As a follow up to my last post on the dangers of hydrogenated oils and trans fats, here is a link on Protein bars that do NOT have these ingredients. You absolutely have to read labels before buying food items. If you are a protein bar sort of guy or gal and trying to lose weight by snacking on one of the hundreds of protein bars out there, this link will help. Remember you don't want to be CLOGGING UP YOUR ARTERIES at the same time you are trying to lose weight and get some quality balanced protein.
Dan
http://www.wellsphere.com/complementary-alternative-medicine-article/to-bar-or-not-to-bar-hellip-or-maybe-just-which-protein-nbsp-bar/865245
Rather than reinvent the wheel here, I am going to post excerpts from this excellent site on protein bars to choose and those to avoid:
EXCERPTS:
To Bar Or Not To Bar…. Or Maybe Just WHICH Protein Bar?
Many people with active lifestyles choose to eat protein bars either to add extra protein into their diet, as a meal replacement, a snack or just because they are quick and easy. There are a lot of bars out there that cannot be considered healthy though so knowing which ingredients to avoid can go a long way when it comes to your health. I’ve scanned the ingredients on a range of bars and listed some of the common ones below. The more of these ingredients that a bar contains, the less you should eat of them…. in my opinion of course.
High Fructose Corn Syrup and Corn Syrup should always be avoided. As soon as you see either of these on the label you should put it down and look for another bar. You can find out why HFCS is so detrimental to your health by going here:
http://wisdomthatheals.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/high-fructose-corn-syrup-is-not-
High Maltose Corn Syrup has many of the same problems as HFCS and should also be avoided.
Soy products are not the health foods that you think they are and you can find out why here:
http://wisdomthatheals.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/put-the-fork-down-and-step-away-
If you decide to eat a bar that contains soy products then please make sure the label reads “Organic Soy” or “Non GMO Soy” or “Non GM Soy”…. something of that nature. You do not want to willingly eat Genetically Modified food crops as we have no idea what effects these products will have on our own DNA.
Sucralose is Splenda which means that it is an artificial sweetener. I will be devoting an entire blog to Sucralose/Splenda soon but in the mean time you should know that ALL artificial sweeteners should be avoided.
Artificial Colors and Artificial Flavors are created in a lab and can be toxic to your health.
Hydrogenated Oils or Partially Hydrogenated Oils are trans fats and are extremely detrimental to your health. I will be devoting a blog to them some day as well. I have reservations even about anything that says fractionated Oils but I have not listed those bars here.
So those are the main ingredients that I see as harmful to your health. Lets now take a look at the different bars. Please note that the links I am providing are so that you can see what the bars look like. The retailers are in no way responsible for the health of the specific bars:
THE GOOD
So first and foremost, here are the good guys in my opinion. This is a list of the bars that I found to contain no ingredients that I feel have adverse health effects. There may be others out there but I have not found them yet and will add them as I find them.
Biochem Sports 100% Raw Foods & Whey
Cocoa Cassava Bar
First Endurance EFS
Clif Nectar
Fiber35 FitSmart
FUBAR Organic Fuel Bar
Garden of Life
Greens Plus Energy
Greens Plus High Protein
Hammer Nutrition Hammer Bar
Honey Stinger Stinger Protein
Jay Robb JayBar
Jay Robb The “No Junk” JayBar
Jay Robb Yammit!
Larabar
Organic Food Bar
Organic Food Bar Active Greens
Organic Food Bar Organic Protein
Organic Food Bar Raw
Oskri Bars of Any Type
Physique Products Low Carb
PROsnack Natural Foods Elev8 Me!
