It’s Monday morning. You roll out of bed at 10 a.m., go to your 10:15 class, another one at 11:40, and then head to a club meeting. And, oh yeah, there’s an essay that you need to write and submit by 3 p.m. There’s no time for breakfast, or even a stop at Leo’s for a quick lunch. So you truck it over to Vittles.
Many of us will reach for a protein bar that we can shove in our mouth as a replacement for a meal while you sprint to class. But will it tide you over until the next break in your day, or is just a glorified candy bar?
The answer may depend on what exactly you select. Though most bars boast high amounts of protein as a selling point, Consumer Reports claims you should check for the source of the protein on the label. The protein should be derived from high-quality sources like milk (which sometimes appears on the label as ‘whey of casein’), egg, or soy, and not from sources like collagen or gelatin. Collagen is found in the flesh and connective tissue of mammals, and gelatin is just a special form of collagen. These are poor sources of protein because they do not contain all of the essential amino acids that our bodies require.
If you know it’s going to be a while before your next meal, fiber is your friend. Look for bars that have more than five grams of fiber, because that’s the stuff that will keep you full longer. The downside? Fiber tastes like cardboard, and manufacturers compensate by jacking up the sugar comment. Keep an eye out for this.
At the same time, it can be hard to keep track of what you’re putting in your body when the packaging deliberately lies to you. According to ConsumerLab.com, which does independent product testing, only one out of the 12 protein bars that they tested met all of the claims made on the label, and half of all bars exceeded the carbohydrate content listed on the nutrition panel. Many of the protein bar companies do not include glycerin in their carbohydrate count, even though the United States Food and Drug Administration has categorized it as a carb. Glycerin is what gives a lot of these bars their super sweet taste, and keeps them moist. Bars that did pass ConsumerLabs labeling tests were Balance Bars, GeniSoy Soy Protein bars and Met-Rx Food bars—unfortunately for Georgetown students, the Corp doesn’t stock any of these.
Even the bars that do meet all of these requirements should be eaten in moderation, and should not make up the core of your diet. Simple, unprocessed foods tend to be better for you and make it easier to keep track of what you’re putting in your body. Apples, peanut butter, or a cup of yogurt are all healthier alternatives that you can pick up for about the same price. Plus, you can almost always find at least one of these items at an on campus location.
If you know you’re not going to have time for a real meal, a protein bar is not the worst option. But if you find yourself devouring the things by the box, you should take a play out of Cookie Monster’s book—no matter how much you love the things, they have to be a “sometimes food.”
Do you have a serious protein bar habbit? Tell Sadaf about it at squreshi@georgetownvoice.com
