Half Your Protein Bar Is a Candy Bar in a Better Outfit
High protein, sure. Also high sugar, sugar alcohols, and a fake-chocolate coating.
"Protein" on the front of a wrapper has become one of the most trusted words in the grocery store. It shouldn't be a free pass.
1. Check the sugar before the protein
Plenty of popular bars pack 20+ grams of sugar — the same as a candy bar — then shout about 10 grams of protein to distract you. Protein doesn't cancel sugar. Read both numbers.
2. "No sugar" often means sugar alcohols
When a bar brags about low sugar, the sweetness usually came from sugar alcohols like maltitol or erythritol. Not evil — but maltitol in particular is famous for, let's say, digestive drama in larger doses.
3. The chocolate coating isn't chocolate
That glossy shell is often a "chocolatey coating" — palm oil, sugar, and cocoa powder standing in for real chocolate, because it's cheaper and more shelf-stable.
The move
A good bar reads like food: nuts, seeds, dates, a short list. If it reads like a lab supply order with a candy shell, it's a candy bar that went to the gym once.
Ask kiiwii
- Which protein bars are actually healthy?
- Are sugar alcohols safe?
- What should a good bar contain?
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