So, you’ve heard me (along with many other experts) preach and say that you need to eat at least 6 meals a day. Then we have a few panzies who disagree for the sake of starting an argument and say “its all BS… You don’t need to eat that many meals a day… Just eat 4000 calories in one meal and then coast”. See the comments in my 10 tips to lose 10lbs article for some foolish hilarity.

Anyways back to my point, you DO need to eat frequently because it works – and it doesn’t matter if you’re trying to gain weight or lose weight. What you eat in each of those meals along with the type of training that you do is what will have a direct impact on your success. But since we’re all busy as HELL these days, we barely have enough time to cook & prepare our 5-6 daily meals (I should know, I’m constantly over worked… I’m always telling this person to do that, that person to do this and pointing fingers and shit – gets exhausting). So what to do? Enter super-convenient protein and energy bars.

They’re jam packed with nutrients, minerals and vitamins and come in a million different flavors and in a million different types. Some are meant for recovery and are full of protein, some are meant for pre-workout and are carb heavy, some are meant to help you lose weight, and on and on. I think today, “bars” can adhere to almost ANY need that you may have when it comes to nutrition… BUT, are they really as “healthy” and “nutritious” as they claim to be?

Well let’s find out. Before deciding on what brand to buy or what ingredient content to look for, you need to pick your GOAL because we have so many freakin’ choices, there is no ONE energy or protein bar that will do everything for you. It’s all been specialized… Gone are the days when you could use the same ol’ PowerBar® for pre and post workout. As far as I’m concerned, here are the categories that you need to consider:

• Pre workout (Bars that have just enough carbs to fuel your workouts)
• Pre workout energy (I’ve seen bars that now contain ingredients similar to those found in energy drinks… So maybe you need a pick-me-up?)
• Post workout (No time to mix up a protein shake? Running late? A high-protein post-workout bar may be for you)
• Meal Replacement (Working long hours and need to replace a meal with a nice light snack? You might want to look into these)

Now, don’t go all hay-wire and be like: “I need to fulfill ALL those categories”. That’s bullshit – you’re telling me that every meal in your day is going to be a convenience food packed inside a wrapper? Something’s wrong with you. If 3 jobs are getting in the way of you bettering your health… Then quit one of your fucking jobs! You’ll survive, I promise. So my suggestion is to pick ONE of those categories and set out on a quest to find your perfect bar.

What makes a good bar? Well here are a few of FJ’s rules of thumb to follow when picking out a protein or energy bar:

• Watch the saturated fat content. I saw an Atkin’s Advantage Chocolate bar which had 8g of saturated fat. That’s the same amount you get in a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Cheeseburger. Haha… So much for the “advantage”.

• SUGAR! Some protein bars have so much sugar to mask their disgusting taste that you might as well eat an OhHenry (I’m dead serious). Find ones that have around 4-5g or less per bar. If you come across ones that are sweetened with Splenda… It’s not a bad choice. Even though I’m not a huge fan of sugar substitutes (except Stevia), Splenda (sucralose) has shown to be quite safe. I’m still keeping my eyes open on that stuff though.

• Carbs. Ok so you want a bar to fuel your workout, that doesn’t mean you need to do a carb-overload! A bar that as a moderate amount of carbs (20-25g) will be MUCH better for you than ones that have very HIGH amount of carbs. Only serious athletes such as bodybuilders or long distance runners need the high-carb bars as far as I’m concerned.

• Fiber – Something you should look for if you’re into meal replacement. A bar with 5-7g of fiber will ensure that you’ve had your 1/3 of the recommended fiber serving for that day. Not too shabby. Also remember that fiber helps keep you feeling “fuller” for longer AND a high fiber diet has shown to help your body absorb FEWER calories at the end of the day.

• Overall calories. With the exception of post-workout bars you should look for ones that have no more than 350 calories per bar. 200 if you’re looking for a nice mid-day snack.

• It doesn’t matter what bar you eat… Remember to drink at least a FULL GLASS of water along with them. 99% of the bars are extremely nutrient dense and you need to make it easier for your body to digest and absorb everything. Otherwise… You’ll shit it out and you’ve just wasted your money.

So what about taste? Well I won’t lie… finding one that taste’s good while meeting all the “healthy” criteria is a bitch, so you’re just going to have to take a few chances. A lot of the times high fibre bars have boat loads of sugar to mask their taste. Or sometimes low sugar bars will end up having artery-clogging levels of saturated fat. I doubt you’ll ever find a perfect bar, but there are ones out there that are GOOD ENOUGH.

These will get you by… But remember that NOTHING replaces whole foods. These are for convenience purposes only, so don’t become some energy bar addict. In the end, an energy or protein bar is USUALLY better for you than junk food, and because you have so many options I’d say it can be a healthy choice as long as you know what to look for. Eat up!

To Being Fit & Sexy 4 Life!

- Fit Jerk

P.S – Oh and a side note – to lessen your chances of wasting tonnes of cash going through every bar possible, check back here often as I will be putting quite a few protein bars to the test in the near future. This will be a Bronze/Gold member exclusive so make sure you’re a member! It’s FREE; just sign up by pressing the “register” button in the login box to your left.

QQ (Quick Question) – Do you eat protein/energy bars? If so what brand and what kind… post below!