On our quest to be healthy, we often find ourselves
combating a hectic lifestyle. With work and family commitments, it can be
difficult to find time to exercise and eat right.
Protein bars make for convenient alternative to many home
cooked meal options. They’re sold just about everywhere so you don’t even need
to go out of your way to find them. Their packaging certainly makes them appear
nutritious but do you know what you’re really eating?
Protein –
This ingredient may seem quite obvious. Protein is actually one of the
ingredients you should pay the most attention to. Most protein bars contain
about 20 grams of protein, which is about half the recommended daily intake for
an inactive woman. Consuming excessive levels of protein can cause all sorts of
health problems including weight gain and calcium loss.
Sugar – You
already know that consuming too much sugar is unhealthy. After all, that’s why
you grabbed a protein bar, not a candy bar right? What you may not know is that
many protein bars contain more than 6 teaspoons of sugar. That’s more than the
recommended daily added sugar for women and 2/3 the amount recommended for men.
Artificial
Sweeteners – Maybe your favorite bar has a low amount of sugar, but
don’t let that fool you. Artificial sweeteners are often added to processed
foods to make them taste better without adding sugar. These sweeteners have
been shown to lead to gastrointestinal problems as well as cause increased junk
food cravings.
Chocolate
Coating – For the most part, protein bars aren’t actually coated
in chocolate. Instead, hydrogenated palm kernel oil is used which creates a
coating that, while tasty has a high concentration of saturated fat.
Preservatives – Protein
bars are typically packaged months before you get your hands on them. To keep
them tasting fresh, must be added to them. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is a
common preservative that has been linked to an increased risk of cancer.
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