The Best Protein Bars & Shakes

Many Americans use protein bars and shakes to supplement their regular diets. Serious exercisers and athletes use them to bulk up and build muscle, while less active proponents use them in place of meals or other snacks to lose weight. Protein bars and shakes can be effective in achieving each goal, as long as users choose the correct products to meet their needs.

The Facts

• A protein-rich diet, in combination with weight lifting, resistance training or other exercise, can help the body build muscle. Protein also helps you to feel full, so a diet high in lean protein may keep you satisfied as you cut back calories overall. If upping your intake of lean protein while exercising and cutting back on less healthy sources of calories, such as saturated fats or the simple carbohydrates in sugary sweets, you may gain muscle while also losing fat. However, maintaining a diet based in whole foods (food that is, in other words, unprocessed and still in its natural form) is the best way to stay both healthy and slim. Many processed products like protein shakes and bars, though high in protein, are also high in fats or sugars or lacking in other nutrients the body needs, so it is crucial to read the nutritional information provided on their packaging and to use them only in combination with a healthy diet and exercise plan.

The Best Bars

• For muscle builders: If you are looking to bulk up, Powerbar's Nut Naturals Fruit & Nuts bar is a great choice. For only 210 calories, the bar's mix of nuts provides a whopping 10 grams of protein (as well as three grams of fiber) to help you feel full, while the 20 grams of carbohydrates give you an instant energy boost for your muscle-building workouts.

  For dieters: Larabar's Cherry Pie flavored bar is packed with delicious fruit flavor, while also packing in five grams of protein and five grams of fiber to fill you up. Though a bit high in sugar, this bar has no added, processed sugars (just the natural ones from the sweet dates and tart cherries), is equivalent to a full serving of fruit and provides an array of other essential vitamins and minerals, so it's still a good choice, as are Larabar's other sweetly satisfying flavors.

  And if you have a little more cash to spend, you can now design your own bar to meet your goals. A Chicago-based company, Element Bars, allows you to go online and choose every ingredient that goes into your bar, so you can customize a high-protein bar that has everything you want in it -- and nothing you don't.

The Best Shakes

• For muscle builders: UltraMet Champion Nutrition is a protein-rich powder that, when mixed with water or milk, makes a great meal replacement, or pre- or post-workout snack, according to AskMen.com's fitness specialist, Ian Lee. The shake contains 280 calories, 1.5 grams of dietary fiber, only 3 grams of sugar and 42 grams of protein, and even tastes good, too. It's the perfect protein-packed supplement for the busy athlete or hardcore exerciser who does not have time to make a healthy meal but still wants to build lean muscle and strength.

  For dieters: Jana Klauer, MD Everyday Nutrition meal replacement shakes, which come in vanilla bean and cocoa flavors, are far superior to many shakes on the market. According to the health and wellness website and newsletter Vital Juice, these shakes are doctor-approved to replace a meal while you're on the run. At only 180 calories, the shakes contain an amazing 20 grams of protein and 40 percent of your required daily calcium intake, as well as heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids (and they're the only such shakes that do).