Protein Bars: What Is There To Know?

they are food supplements useful to cover the protein needs of the athlete if it is impossible to do it with food.

Shutterstock

Protein bars contain energetic macronutrients (with at least 20g of protein), mineral salts and B vitamins; most of the time they are not "pure protein" food supplements and the quantity of carbohydrates + lipids assimilates them more to ungainer than the classic whey, casein or egg powders.

; in particular, protein bars can be consumed effectively to counter muscle catabolism, to "start" the restoration of energy reserves at the end of the training session and to distribute the peptide share throughout the day.
The protein requirement of the adult increases considerably with sport. From 0.75g / kg of body weight physiological useful for the sedentary, the athlete usually reaches needs> 1.5g / kg; in this case, to reach these levels WITHOUT excessively increasing the portion of saturated fat and cholesterol (present in many foods rich in high biological value proteins), integrating becomes a necessity. On the other hand, it is not always possible to transport jars, measuring cups and flasks for mixing powders and it is easier to consume protein bars; these, compared to other powder supplements, have greater flexibility and practicality as they are: pocket-sized, storable and single-portion.

For further information: Energy Bars: What is there to Know? ; the different proteins are ALL rich in branched chain amino acids (substrate of oxidation in muscular effort) and other essential amino acids, while showing different digestibility and absorption characteristics.
The most used peptides in the composition of protein bars are: whey proteins (rapidly absorbed) and casein proteins (slow absorbed), the combination of which guarantees a rapid but lasting perfusion of amino acids into the blood.
NB. Although protein bars provide at least 20g of protein per serving, the most quantitatively present nutrients are carbohydrates!

For further information: Diet Bars: Characteristics pure but mixed and as such they must be taken; they have a medium-high caloricity (for the carbohydrate and lipid fraction) which significantly affects the mode of intake compared to pure powders; the differences are:

Protein bars are more useful than "pure powders" in post-workout supplementation targeted to muscle recovery and to the optimization of the anabolic stimulus, but unlike the gainer in powder form, they are more comfortable to use
Protein bars, being very caloric, are less suitable than "pure powders" in distributing the daily protein quota ... especially in overweight subjects or in bodybuilders in the phase of muscle definition.

.
Furthermore, to favor the protein percentage without exceeding calories, it is necessary to reduce the weights of carbohydrates and / or fats (the latter more difficult to affect); well, for those who perform aerobic activity, negatively intervening on the carbohydrate portion :

Worsening of performance due to lack of energy reserves
With intense and close workouts, a muscular CATABOLISM for protracted neoglucogenesis

Another controversial aspect concerns the quality of some ingredients included in the formulation of many commercial protein bars; examining the list of ingredients it is not uncommon to note the presence of vegetable fats (which although not hydrogenated are generally of poor quality, mostly derived from tropical oils) and simple sugars such as glucose syrup or fructose syrup. These ingredients are necessary to give taste and flavor to the product, making it in fact similar to a traditional snack, both in terms of flavor and composition.

NB. Protein bars are NOT meal replacements and can ONLY be used as food supplements; in some cases, the abuse of protein bars can induce: diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramps, increase in FAT mass and metabolic alterations.

, preparing a nutritionally balanced and tasty protein bar, without exceeding with simple fats and sugars, and - why not - saving some money. Alice, the personalcooker of MypersonaltrainerTv, explains in detail how to prepare these fabulous homemade protein bars.