Ok guys,

I'm in a cutting phase right now, lifting three times a week and biking three times a week. I need a mid-morning snack and I thought a protein bar would be a good idea here, as I've read other places that it's a good idea.

What are your personal preferences when it comes to protein bars? I would like something with a lot of protein and low sugar levels.

If possible, I'd like a link too.

Personally I'd opt for whole/real foods. Or a whey shake (with other foods in it depending on your macro needs: balanced, fat/protein, protein/carbs etc).

While convenient, most of the bars contain less than optimal macros (for me anyway), suspect actual macro percentages, and sometimes crap like trans fats, etc.

Stick to whey isolate matey if possible. At least you know for sure what you are getting.

there are also issues with additives like polyols (used in low carb bars) which can have a laxative effect. There is also some research that suggest they may have similar effects to eating sugared foods (blood sugar spikes)

Or maybe try making your own, there are a TON of recipes on this site (just search around) for some pretty good protein bars.

Makes it very handy to have a midday snack if you make some of the baked bars.

While I do think protein shakes or making your own protein bars is superior to store-bought, I used Clif "Builder" Bars (http://www.clifbar.com/eat/eat.cfm?location=builders) as one meal out of six for three months with good overall results. Like the taste, too.

M@

Here's a link to a number of bars another JSF'r found that seems to be clean. I have not tried it yet. But it seems to avoid fillers.

http://www.parrillo.com/

I highly recommend making your own if you absolutely need something in bar form as opposed to a shake or whole food meal. There are several recipes posted on this site, as well as a massive thread of them over at bodybuilding.com.

As for store-bought ones, most are chock-full of crap. I'd recommend going with something all-natural, which tends to limit many of the unhealthy ingredients, but certainly doesn't guarantee healthy macros. The best store-bought bars I've found are Clif Builder Bars (fairly good-tasting, 20g of protein) and my current favorite: Sierra Bars. I've never seen Sierra Bars anywhere else but Whole Foods Market, but I believe they're made by Biochem so any place that carries that brand could in theory have them. They have 20g of protein all from whey, egg, casein, and wheat (no soy protein!). They taste great and have flavor and texture that strongly resembles cookie dough. The chocolate chip one is quite good. They're also only about 250 calories or so each, which is better than a lot of bars out there. As a downshide they're somewhat expensive (about $2 each).

hey, what does everyone think of the PowerBar ProteinPlus Bars? I have been having one a day(IMMEDIATELY after working out) for the past like 8 months. They have 23g protein(casein, whey, and soy), and like 38g carbs(18g from sugar). Oh yeah, and it has some sat. fat in it too :blank: I guess I have been getting good gains, but I havent worked out without them. I am just wondering if they could have any bad effects(long-term) on my body. Heres a link:
http://www.powerbar.com/Products/ProteinPlus/Flavors.aspx?id=CCF33BCB-9E17-4B4B-8AFC-2A2F0C898ED6
P.S.- they dont taste too bad either, and I get them in 12 packs from Sam's Club, so they are pretty inexpensive.

hey, what does everyone think of the PowerBar ProteinPlus Bars? I have been having one a day(IMMEDIATELY after working out) for the past like 8 months. They have 23g protein(casein, whey, and soy), and like 38g carbs(18g from sugar). Oh yeah, and it has some sat. fat in it too :blank: I guess I have been getting good gains, but I havent worked out without them. I am just wondering if they could have any bad effects(long-term) on my body. Heres a link:
http://www.powerbar.com/Products/ProteinPlus/Flavors.aspx?id=CCF33BCB-9E17-4B4B-8AFC-2A2F0C898ED6
P.S.- they dont taste too bad either, and I get them in 12 packs from Sam's Club, so they are pretty inexpensive.
The first 6 months or more that I got back into lifting, I had a U-Turn or Detour protein bar after every workout. I know it wasn't ideal, but it worked very well...