Have you ever visited the local store where your head spins by just looking at the wide range of protein bars? You stay confused for days just by thinking which one you should choose and which one to let go. These are some of the things that people who are fitness freaks think about, and they are crazy about it.
Some say that you should not eat a protein bar before a workout, another that protein bar doesn’t make any difference so it doesn’t matter if you are going to consume it or not. The last one what I heard is that you should always eat a protein bar after a workout as it makes a big difference in your body.
Today we are telling you about the essential ingredients of the protein bar and what work they do after going inside the body.
Calcium Caseinate
Protein bars often have this ingredient and it’s a common one. This ingredient has more protein, calcium, phosphorus and it’s also a derivative of milk. If you are consuming protein bar after a meal, then it will be hard for you to digest it due to the caseinate. It can do the work of muscles breakdown and also can provide you feeling of fullness.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
In the protein bars, instead of sucrose, high fructose corn syrup is being used and it’s quite cheap to produce. This ingredient is not that healthy because if you are consuming protein bars containing this ingredient, you are the next victim of obesity. Fructose usually gets converted into fat once it’s inside the body and very rarely into the glucose.
It can also make your body ask for more food afterward and this is not healthy when you are in a diet. It can cause a rise in leptin and insulin in your body.
Alditols
The ingredient of alditols has the quality to make the product sweet without any addition of calories. This is an ideal product to add to the protein bars and it is not likely to get absorbed in your digestive system. Due to the non-absorbent quality of the ingredient, this product is most likely to cause you diarrhea, gas problems, bloating and digestive tract problems.
Always choose the protein bars that have a lower level of this substance at least lower than 20 gm. Too much sweetness is not healthy for you and it can make you gain weight.
Hydrolyzed Protein
This ingredient is healthy and easy to get digested into the body. Hydrolyzed protein means a form of protein which is already broken down, so your digestive system doesn’t have to work hard to swallow it down. This ingredient can easily be absorbed into the body as well so you don’t have to work too hard to digest it
Soy Lecithin
This ingredient is derived from the soy and it is used to increase the shelf life of the product. It can prevent the sticking of the product and also helps in mixing. As per the FDA report, it is consumable and safe for health, but after consuming it, there are certain drawbacks. This product is quite controversial so eat the bar in limited quantity and before a workout.
Maltodextrin
This ingredient is a form of carbohydrate and gets obtained from rice and starch. The best thing about it is that it can be absorbed into the body rapidly. If you are not going to consume this product before the workout then it will be stored as fat in the body.
Pros of Consuming Protein Bar
Blood Pressure
Protein bars are quite rich in fiber, and they can help in reducing the blood pressure along with hypertension.
Heart Risk
Milk protein which is available in the protein bar is extremely helpful in preventing metabolic diseases like stroke, obesity, and diabetes.
Recovery Improvement
After a hard workout, protein bars can improve recovery. A protein bar is more effective in recovery as compared to the carbohydrate after an intense workout in the gym.
Strength and Power
According to studies, more consumption of the protein can increase power and strength into the body. Although after testing, it has been seen that difference is not that much.
Cons of Consuming Protein Bar
Mortality Risk
This can be shocking for the people who eat protein bars daily to build the muscles. High protein diets can’t be debunked entirely and that’s why people who are under 65 are more exposed to the risk of mortality.
The only way to avoid this problem is to fluctuate the amount of protein bar you are consuming. If you take a high dose, in the beginning, try to cut it down now. Never keep it the same for a long time.
Obesity
If you are consuming too much protein bars daily and it has too many sweeteners, and you are already addicted to it then it can make you suffer from obesity. To maintain the body and to keep in shape, you have to cut down the extreme consumption of protein bar. Try to avoid bars that have too many sweeteners in them as they are only going to harm you.
Conclusion
People who are fitness freaks and like to consume things that are high in protein must do some research on the ingredients as well. Not all ingredients used in the making of a protein bar are healthy and that’s why to choose the one which is suitable for your body can help you stay healthy. It’s always beneficial to consume protein bars before a workout.