By Amanda Loyola


When individuals are looking to get in shape or reduce weight, they generally focus on exercising more often and eating better. However, our active way of living often makes it challenging to adhere to healthy foods consistently, considering that meals can be time-consuming to make.

I know personally that right after a long bike ride or a tiring swim, the last thing I want to do is cook a meal. I am generally too tired and just am looking for something fast and simple to consume.

That is where nutrition bars come in handy. They normally include a variety of different nutrients, and they are small and portable so we can conveniently eat them when we are on the road. They are especially good to have after an exercise routine when we are not in the house to prepare a healthy meal.

That said, there is a disadvantage to protein bars.

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

Isolated Soy Protein

One typical ingredient included in lots of protein bars is soy protein isolate. Some products even have this listed as the first ingredient. Soy itself is not always bad, but many of the soybeans grown in the United States have actually been genetically modified and can interfere with our hormones.

Furthermore, soy protein concentrate is processed, which makes it a completely different food than the fresh raw soybean itself. Overall, it's a much better idea to eat unprocessed foods in their taw or natural form instead of the processed option. Generally, processed foods include less nutrients anyhow.

Eating an occasional protein bar with this processed protein source might not have a considerable effect. Nonetheless, in my view, I would not want to eat one every day after exercising - especially if I have other better choices.

Therefore, with a multitude of supposed "healthy" bars on store shelves with soy protein, where does one shop for another choice? It is tedious to read every item label, and lots of supermarkets do not carry a big selection.

Here's Something Good

Fortunately, that there are an increasing amount of soy-free bars offered today, due in part to the paleo movement. Some paleo-friendly bars might not contain as much protein as typical bars, but oftentimes they contain plenty.

To learn more on paleo protein bars that don't have soy, click here.




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