The Smartest Snacks Gym:
Universal Doctor’s CarbRite Diet SugarFree
THE BAD AND THE UGLY
The following is a list of as many bars as I could find that contain the ingredients listed above that I believe to have adverse health effects. Some are better than others and you have to decide for yourself which ingredients you want to avoid but I would not personally chose to eat most of the following bars. They are in alphabetical order and list the ingredients they contain that I believe to be harmful to your health:
AllMax Nutrition Isoflex: Soy Protein/Oils, Artificial colors or flavors
AllMax Nutrition WaferPro: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Artificial colors or flavors, Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated oils
ANSI Oh, Soo… Good: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils
AST Musclebar: Aspartame or Neotame
AST Vyo-Pro: Aspartame or Neotame
Apex Fit: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils, Artificial colors or flavors
Apex FIX: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both,
Apex Fruit: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
Balance Bar Balance Gold: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, High Maltose Corn Syrup, Soy Protein/Oils
Balance Bar Balance Bare: Soy Protein/Oils
Balance Bar Carb Well: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, High Maltose Corn Syrup
BioNutritional Choklat: Sucralose
BioNutritional Power Crunch: Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
Chef Jay’s Tri-O-Plex: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
CLIF Builder’s: Soy Protein/Oils,
Clif Clif: Soy Protein/Oils,
Clif Luna: Soy Protein/Oils,
CytoSport Muscle Milk: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Sucralose, Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated oils
CytoSport Muscle Milk Light: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, High Maltose Corn Syrup, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
Designer Supplements Sustain: Soy Protein/Oils,
Detour Biker: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils,
Detour Core Strength: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils,
Detour Detour: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Aspartame or Neotame,
Detour Detour Buzz: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Aspartame or Neotame
Detour Lean Muscle: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Aspartame or Neotame
Detour Runner: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both,
EAS AdvantEdge Carb Control: Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
EAS Myoplex Carb Control: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
EAS Myoplex Deluxe: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, High Maltose Corn Syrup, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
EAS Myoplex Lite: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
GeniSoy Protein: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils,
Herbalife Protein Bars: Hydrogenation, Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose
Honey Stinger Stinger Energy: Soy Protein/Oils,
ISS Research Oh Yeah!: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
ISS Research Oh Yeah! Natural: Soy Protein/Oils,
ISS Research Oh Yeah! Protein: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
ISS Research Pro42: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors, Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated oils
Labrada Lean Body Double Dipped: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
Labrada Rockin’ Roll: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
MetRx Big100: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils,
Met-Rx Protein Plus: Sucralose
MHP Macrobolic Performance: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
MHP Up Your Mass: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose
MLO BioProtein: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils,
MLO Xtreme: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils,
Muscle Sandwich: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Artificial colors or flavors, Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated oils
MuscleTech Nitro-Tech: Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
Next Designer Whey U-Turn: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors, Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated oils
Next Proteins Detour: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors, Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated oils
Optimum Lift Bar: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils, Artificial colors or flavors
Optimum Protein Diet: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
Permalean: Soy Protein/Oils
Physique Products Power Meal Cookies: Soy Protein/Oils
PowerBar Harvest: Soy Protein/Oils
PowerBar PowerBars: Soy Protein/Oils
PowerBar Pria: Soy Protein/Oils
PowerBar Protein Plus: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils
PowerBar Triple Threat Crisp: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils
PowerBar Triple Threat Layered: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils
Premier Nutrition Odyssey: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
Premier Nutrition Premier Protein: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors, Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated oils
Premier Nutrition Titan: Soy Protein/Oils, Artificial colors or flavors
Premier Nutrition Twisted: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils, Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated oils
Promax Promax: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils, Artificial colors or flavors, Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated oils
Promax Promax 70: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils
Promax Storm: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils
Promax Triple Threat Layer Promax: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Artificial colors or flavors
PureFit: Soy Protein/Oils
SciFit Truth: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors, Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated oils
South Beach Diet Cereal Bars: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose,
South Beach Diet Meal Replacement: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose, Artificial colors or flavors
Supreme Protein Carb Conscious: Soy Protein/Oils
Think Thin: Soy Protein/Oils
Universal Animal Snak: Soy Protein/Oils
Universal Doctor’s CarbRite Diet: Soy Protein/Oils
VPX Zero Impact: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both,
Worldwide Protein Revolution: Soy Protein/Oils, Sucralose
Worldwide Pure Protein: Sucralose
Worldwide Pure Protein Karma: Soy Protein/Oils
Worldwide Sports Nutrition: Artificial colors or flavors
ZonePerfect: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils
ZonePerfect Fruitified: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils
ZonePerfect All-Natural: HFCS, Corn Syrup or both, Soy Protein/Oils
I have done my best to include as many brands with their individual types of bars as possible but this list is in no way an exhaustive list for the healthy or unhealthy bars. I’m sure there are many I have missed but I hope that this list will help guide you to more healthful Energy/Protein bar choices.
- For Educational Purposes Only
- Not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition
-These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA
- These statements are my opinions and conclusion from the knowledge I have thus far
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