{"id":275471,"date":"2026-02-01T14:31:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T14:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/275471\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T14:31:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T14:31:07","slug":"are-protein-bars-good-for-you-we-asked-nutritionists-life-and-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/275471\/","title":{"rendered":"Are protein bars good for you? We asked nutritionists | Life and style"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are in a golden age of protein<\/a>. Last year, Americans spent $50bn on protein snacks, and that figure is expected to double<\/a> by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights. Influencers peddle powders, shakes and supplements, urging their followers to consume amounts of protein appropriate for bodybuilders.<\/p>\n

The Guardian\u2019s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link.\u00a0Learn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Recently, the Guardian conducted a taste test of the top 12 protein bar brands<\/a> in the US. (Only four bars passed our standards for \u201cyes, tasty\u201d.) But we also wanted to know just how healthy protein bars are, especially when many of those bars are loaded with sugar and additives<\/a>. Should we even be eating them?<\/p>\n

New US guidelines also encourage Americans to double their protein intake<\/a>, something that many experts say is unnecessary for health and potentially catastrophic for the environment.<\/p>\n

To learn about how healthy protein bars really are, the Guardian spoke with Julia Zumpano, a nutritionist with the Cleveland Clinic, and Amy Stephens, a sports dietician with New York University Athletics. They shared what they look out for on ingredient lists and which bars they recommend \u2013 if any.<\/p>\n

Healthy protein bars at a glance$16.98 for a pack of 10 at Amazon<\/a>$44.99 for a pack of 12 at Amazon<\/a>$14.99 for a pack of 7 at IQBAR<\/a>$36.79 for a pack of 12 at Rawr Organics<\/a><\/p>\n

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n

Do you eat protein bars?<\/p>\n

Julia Zumpano: I try to minimize protein bars, but they\u2019re good for travel convenience. If I know I\u2019m not going to be able to get a meal or snack with a whole food, I would use it. So, I might have a protein bar a week or every other week.<\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t very many healthy protein bars that I feel confident in, but RX, Good, Mosh, IQ and Rawr are some of the ones that I get.<\/p>\n

RX Bar<\/p>\n

Photograph: Courtesy of Amazon$16.98 for a pack of 10 at Amazon<\/a>$16.98 for a pack of 10 at Walmart <\/a><\/p>\n

Read how our taste testers rated RX Bars here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Mosh Bar<\/p>\n

Photograph: Courtesy of Amazon$44.99 for a pack of 12 at Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Amy Stephens: I personally don\u2019t really eat them. I try to get all my nutrients from whole foods when possible. I love yogurts, chicken, fish, tofu, edamame and eggs. I don\u2019t really pay attention to grams of proteins. I just make sure there\u2019s protein at every meal.<\/p>\n

When buying a protein bar, what kinds of ingredients are you looking out for?<\/p>\n

AS: Look for recognizable ingredients, foods that exist on their own, like oats, nuts and seeds, rather than relying totally on, like, isolated proteins or powders. The nature of how isolate proteins are processed<\/a> can be very unhealthy for the body.<\/p>\n

JZ: I\u2019m avoiding artificial sweeteners and colors, dyes, and sugar alcohols. I\u2019m looking for things with ingredients that I can pronounce, where I know what they are.<\/p>\n

If you were going to eat a bar every day, then I would start to be more picky and choose those with the least amount of artificial ingredients. But say you\u2019re at a gas station, you don\u2019t want to get a bag of chips, and one of these bars has artificial ingredients. Is it still OK to have? Sure. It may be better than the alternative.<\/p>\n

Photograph: Tracy Allison\/The GuardianWhat are potential concerns with eating protein bars often?<\/p>\n

JZ: Sweeteners have been shown<\/a>, in some cases, to increase appetite and cravings for sweets and carbs. If you\u2019re consuming large amounts, it can disrupt the gut microbiome<\/a>. Some Cleveland Clinic studies<\/a> also show that sugar alcohols can increase risk of stroke and blood clotting. Other preliminary studies on rats<\/a> show artificial ingredients have some carcinogen effects, and others link these ingredients to behavioral effects<\/a> in kids.<\/p>\n

AS: A diet that emphasizes protein can create an imbalance. If I see a marathon runner who is eating chicken and vegetables for lunch, I\u2019m asking: \u201cHow are we running if we\u2019re not eating carbs?\u201d People are afraid of carbs. But the consequences of not eating enough carbs can be low energy, craving sugars, energy crashes, exercising and not seeing improvements in your fitness or in even your muscle strength.<\/p>\n

How much protein do we actually need?<\/p>\n

AS: We do need protein. It\u2019s an essential nutrient. If you\u2019re an endurance athlete, you probably need something like 1.4 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. If you\u2019re more of a strength athlete \u2013 lifters, wrestlers \u2013 you can go up to 2 or maybe even 2.2 grams per kilo of body weight, but really only in those specific populations can that be beneficial.<\/p>\n

One problem with the big protein craze right now is that foods with protein \u2013 beefs and red meats \u2013 tend to be higher in saturated fat. It\u2019s important to know your risk of heart disease and ask yourself if these foods fit into your diet in a healthy way. A lot of the science<\/a> shows a heart-healthy diet is one that is based on plants and is low in saturated fats.<\/p>\n

JZ: I think most Americans are probably meeting their protein needs. If anything, we need to educate people on getting what you need versus just blindly packing it all in through synthetic sources.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d rather have people focusing more on fiber versus protein, because data shows most Americans aren\u2019t meeting their fiber needs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018I try to minimize protein bars, but they\u2019re good for travel convenience.\u2019 Photograph: Westend61\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Danielle Renwick: Right! I\u2019ve read about the Floura fiber bar<\/a> \u2013<\/p>\n

JZ: Again, I would say: \u201cEat food.\u201d Fiber comes from everything that grows from the ground. We\u2019re in trouble because we\u2019re not eating foods that grow from the ground and instead are eating foods that are in synthetic, plastic packaging. You don\u2019t need fiber from a bar. You need it from an apple, oats, nuts, almond almond butter, avocado, leafy greens. You need to get protein. Get it from meat, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds and beans.<\/p>\n

When you eat a protein bar instead of chicken, steak or eggs, you\u2019re not getting iron, B vitamins, zinc or omega-3s. Bottom line: any of these bars or protein snacks are fine in moderation, but educate yourself on what the ingredients are.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We are in a golden age of protein. Last year, Americans spent $50bn on protein snacks, and that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275472,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[103,61,60,446],"class_list":{"0":"post-275471","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-nutrition"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}