Protein bars are an effective way to supplement protein to help you get ripped, and definitely one of the most convenient. The best time to eat them, as with other protein supplements, is within about an hour following your workout so that you get the much needed protein into your muscles when they’re using it most efficiently.
While not as quickly digested as a protein shakes for muscle building, a protein bar is still an effective way to take advantage of that anabolic window–especially given their convenience. When choosing protein bars as a supplement, it’s important to keep in mind a number of things.
First, many companies have tried to corner the market by dumping loads of sugar into their protein bars. They assume consumers don’t know what to look for and will just buy it because it’s called a protein bar and it tastes good.
As a result, you really need to make sure you’re getting a quality protein supplement, rather than a tasty chocolate bar with a little extra protein. Try to find protein bars containing as little of fructose and sucrose as is possible. These two sugars are linked to health issues and are no good for serious bodybuilders.
Instead, look for dextrose or maltodextrin because they have higher glycemic indices and are much healthier. You might think that you should avoid carbohydrates altogether in your protein bar, but carbohydrates are important for recovery.
After working out your body has depleted its stores of glycogen and can become catabolic, burning muscle for energy since there aren’t carbohydrates left. Also, they help your body metabolize the protein better while also causing an insulin spike. Insulin is one of the most highly anabolic hormones your body can produce, so this is very important.
Don’t skip out on the carbohydrates altogether, choose healthier ones. It’s also going to be really important what kind of protein you get in your bar. You definitely want a high amount of protein overall (20+ grams).
But depending on when you’re taking it you should be looking for a specific kind of protein. Most bars have whey protein, which is good for post-workout; the fastest digesting kind of whey protein is hydrolysed.
While hydrolysed whey protein is ideal, it’s hard to find in protein bars so just make sure you’re getting whey for your post workout supplement. If you’re eating it before bed or as a meal replacement, you might opt for a casein protein instead because they’re absorbed over a long period of time.
Some bars actually feature multiple kinds of protein all in the same bar to make it all-purpose. If you plan to use them throughout the day, one of these all-purpose bars may be best. Finally, taste does matter. Ultimately the nutrition is more important but you’re not going to keep eating something that tastes bad.
Experiment with different bars with high quality nutrition until you find something you enjoy. If you have to sacrifice a little bit of nutrition in order to get them down, it may be worth it.
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