<\/p>\n
Instead, I grabbed pieces of fruit and (gasp) actual chocolate to munch on. Suddenly, a banana didn\u2019t look like a protein-devoid snack, but a genuinely handy grab-and-go option that came with its own wrapper, a handful of gut-friendly prebiotics and\u00a0\u2013\u00a0when paired with some nut butter\u00a0\u2013 a far gentler glucose spike.<\/p>\n
More than just seeing the ingredient list for what it was (huge profits for huge corporations), I was fed up with eating and yet not being satisfied. Bored of hitting my macros but not remembering with any pleasure what I had eaten in order to do so, I realised that once you make eating a game of numbers, you cease to get any joy from food.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of them are just ultra-processed sweets in gym gear,\u201d nutritionist, hormone specialist and author of Everything I Know About Hormones,<\/em> Hannah Alderson<\/a> deadpans. \u201cWith anything, though, context is critical,\u201d she cautions. \u201cProtein bars can<\/em> have their place and are incredibly helpful when you\u2019re on the go, but they absolutely shouldn\u2019t be your main source of protein.\u201d<\/p>\n With current recommendations citing 25g to 30g of protein as the best number to aim for per meal, a shelf-stable bar is an attractive option. Not only does it taste good, it\u2019s handier than a pot of Greek yoghurt or a pre-cooked chicken breast. The difference, though? So many of these bars are ultra-processed.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re classed as ultra-processed because of the industrial ingredients and processing techniques used to make it taste, look, and last like a real food product,\u201d nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner Farzanah Nasser<\/a> \u2013\u00a0whose whole food recipes are a mainstay in my house, mostly for the clever way they pack fibre and a range of colours into everyday meals \u2013\u00a0tells me. \u201cThe term comes from the Nova food classification system, which defines ultra-processed foods (UPFs) as products made mostly from substances extracted from foods or synthesised in labs, rather than from real, recognisable ingredients.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m aware protein bars can be, in some instances, a quick, affordable hit of nutrition (though I use the term loosely), and can be a lifesaver for people who are chronically on the go, without access to fresh foods. I don\u2019t like to demonise food and genuinely do believe that there is room for everything in a healthy, balanced diet.<\/p>\n What I can\u2019t countenance is the confusion and misinformation over whether protein bars \u2013\u00a0and other food-adjacent items \u2013\u00a0are actually good for us. None of which is helped by marketing slogans.<\/p>\n \u201cResearch is starting to show that diets high in ultra-processed foods can affect reproductive and metabolic hormones, while additives and emulsifiers may disrupt the gut microbiome,\u201d Alderson explains, when I ask her what the risks to our overall health are. \u201cSweeteners and refined starches can also drive insulin spikes, which influence ovulation and mood, with insulin resistance being one of the leading drivers to endocrine disorders like PCOS.\u201d<\/p>\n One bar, she emphasises, is not going to derail your hormones, but eating them regularly won\u2019t do you any good either. And I think Wicks has done something worthwhile in disrupting a bloated industry, where it\u2019s all too easy to capitalise on and manipulate people\u2019s desire to treat their bodies with respect.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n