Handy healthy snacks for when you can't make your own

If, like me, you are on the go a lot and struggle to find a healthy snack or treat, then you may be interested to know what I reach for. I like to keep a few emergency snack options in work or in my handbag, but I can’t carry around a ziplock bag of chicken or healthy homemade treats all the time.

When I’m stuck, I find that a protein bar can do the trick. Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of protein bars, but I think that’s a good thing as I don’t want to eat them all the time.

Last Sunday, I called into Bodyfirst Nutrition in Clontarf to collect some of my usual supplements, including ZMA (read why that’s always in my house here), and I picked up a few bars to taste test (for research purposes of course!). Here are some of my favourites.

Quest Bar

First up is the Quest bar. This is definitely my bar of choice, I have tried and tested all the flavours over the years and they are the tastiest option on the market. I will occasionally buy a box of mixed flavours that will keep me going for a long time.

• Quest Bar (coconut and cashew)
  Protein: 20g (whey protein isolate, milk protein isolate)
  Carbohydrate: 25g (17g fibre, 1g sugar, 5g sugar alcohols)
  Fat: 6g

Oh Yeah

If I hadn’t had just read the wrapper, I could swear it was in fact a friend's birthday and I was tucking into a cake. It really is so tasty and much sweeter than the Quest bar.

• Oh Yeah Low Carb Bar: (celebration cake)
  Protein: 20g (whey protein isolate, milk protein)
  Carbohydrate: 24g (9g fibre, 1g sugar, 10g sugar alcohols)
  Fat: 7g

The Quest bar comes out tops for me due to its good protein content and relative low sugar content. Also, although the nutritional breakdown is similar between the bars, the Quest bar has far fewer ingredients.

If you are opting for a protein bar, here are my top tips:

1. Make sure whey protein is the first ingredient. (Ingredients are listed in order of abundance, first being the most abundant.)
2. Try source protein bars which have a high breakdown of fibre and sugar alcohols under the carbohydrate listing and low sugar.
3. The smaller number of total ingredients the better.

I prefer to eat fresh food when possible, and I advise my clients to do the same. But if you are looking for a protein boost or a treat then give one of these bars a try.

Have you tried any protein bars or supplements that you would recommend? Let me know if you liked them; they can take a while to get used to, they are a long way from a typical bar or biscuit!

Until next time,

Fiona

Metabolic Fitness Trainer

Follow Fiona’s fitness adventure on Instagram!