Thursday, August 1, 2013

By Vicki Hendrix


When people are looking to get in shape or drop weight, they typically concentrate on working out more frequently and eating healthier. Nonetheless, our busy way of living frequently makes it challenging to stay with healthy foods consistently, considering that meals can be time-consuming to prepare.

I know personally that right after a long bike ride or an exhausting dance class, the last thing I want to do is cook a meal. I am usually too worn out and just am looking for something fast and simple to consume.

That is where protein bars come in useful. They generally contain a variety of different nutrients, and they are small and easy to carry with you so we can easily eat them when we are on the road. They are specifically nice to have after an exercise routine when we are not at home to cook a healthy meal.

That said, there is a drawback to protein bars.

Some items contain just as many unhealthy components as healthy ones. We may not be eating anything beneficial, and in many cases, we may be no worse off consuming a bag of candy.

Isolated Soy Protein

One typical component found in many protein bars is soy protein isolate. Some items even have this detailed as the main ingredient. Soy itself is not always bad, however most of the soybeans developed in the United States have been genetically modified and can disrupt our bodily hormones.

In addition, soy protein concentrate is processed, which makes it a completely different food than the plain soybean itself. Generally, it's a much better strategy to eat unprocessed foods in their taw or natural form instead of the processed alternative. Usually, processed foods contain less vitamins and minerals anyhow.

Eating an occasional protein bar with this processed protein source might not have a substantial effect. Nevertheless, in my opinion, I would not prefer to eat one every day after exercising - especially if I have other easy options.

For that reason, with a large number of so-called "healthy" bars on supermarket shelves with soy protein, where does one go for another choice? It is tedious to read every product label, and numerous supermarkets do not sell a big selection.

Here's Something Good

Fortunately, that there are an increasing variety of soy-free bars available today, due in part to the paleo lifestyle concept. Some paleo-friendly bars may not include as much protein as traditional products, but oftentimes they contain more than enough.

To learn more on paleo protein bars that do not contain soy, click right here.




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