Can I munch, carelessly on a protein bar. While being on a keto diet?
Will it hinder ketosis?
Let’s answer all your queries…
Introduction to protein bars:
Protein bars come in varied sizes, brands and flavours, and of course the nutritional content varies between manufacturers.
A great alternative is to keep a supply of high protein bars on hand that you can use as a meal replacement or as a snack between meals. High protein bars are also a great idea for those that are on the go or travelling constantly and may be tempted to grab a quick bite a fast food outlet. Having high protein bars on hand in your car, briefcase or purse will allow you to satisfy your hunger without eating high fat and carbohydrates that are associated with fast foods.
Taking under consideration the daily rhythm of an average person, it is almost impossible to cook five meals every day or even carry those meals to work. That is exactly why protein bars are really useful. You can put it in your bag or store it in your office and it gives your body about 30 grams of pure protein. That is what you ultimately expect from a meal, the intake of a 30 gram protein dosage.
The best protein bars offer a great tasting bar which is low in saturated fat and sugar, and is high in protein from a whey source.
But the fact, remains, which one would be good for a keto diet?
Editor’s note: – If you are interested in ketosis, and following ketogenic diet plans, we recommend two very useful resources – Perfect Keto, a natural supplement to get you into the state of Ketosis as quickly and effectively as possible.
How to choose a good. Low carb protein bar?
1 – Quantity of Protein
Simply put, the best protein bars have at least 20 grams of protein. As their name suggests, a protein bar should actually have a lot of protein in it. Calling a glorified cookie a protein bar because it has a little bit of soy protein is not reasonable.
Research shows that 20 grams of protein is the optimum amount for muscle synthesis. Any less and your muscles do not grow as well. Any less is not useful as your muscles are not able to use it effectively.
2 – Choose Whey Protein
The history behind the development of protein supplements shows us that whey protein is by far the best choice and it now comes in three forms.
They use basic whey protein and casein (both found in milk) in the best protein bars. Lower quality bars will use the plant based soy protein as a filler to boost protein levels but it is not as good. They use it because it is a cheaper source. The more quality protein you find, the more seriously the manufacturer takes their product.
3 – More Grams of Protein Than Carbohydrates
Protein bars are classed as a food so they do have to have more than just protein. To be the best protein bar it needs to have more protein than any other ingredient.
The second most common ingredient is carbohydrates which are needed to replace glycogen in your body as an energy source. Most poor bars contain larger amounts of sugar and artificial sweeteners which are bad carbs and make them more like candy bars.
A really good added ingredient in the best protein bars is fiber especially if it is a prebiotic super-fiber (inulin).
4 – Fat is Not All Bad
Fats have the highest calories per gram of any substance you can eat. As a meal replacement, you will need to look for a protein bar with more than 10 grams. Most bars have the same amount and type in them so there is not much variance here. The manufacturers simply have not started to maximize fat content yet..
Quest bars!An all time favourite! Are they OK for keto?
They might be on your mind for their taste and texture. But Quest bars do not win the quest for qualifying as a perfect keto bar!
The regular ones are high on protein, but to many calories, so they are a no for keto dieters.
The gluten free, low carb quest bars have still not been made with keto dieter in mind. So better stay away from them.
The ingredients :
Protein Blend (Milk Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Isolate), Soluble Corn Fiber (Prebiotic Fiber), Almonds, Water, Unsweetened Chocolate, Natural Flavors, Erythritol, Cocoa Butter, Palm Oil, Sea Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Sucralose, Steviol Glycosides (Stevia).
What we find is that, that they claim to provide 4,7 grams of carbs per serving, but this is not true. The amount of carbs will stretch upto 7-11 grams per serving, since they have included corn fiber which will provide the additional amount. Moreover, sucralose is not recommended to be fit for consumption while on a keto diet.
We suggest you to look for better options.
Protein bar.. on a keto diet ?
You can of course use a protein bar, as a snack, but with lots of vigilance on a keto diet!
Just any protein bar won’t do for you. What you need to look at, is that it must not kick you out of ketosis!
The amount of carbs you get from it should be very limited.
There are many keto friendly bars available in the market. Go for them.
But still, we are not recommending even one of them. For the reason that you take any reliable keto friendly bar, and just experiment it once, by testing your ketone levels, for being assured that it does not hinder in your ketosis process. effects on all individuals may vary, choose wisely, one for yourself!
It should should be high on protein, and moderate on fat, while very low on carbs.
What we can suggest you, is to use home made protein bars, when you’re on a keto diet. This will help you be aware of the ingredients you use, no artificial sweeteners or anything that hinders ketosis would be included in it. You can be at peace and munch your bar when you’re on the go.
So your healthiest protein bar, would be a home made one!
PRECAUTION: Do not make yourself too much dependent on protein bars, and keep munching them off and on. Take care of the required protein content per day, for you body, which you should have calculated using a ‘keto macros calculator’ since too much of protein can make that protein be utilised for gluconeogenesis to convert it into glucose!
EDITORS NOTE:
For delicious recipes of keto protein bars and many more, on the go snacks, we recommend you to use ‘The Essential Keto Cook Book’ as a great assistance to your keto journey!
REFERENCES:
https://ezinearticles.com/?Best-Protein-Bar-Ingredients&id=8895638
https://ezinearticles.com/?Which-Are-the-Best-Protein-Bars?&id=7200836
https://ezinearticles.com/?Best-Protein-Bars&id=6258832
https://ezinearticles.com/?Dieting-And-High-Protein-Bars&id=6888093
http://www.savagefuel.com/blog/quest-bars-ketogenic-friendly/
https://www.bodybuilding.com/store/quest/quest-bars.html
https://www.ketogenicsupplementreviews.com/snacks/protein-bars/