In this day and age everyone wants a quick fix with everything. This quick fix approach, not only applies to our health, but it also applies to our foods. Nobody wants to spend time on anything anymore and to be honest, many just do not have the time to prepare wholesome foods. Well ….. So they think.
Protein Bars and Shakes have now become a staple in many people’s lives, opting for supposed healthy foods and nutrients in a packet, over delicious prepared fresh foods.
What is worrying, is how these Protein Bars and Shakes are being marketed and what people now believe they are eating when consuming these highly refined supplements.
While Protein Bars and Protein Shakes can be a source of getting extra fuel into the body prior to, or after a workout, or exercise…….eating or drinking them, while being sedentary, many be akin to eating the affects of eating junk foods.
People may look at this as being a bit of an alarmist statement, but if you take the time to see how many additives, fillers, gums and sugars are in the bars and shakes you are eating on a daily basis, it might just change the way you view those supposed health bars and shakes you are consuming. People are being sold a lie and we need to really look at how clever marketing could be affecting ones health.
There are so many Bars and Shakes on the market these days and because of clever marketing and labelling, many of the Bars and Shakes can promote themselves as being a Protein substitute. Many of them actually have very little protein in them at all and are jammed packed with calories and sugar content to equal some of the products in the confectionary aisles.
There are also the latest trends of shakes and bars being marketed through Multi-level marketing (MLM), promising miracle cures, miracle body transformations etc, while being nothing more than a cash cow for a big corporation. Worse still these products are full of fillers, additives, gums, preservatives, sugars and goodness knows what else, all sold as a miracle cure for weight loss and a healthy meal replacement. They also use a cult like, brain washing, marketing spiel behind it to make the old Amway hard sell look like pre-school play.
Before I go into the 11 BS facts about these Protein Bars and Snacks, I do have to make one thing clear. Nothing can replace the amazing benefits of freshly prepared, wholesome, nutritious, clean foods. Nothing!
Can Protein bars and Protein shakes be of benefits to people?
The answer is sort of, but they should never ever be used as a meal replacement and should only be used as a tool to get extra nutrients and proteins into the body, much the same as we use vitamins to assist nutrient deficient diets and foods. They are called a supplement for a reason. They are there to supplement a need for extra nutrients, glucose, proteins etc. They should never ever be used as a meal replacement.
Nothing can replace real foods, or real drinks. You also need to do some thorough research to find ones that have little additives, small amounts of sugars and have good quality proteins and ingredients in them. They are out there, but you really need to search for them. To be honest, I not a big fan and I will always promote healthy fresh foods. I personally believe that using protein shakes for meals is a lazy way of believing you are doing something healthy for the body.
If you are going to use Protein bars and Protein shakes, they should really be only used on days when we are exercising, or just before a workout, or just after, to help get in extra energy and help muscle repair. Too many people these days are relying on them as a food substitute and a meal substitute and wondering why they are putting on weight and rebounding when they come off these so called weight loss -shake plans. These shakes are not food and they are not a health product. They are drink that contains proteins and additives and many of these additives are not always good for us.
The worst part about these Protein Bar and Shakes, is that it doesn’t teach healthy eating. These products just teach us to be lazy (most of the time) and we then forget the value of freshly made foods. Many shakes and smoothies you could make from scratch are far healthier and contain more live nutrients and proteins than any Protein Powder or Protein bar could ever provide. Not to mention the beneficial enzymes and vitamins that fresh foods provide. But, even then you do need to limit home made smoothies as they can be high in fructose and giving you a big sugar hit.
There is always time to make healthy clean eating foods and it just takes preparation and commitment to do so. Having the pantry and refrigerator stocked with healthy foods, rather than unhealthy options, is a good start. Seeing a nutritionist or health care practitioner is a good idea as well to help you have a plan and teach you healthy eating habits. Many people actually just don’t know what healthy foods are. This is why it is important to sit down with a healthcare professional and learn what healthy eating and healthy food options are.
So let’s look at 11 BS facts about Protein Shakes and Protein Bars
- Protein Bars and Protein Shakes are not a meal substitute and should never be used as such.
- Many of the shakes and bars on the market (not all), are filled with artificial flavours, sugars, gums, trans fats, additives, preservatives, fillers, phyto-estrogens and all many other nasty things
- Just because it is labelled as a protein bar, or shake, does not guarantee it is healthy. Many have little amounts of protein and are full of sugars that are the equivalent to candy bars.
- Most of the Multi-level marketed shakes and bars are full of harmful ingredients and worse still they are being prescribed by non-qualified lay people who are not trained in any form of health care, or health management. Many are not even listed with regulatory bodies such as the TGA, or FDA.
- They aren’t good for controlling carvings and controlling hunger. Because so many are filled with hidden artificial sugars and additives, most of them will have you craving more sugar than you normally would without them.
- Just because it has a celebrity, or health industry PT marketing them, doesn’t mean they are a healthy food choice.
- Protein Bars and Shakes should never replace good clean health foods. Never!
- Protein Bars and Shakes do not teach healthy eating habits. They teach us to be lazy.
- Just because they are made from supposed raw ingredients, doesn’t mean they are necessarily healthy for you. Raw ingredients that are highly refined, are still refined processed foods.
- Making homemade doesn’t necessarily make them healthy either. Might not have all the fillers or additives, but it could still be high in sugars and calories. Dried fruits, coconut sugar, agave, honey etc is still sugar. Sugar is sugar no matter what form it comes in.
- Protein Bars and Shakes are not always a weight loss, health management product. Nothing should replace a healthy diet and real foods.
I hope that helps explain a little more about this supplements and how they are not a healthy food choice. Nothing can ever replace healthy fresh foods.
If you do need help with meal plans and knowing what healthy food choices are, please see a nutritionist, or book in an consultation with me through my clinic staff.
Regards
Dr Andrew Orr
-Women’s and Men’s Health Advocate
-No Stone Left Unturned
-PACE Diet
