Protein bar
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| Main ingredients | Various protein foods, sugar |
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 Cookbook: Protein bars  Media: Protein bars |
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Protein bars are food bars that contain a high proportion of protein.
Dietary purpose[edit]
Protein bars are targeted to people who primarily want a source of protein that doesn't need preparation (unless homemade). There are different kinds of food bars to fill different purposes. Energy bars provide the majority of their food energy (calories) in carbohydrate form. Meal replacement bars are intended to replace the variety of nutrients in a meal. Protein bars are usually lower in carbs than energy bars, lower in vitamins and dietary minerals than meal replacement bars, and significantly higher in protein than either.
Protein bars are mainly used by athletes or exercise enthusiasts for muscle building.
Protein bar niche[edit]
In addition to other nutrients, the human body needs protein to build muscles. In the fitness and medical fields it is generally accepted that protein after exercise helps build the muscles used. Whey is one of the most often used proteins for protein bars for sports reasons. Other protein sources include egg albumen protein and casein. Vegan protein bars contain only plant proteins from sources like peas, brown rice, hemp, and soybeans.
Issues[edit]
Protein bars may contain high levels of sugar. Sugar from natural sources such as fruit are thought to be healthier after workouts than other sugars, and many health experts argue that sugar from fruit improves athletic performance.
In order to keep calories and carbohydrate content relatively low, many protein bars contain sugar alcohol as sweetener. In larger quantities, like many other incompletely digestible substances, sugar alcohols can cause bloating, diarrhea and flatulence.
In France special regulation is present for hyperprotéiné bars.
