What do you think about protein bars & protein shakes?

Hi, I just wondered your opinion on protein bars and protein shakes.  Yesterday I had a couple of appointments and I started to get hungry so I stopped and bought a protein bar.  It helped me until I got home to make dinner.  Also I wondered about protein shakes.  Would you recommend them as a meal replacement or in between meals about once a day?  Thank you.   

It is better for us to lose interest in sweets!  People are making money with those bars!  Good food doesn't need to be sweet as candy bars!  Nuts are the way to go!

I started taking a protein powder about once a day - It's the one way I can think of to make certain I'm getting enough protein a day without eating huge amounts of food.

suerose- while i agree that we don't need so many sweets in our lives.. your point should be clarified.. people make money growing nuts too.  everything we eat is considered a money maker. 

i have looked at those protein bars so many times.. and i just can't get them.  they seem to have way more calories that i want to spend on a small energy bar.  but i have a small amount of calories to play with every day.  250-300 just is too high for a snack.. :)  also, so many of them have soy in them.. and i can't eat soy.

omg protein bars are the worst things ever. I hate it, hate it. I have yet to find a bar that is good. I have tried about 4 of them and yuck yuck yuck.

Protein shakes on the other hand are yummy and good. The one I use has about 120 callories, 0.5grams of fat and about 26 grams of proteins...

I love the powders, I make a meal out of one only if I can add to them. My favorite is to take one cup of skim milk and one scoop of powder, mix it in a blender, then add a banana, blend that together, then add five ice cubes and blend that together. Oh so yummy! That totals 310 cals and 28 grams of protein, and is so yummy durring the summer.

I personally think the bars are too many calories for too little food, and COST alot more than I like. ( I am a cheap SOB for sure), but have been known to have one when they go on sale.

just my .02

rahana316...what type of protien shake do you get?

many of the bars are kind of high in saturated fat, too. BUT, i actually like them after a hard run... i am not up for a big meal for a while after i run, so i compromise with a protein bar... the balance of many of them in term of protein, carbs, and fat is actually pretty good. i'll also grab one and throw it in my bag if i know i am going to be out and about for a while, they are pretty good for holding me over until i can get a meal of good food!

i like the powerbar pria bars, 170 cals.

just tried the luna bar two days ago and it was very tastey for a few less calories than the pria... can't remember the exact number.

okay, just got to thinking, are what i mentioned technically "protein bars", i have no idea... the pria bar has 10 grams of protein, what are the others?

kvoelxen -

I use Optimun Whey shake and I have to tell you it tastes great. That is if you like chocolate but it also comes in Strawberry, Vanilla, etc.

These are the nutrition in it and I have attached a link to the site that I buy mine.

Each serving contains: Calories 120 Calories from Fat 10 Total fat 1.5 g Saturated Fat .5 g Cholesterol 30 mg Total Carbohydrate 3 g Sugars 1 g Protein 24 g Calcium 140 mg Sodium 60 mg Potassium 220 mg Enzyme Blend 25 mg Aminogen® Lactase (standardized to 100,000 FCC units/g)


http://advantagesupplements.com./100wheyprot5 .html

I love protein bars, not all of them though. My favorite are Power Bar Protein Plus (23g of protein). If you're watching your sugar intake, try Power Bar Protein Plus Reduced Sugar... They taste delicious. (I like Peanut Butter and Vanilla Yogurt flavor), and they are also packed with vitamins and have no high fructose corn syrup. I just had one for lunch by the way.

However, these are meal replacements bars, and you should not have them as a snack. I guarantee they will keep you full for 3-4 hrs, just make sure you drink lots of water. They are packed with yummy protein. ;) Also, be careful, there's a big difference between protein bars and energy bars.

As far as the protein shakes go, i am not a big fan... I like to chew my food not drink it. ;)

I keep some protein bars in my car for when I'm on the run and need a high protein/high calorie meal replacement.  Better to eat one of them then stop at burger king.  i like em...I had a cookies and cream one that was very very good. 

I usually have a protein shake after workouts.  The one I take does not have enough carbs to be considered a meal replacement. It's purely protein.   I use a 100% natural vanilla whey protein powder.  Its delicious and doesnt use artificial sweetners like aspartame, sucra-lose, or splenda to sweeten it.  Here is the nutrition info:

I buy it at Costco...not sure if they have those there? They do in Canada anyhow.

Calories kcal Tot Fat grams Saturated Fat grams Trans Fat grams Cholesterol mg Sodium mg Potassium mg Tot Carbohydrate grams Sugars grams Fiber grams Protein grams

oops the nutrition info didnt work...

trying this again..

per 1 scoop:

cals-90    carbs-2g -1g sugar

fat- 2 g    protein- 17 g

i love atkins bars, theyre the nicest protein bars. I dont like the taste of alot of shakes and i like eating rather than drinking lol

Michelle I don't use the protein bars, but I do use the Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey protein powder. It is really good. I mix mine in soymilk and use it as a snack. It seems to keep me full too! I do carry in my purse some Kashi peanut butter bars. They are pretty good. They have 130 calories, 5g sugar, 5g protein, 4g fiber, no trans fat and 0.5g sat fat. I only eat if I'm on the go all day and miss a meal or snack. Hope this helps.

I agree with the above statements: protein bars are WAY too high calorie for such a little thing, although for a quick breakfast the Kashi bars aren't too bad.

BUT: I swear by my protein shakes. I get the vanilla Carb Solutions one--don't particularly care about the low carb--but it is YUMMY! I don't get that much protein, and to me, it tastes better then a milkshake--I don't have as much of a sweet tooth as a starch-tooth ( :P does that even exist?) so it's more of a dessert for me then anything, and I can make a HUGE glass (about 20 oz, I think) for only about 140-160 calories.

The serving size is two scoops (supposedly) for 8 oz--but it makes more like 12, and I use about 2 2/3 to fill a very large glass. It's 110 calories with 21 g (42 % dv) of protein, with only 3 g carb per serving, if that's interesting at all. Ohhh, yummy though ^_^

Hello, I love protein shakes for weight loss! I have a min of 2 per day for meal replacement 1 time being post workout, helps you lose weight when eating 5-6 small meals a day.  You know the drill... lots of raw veg to munch like celery & other low cal veg. + copious amounts of water, salad's other boring food=weight loss & a skinny you.  I don't know if that includes protein bars, however if the one you got helped you through the day then I like the idea of putting some in your glove box.  Try to find one with not too high carbs/cals/sugar. & just use them for emergency that sounds great!!!

Good Luck

 

When it comes to protein shakes &/ or protein bars.... you really have to read the ingredients closely and make sure that the bars don't have LOADS of sugar in them! Also, as much as people think whey protein & soy protein are healthy... they really aren't all that great. The type of protein in these shakes & bars should come from eggs or hemp or rice bran. Some brands that you should perhaps take a look at if you must have these meal replacements:

- Vitalabs Egg Protein Powder (No Sugar - Comes in Vanilla & Chocolate) 

- Vitol 100% Egg Protein with Natural Bee Pollen & Digestive Enzymes 

- Healthy N' Fit 100% Egg Protein (Chcolate, Vanilla & Strawberry) 

- NutriBiotic Rice Protein Powder (Vanilla, Chocolate, Mixed Berry) 

- Rainbow Light Protein Energizer (Chocolate, Vanilla) 

- Jay Robb Egg Protein (Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry) 

They are over ratted, and not needed for most of the population. Real food is better. I rather have a sweet desert made with greek yogurt and cottage cheese then waste my money on some energy bar or protein shake.

UD