break down first before it's available. It's also super convenient if you are at the gym and maybe aren't going directly home to eat.  Just bring a scoop of protein in a bottle and add water, shake and drink.

Also, you can get protein powder in chocolate...so if you have a craving for chocolate and you can also get in 25g of protein...it's a win-win situation for some of us. 

I personally would much rather eat food, I'd 'much rather cook than eat processed stuff and I like eating clean.  But for me protein powder is the exception because of my personal fitness, weight loss and health goals. 

Nobody is talking about protein powder (at least not me in original post).

Not to hijack my own thread, but interesting read on protein requirement: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_daily_ protein_recommendations_for_people

Also the whole recovery drink is very debatable, and results are mixed. I have it, but it's just a low fat chocolate milk with right ratio of carbs to protein. I don't think it helps all that much (if at all) besides a small placibo effect, but I do like milk chocolate. :)

UD

"glorified chocolate bars"...I couldn't have said it better myself.  I was beginning to think I was the only one that felt that way...lol.   They are just another example of marketing gone awry and consumers being fooled into thinking that stuff made with lots of sugar with a spoonful of oats thrown in is somehow healthy.

I haven't bought one in years, and I always have healthy food on hand, ready to go, in case of hunger...makes much more sense than the virtually empty calories of a granola bar..

i don't like energy bars much. i feel like i'm being ripped off when i eat them. but i do eat them from time to time when i can't get a meal or if i'm in the mood for something sweet i usually have a luna bar.

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