Why is your fitness bar often just a candy bar in disguise?
Author: A lot of us reach for a protein bar thinking we're doing something good for our health. They're convenient, full of protein, often contain fiber, and will save you when your calendar is full and you can't keep up with your normal meals. But if you don't make one major adjustment in your diet, even the best quality protein bar can paradoxically put you further away from your fitness goals.
What does the science show?
A recent double-blind, randomized study looked at what happens to people's overall food intake when they include a protein bar. Participants ate a bar (either a high-protein bar - 21g- or a protein and fibre bar - 20g protein, 14g fibre) every day for a week. The researchers then compared these days to a week when the participants did not eat any bars.
The goal was simple: To see if the rest of our diets automatically adjust when we add extra calories in the form of a healthy snack.
The result? Most of the time, they don't adapt.
In fact, people who added a snack bar to their day increased their total caloric intake by up to 13%.
Tricky calorie compensation
You may be thinking that a protein bar will fill you up and make you eat less later. Scientists call this phenomenon caloric compensation - an attempt by your appetite to "make room" for the extra food by alleviating the feeling of hunger later.
But this mechanism only works partially:
- Your body can only compensate for about one-fifth (or 20%) of the added calories on its own.
- The other 80% is simply packed on top of what you already eat.
So if you eat a bar that has 200 calories, your body can naturally cut about 40 calories from your later intake. But the other 160 calories become a net surplus.
The solution? The candy bar is not the villain, but it must serve as a substitute
The main message is not that you should immediately throw protein bars in the trash. The key is to change the way you use them. A protein bar must not be a "bonus" to your regular day, but a replacement for something else.
| The wrong approach (Supplement) | Correct Approach (Replacement) |
|---|---|
| You eat a normal lunch and then have a protein bar in the afternoon "just for health". | The bar replaces the sweet pastry from the petrol station that you would otherwise have craved. |
| You add the bar after your workout without reducing the portion of the subsequent dinner. | Use the bar as a lifesaver in place of a lunch you can't make because of meetings. |
| Eat it in front of the TV as a healthier option to chips after a regular dinner. | Take it on a road trip instead of a regular chocolate bar from the vending machine. |
Read the labels
Also be careful what you actually buy. Many products that claim to be "protein bars" can have more than 300 calories and are more akin to a regular candy bar in composition, or are a small meal you didn't plan to eat in the first place.
The golden rule is: If you add food and don't adjust your intake any further, your total calories consumed will go up - even if you're trying to make healthier choices.
Recommended
Nutrend Excelent Protein Bar
Prom-in Essential Pure Bar
BiotechUSA Zero Bar
Barebells Protein Bar
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