Last Updated on April 13, 2022
It is one of the easiest grab-and-go snacks out there – protein bars. As a member of the bodybuilding world, I have turned to protein bars more times than I can count.
I trained for two bodybuilding competitions, both times using protein bars as almost a dessert and quick post workout snack.
They were great! They tasted delicious, I found a good majority had low sugar, and the carbs and fat were never too over-the-top.
I found one brand in particular that I absolutely LOVED. I would eat two a day and would [shamefully] get way too overly excited when it was time to eat them.
So what’s the problem?
Fast forward a few months. I was still eating my two-a-day protein bars but started noticing that my gut was not a happy camper.
I started to get major bloating, stomach cramps, and gas. I had been using whey isolate protein, casein protein, BCAAs, pre-workout, protein butter (as an alternative to peanut butter), plus about 10 vitamins daily, including a fat burner, diuretic, and sleep aid.
I was required to eat an equal amount of protein to my body weight (so roughly 130g of protein daily), about 30g of fat (roughly 2 servings of peanut butter), and around 120g of carbs (basically the equivalent of 1 small serving of oatmeal with some berries and 1 serving of brown rice).
I had to continue cutting these macros as time went on but was so disappointed to see that my results didn’t look like they should have. I was strict on my diet and just looked full and bloated all the time. Clearly, I was doing something wrong.
Life was getting busier with work, I wasn’t getting enough sleep, I was a 24/7 b**ch, I was at the gym 3+ hours a day, I would cry at the gym, my heart wasn’t into my workouts anymore, I was exhausted from meal prepping every night because I didn’t have enough room in the fridge I shared with 4 other people to meal prep for the week, and I was being beyond discouraged by my physical progress.
It was time to stop. I called my coach and told him I was quitting. I felt like a failure but I wasn’t happy with how things were and I needed a reset.
But protein bars are life!
Once I was free of the restrictions, I evaluated what could be my problem with my gut. I was eating way more protein than the average adult should, so decided to cut back significantly to see how I felt.
Nope, no change.
I stopped using my protein powder thinking I may be allergic to whey.
Nope, no change.
I cut off using the supplements and vitamins.
Nope, no change.
Lastly, I cut out my beloved protein bars (with much resistance). I felt a tad better, but not many changes.
I decided to give my body a break for about a month from everything to see if it just needed time to reset and flush everything out of its system.
I saw minimal changes.
I was eating clean, whole foods. I kept it up for another month and another until I reached a year from the point I quit.
I still saw minimal changes!
It was SO frustrating that I started going to gastroenterologists around the city looking for my answer.
After many tests and lots of money down the drain, no one had an answer for me. I had symptoms of IBS but for some reason, doctors ruled that out.
Months later, I fell in love, quit my job, left New York and moved to Italy to be with my [now] husband.
A few months after I got to Italy, I started feeling much better.
Was Italy my cure?!
Well, maybe, but I realized it was the stress I was putting on my body and I hadn’t taken any time to relax.
Months after feeling better, I started to reintroduce some things back into my diet – okay, mainly my protein bars.
BAM! I felt horrible again.
I thought it was maybe something else, so I gave it a few days and tried them again.
BAM! Like a punch to the gut, it was back. Less than an hour after eating my protein bar.
Sugar alcohols are the problem. Not protein bars.
After much process and elimination and trying out other protein bars, I found the culprit. Sugar alcohols.
Everything I ate that included sugar alcohols absolutely tore up my stomach.
I’m not a nutritionist, so I won’t get sciencey with you, but sugar alcohols can’t be absorbed by your body (which, I suppose is the draw), but they can cause an imbalance in the bacteria in your gut and can damage the lining of your gut.
After about a year of being back to myself, I just got back from visiting California and made a stop at Muscle Beach.
I hadn’t eaten lunch and was getting hangry. There was an event going on with some vendors handing out free protein bars.
Not even thinking to look, I scarfed it down and went on with my day.
Less than an hour later, BAM! Back to how I used to feel.
It took until the next morning before I felt okay again. Some people can handle sugar alcohols but I, personally, cannot.
Sugar alcohol-free protein bars to check out
The industry is crazed about using sugar alcohols right now, but I, luckily, have been able to find some clean bars that make me feel great and are perfect for traveling!
- RX Bars
- Crave Bars
- Kind Bars
- Clif Bars
- Perfect Bar (note that these must stay cold)
- Bulletproof Collagen Protein Bars
These are all bars I have personally tried that have no sugar alcohols and taste pretty good. So, if you don’t want to take the risk of going through what I went through, I suggest quitting your stressful job and moving to Italy 😉 – just kidding! Go ahead and give these protein bars a try while you’re busy traveling, these are great options to keep you satisfied and happy while on the go.
