How Protein Snacks Can Keep You on Track

Becoming sick and tired of leading an unhealthy lifestyle is usually the main reason why most people decide to try a certain fitness program. The first step towrads a healthier lifestyle? Determining that you really want to do this and get rid of all of the excuses. A good starting point is getting a gym membership, but this alone certainly won’t help you if do not pay attention to your nutrition and stick to a healthy regimen.

However, most of us don’t have much time to spend on meal prepping, therefore, hoping to lose some weight, most people would rather skip a meal or have a few unhealthy snacks than doing it the right way. Besides the 5 smaller quantity meals that one should consume during the course of a day, having a few protein snacks in between could really help your fitness goals as it will satisfy your cravings and keep yourself full for a longer period of time. Protein supplement shakes and protein bars to the rescue!

The truth is, whenerver protein bars are the topic of a conversation, different people have different attitideses towards them. Some don’t think highly of them because protein bars contain sugar, however, not all of them were created equal. As with everything else, some are certainly far better than others. The way to find out which ones you should opt for? Read their lables! Quality protein bars are a great substitute as they contain a protein supplement and do not have high levels of sugar. Here’s what to pay attention to.

Calories

The first thing that anyone who takes care of their weight would think about, is certainly their calorie count. If you’re on a fat loss diet, downing a 300-400 calorie protein snack certainly won’t help your fat loss. So if you limit your diet to consuming 1200 calories a day, eating a snack that fills a third of your total intake won’t be the best idea. On the flip side, if your goal is to build lean muscle mass and you’re struggling to get enough calories and protein in, a 400-gram protein bar might seem heaven sent. Make sure to always look at the calorie number of the protein bar because they highly vary. Some are low in calories – as low as 70 calories, while others go up to 500.

Carbohydrates

Secondly, take a sneak peek at the carb content of the bar. This number can be extremely variable as well, especially with all the lower carb products out on the market. If you’re looking to lose fat, don’t go over 30 gramms of carbs per protein bar. Even that number can be too high depending on your overall diet plan.

Sugar Alcohols

When choosing the right protein bar that’s low in carb count, the next thing to be on the lookout for is the presence of sugar alcohols. A lot of people have no issue tolerating these, but for some, they may be problematic. Some of the things sugar alcohols can trigger are cramps, bad gas, bloating and diarrhea. You can always try them out in small quantities to test how your metabolism reacts to them. If there’s no negative feedback from your body, they can be a great way to lose fat.