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Protein Bars & Weight Loss

Protein bars and weight loss are now more closely linked than they ever have been. That's because advancements in nutritional understanding, combined with a competitive market for protein bars, have led to highly effective and affordable bars that are honed to meet individual goals. There are many benefits to using protein bars as a part of your weight loss plan, especially when you know what to look for.

  1. Snacking Prevention

    • With protein bars for weight loss, you aren't necessarily looking for a full meal replacement. Instead, you should be looking for a quick nutritional boost that will have the added bonus of preventing unhealthy snacking. If you always have a protein bar on hand, you'll never turn to the vending machine for a candy bar or bag of chips with no nutritional value.

    Keeping Your Metabolism on a Fast Pace

    • One of the great benefits of a protein bar for weight loss is that you will be keeping your metabolism on a fast pace. Going long periods of time without eating only slows down your metabolism and leads to over-indulging later on when you become starved for food. Avoid the problem by planning a midday or mid-morning protein bar snack and keeping your metabolism on an even keel all day long.

    Importance of Protein

    • It's important that the food you eat provides your body with a sufficient level of protein. Protein is required to help build and maintain your muscle mass. Additionally, foods with protein keep you feeling fuller for a longer period of a time when compared with foods with no protein or a minimal amount of protein in them. Protein will also help to stabilize your blood sugar level.

    General Guidelines

    • Protein bars designed for weight loss shouldn't be sold as meal replacements, or confused with them. Meal replacement bars contain a much higher caloric count that won't easily be worked into your overall nutritional goals. For a weight loss plan, protein bars should have 200 calories or less, no more than 15 g of carbs and a minimum of 10 g of protein.

    Examples

    • There are many protein bars that meet these basic guidelines. Examples include South Beach Diet Cereal Bras, with 140 calories, 10 g of protein and 15 g of carbs; BioNutritional Power Crunch Bars with 195 calories, 15 g of protein and 10 g of carbs and EB Performance PB & Whey Protein Bites with 140 calories, 10 g of protein and 14 g of carbs.

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