Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast

Protein Bars Are WORSE than Candy Bars!!!

Aug 3, 2024

In this discussion, the truth about popular protein bars is uncovered, revealing they often contain more sugar than candy bars. The host highlights the high sugar content in products like CLIF Builder's and KIND bars, both masking themselves as healthy choices. Listeners learn about the low-quality protein sources and ultra-processed ingredients lurking within these snacks. The implications for energy levels and digestion from ingredients like sugar alcohols are also explored, leaving listeners questioning their snack selections.

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Unmasking Protein Bars: Are They Just Candy in Disguise?

00:00 • 11min

Today, I’m going to compare the ingredients of popular protein bars, but first, let’s compare a Snickers bar to a protein bar! A 50-gram Snickers bar contains 30 grams of carbs and is about 58% sugar.

CLIF Builder's protein bars are 68 grams and are about 41% sugar, with the same number of carbohydrates as Snickers. The extra carbs in the CLIF bar come from starches that quickly turn into sugar in the blood. CLIF Builder's bars contain 20 grams of protein but in the form of soy protein concentrate, a low-quality protein. Like most protein bars, they're also full of ultra-processed ingredients.

CLIF energy bars are 68 grams and 55.88% sugar. Despite their name, they will not give you sustainable energy, just a tiny spike followed by a crash.

KIND bars make several claims, such as “#1 ingredient=heart healthy peanuts," “low glycemic index,” “dairy-free,” and “non-GMO.” They contain glucose syrup, which is not a low-glycemic-index ingredient, along with sugar, honey, palm oil, soy protein isolate, and chicory root fiber.

Quest birthday cake bars contain 9 grams of sugar alcohol, which can lead to GI problems like gas, bloating, and diarrhea. They’re 41% sugar and also contain polydextrose, which hasn’t been studied much in humans.

Pure Protein bars claim to have only 2 grams of sugar, but they contain 17 grams of carbohydrates and only 1 gram of fiber. These bars contain 14 grams of starches, equivalent to 4 more teaspoons of sugar!

The ONE protein bar is a 60-gram product containing 20 grams of protein and only 1 gram of sugar, but it has 25 grams of carbs from starches and cellulose, which is essentially sawdust. It also contains maltitol, an ingredient you’ll want to avoid.

The MET-Rx meal replacement bar contains 48 grams of carbohydrates and ingredients such as rice starch, maltitol syrup, corn syrup, fructose, and soy protein isolate.

Next, let’s look at the ingredients of an A.M. RXBAR. They contain 10 grams of protein, oats, cashews, egg whites, and honey. However, the front label is misleading because these bars contain several other ingredients, 52% of which are sugar.