New protein bar

[GQ Lawyer]

Has anyone tried the new Detour bar? It is, hands down, the best tasting bar on the market. It has 32g of protein. Bad thing, it has 21g of carbs and 9g of fat. I still prefer the Lean Body (banana split or pecan pie) for overall bar, but the Detour makes for a great meal (and splurge).

Does anyone have any other suggestions for a great tasting, high protein, low carb bar?

 

[hermes]

i have seemingly tried them all LOL but i've stuck with powerbar, either their regular ones (vanilla or the oatmeal raison) or the other powerbar line which name i forget but it's like a granola bar in texture and flavour

but i'll try the detour one, thanks for the heads up on it

 

[Bradford]

I'll have to check it out. Personally, I have been eating the Clif Bars. The one I'm munching on now (this thread made me hungry) is Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch and has 12 grams of protein and (unfortunately) 39 grams of carbs with 5 grams of total fat.

The other benefit to the Clif Bars is that they are now available by the case at Costco and come out to about 70-cents a bar that way. A much better deal than anyplace else I've found.

Bradford

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

"Tasty protein bar" is an oxymoron.  The least bad one I've tried is the Pure Protein bar by Worldwide Sports Nutrition.  It contains 30-33 g of protein and 9-13 g of carbs, depending on the flavor.  I like the peanut butter.

I'm currently eating Balance Bars, which is an energy bar like the aforementioned Power Bar and Clif Bar.  Energy bars as a group tend to taste much better than protein bars, probably because of all the extra sugar.

 

[Joe G]

Wow. Am I the only cat here who only eats food?

Seriously, I don't get the whole protein bar thing. When I want protein, I'll eat something that genuinely does taste good, like a nice grilled halal steak or a piece of grilled fish. And if I want I'll even have a soup in a breadbowl with it.

The way I see it, it's better to eat as naturally as possible. Fewer possible risks that way, and maximum chance of enjoying what you eat. Peace, JG

 

[gqelements]

It's not easy to get proper nutrition with "natural food" alone. Shakes and bars are convenient and cheap, when compared with a stake dinner.

Regarding the bars, keep in mind that the grade of protein used when getting all excited over the amount of it in the bar. [grammar.... urgh] Look at the ingredient list to check what source of protein is used along with the grade. Although unfamiliar with "Detour" I'm usually rather skeptical about smaller companies putting out "miracle" bars. Usually Prolab, Labrada and the like have much bigger and better R&D depts. Thus, their product is often better than the rest. The bigger companies also have a rep. to uphold, many others don't.

Remember more taste = more sugar and flavor so theoretically more crabs.

 

[Renault78law]

I'm really into counting calories right now, trying to maintain a 40/30/30 @ 2000 calories/day.  I'm always short with protein.  I'm glad you found a good bar, I know how bad they can taste.  
However, I never really saw much point to eating those bars - 32g protein with 29g carbs (of which is probably mostly sugar).?.?.  A skinless chicken breast has 53g protein, 6g fat and 0 (zero) carbs; it's cheaper too (especially if you carve it yourself).  Another great source is canned tuna.  If I'm in need of more protein, I'll drink a protein powder shake - they taste really really good with minimal fat/carbs...My 2 cents.

BTW, GQ lawyer, what kind of law do you practice?

 

[GQ Lawyer]

I specialize in intellectual property, entertainment law (in the music business), and commercial litigation.

 

[Bradford]

Renault78law - I agree with you, a protein shake is usually a better option with more protein and almost no carbs. However, I take the bars when I'm going to be out and about and it would be impossible to mix a shake or eat a chicken breast. The benefit to the bars is that they are easily transportable which is important when you're trying to take in protein every 3-4 hours. Bradford

 

[JLM]

I agree that Detour is the best. Strive bars by biochem are also very good, I like the Mixed Berry flavor. It's like a yogurt-covered rice krispy treat. 190 calories, 20g protein, 9g fat (6 sat), 24g carb (3 net impact). They are a little hard to find, I get mine at the 7-Eleven in the lobby of my building. You can order them online at www.bodybuilding.com

 

[Joe G]

It?s not easy to get proper nutrition with ?natural food? alone. Shakes and bars are convenient and cheap, when compared with a stake dinner.

Of course it's easy to get "proper nutrition" with real food. After all, that's what humanity evolved eating, so by definition that's "proper" for us. One just has to pick what s/he eats with a modicum of sense. Besides, an engineered food type product that's lacking vitamins in their natural context isn't going to result in proper nutrition, either. Maybe I'm being Luddite here, but I see lots of friends eating bars and drinking various powdered shakes and I can't help but worry about the long-term health problems that may result from such an unnatural chemical diet. (When I make a smoothie, I tend to use real -- frozen instead of fresh, but still real -- fruits and yoghurt with perhaps a dab of honey, nothing more or less.) As for the cost/time difference, I think it's overstated. For instance, I often bring a salad to work for lunch. My preferred method of making such a salad is to take a prewashed bag of organic lettuce, add some taste-enhancing stuff (various organic veggies, depending what's in season, but often bell peppers, tomatoes, bell peppers, and mushrooms; often pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pecans, or walnuts; occasionally a can of tuna fish; and almost always pumpkin seed oil and balsamic vinegar as dressing) put it in a closed container, and shake the hell out of it. Total time invested in preparation: about three minutes. Sure, it takes longer to eat than a bar, but it also, um, tastes like food. A chicken breast isn't any more expensive than synthetic food, and at home is easy to cook, just throw it on the ubiquitous George Foreman grill for 5-6 minutes and you're done. Salmon or other types of fish are little more expensive, but usually just as easy to cook. For lunch at work, it's easy to just bring some pre-cooked stuff and microwave it. For steaks, I go to a private butcher who also supplies to the two best steakhouses in town, and pay reasonable prices for absolutely incredible cuts of meat. When I'm feeling lazy, I'll just throw in on the George and enjoy a wonderful piece of meat. I do tend to eat steak at least once a week, although I eat fish much more often. The flip side is that developing a unique cooking style through personal trial-and-error, is, well, it's an incredibly effective chick magnet.

Peace, JG

 

[F4iryder14]

Besides, an engineered food type product that's lacking vitamins in their natural context isn't going to result in proper nutrition, either. Maybe I'm being Luddite here, but I see lots of friends eating bars and drinking various powdered shakes and I can't help but worry about the long-term health problems that may result from such an unnatural chemical diet.

You guys have hit upon one of my favorite topics and a true passion of mine, so I thought I would offer my $.02. Â As for the protein/powdered shakes, I wouldn't worry about them too much (I would, however, buy a decent brand - I prefer Optimum Nutrition for price and efficacy). Â You are right, they are produced in a lab, but in some ways they can be superior to many things that people eat these days and pass off as food. Â And if anyone else is like me and trying to bulk up, which is most effective when you eat 5-6 high quality meals a day, trying to get the recommended 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and all the needed calories with natural food is not only time consuming, it is expensive and it can get downright tiring trying to eat that much solid food. Â That is why the protein shakes are so economical, seeing as how that is the single most important nutrient needed to make any physical change. Â One note about the shakes, is that if you do take quite a few of them, like myself, it is very important to drink a lot of water (you should be doing that anyway) as I have heard that the powder can build up in your kidneys and possibly cause stones or other problems. Â If anybody reading this has any more questions, I would be glad to answer them as I have researched this subject for about 4+ years and consider myself very knowledgeable (I hope that doesn't sound cocky). Â Â

Kevin