Protein bar VS Protein Powder
The question of which was better and what the differences between protein powders and protein bars came up on one of the forums I frequent, and the whole question intrigued me... so I started to do some quick looking around.
First in the price department, protein powders are INSANELY cheaper. Not marginally, INSANELY cheaper. Some bars go for as much as $5 a serving, with the average being around $3a piece, while the average protein powder works out to be about $0.75 per serving. Yes, you have to buy the powder in bulk, but man it's a lot cheaper in the long run. Let's say you have 2 protein supplements a day for a month... Using bars that would workout to be about $180, with powders it would be $45... difference of $135 in your pocket. (Or out of pocket, depending on your choice.) One point for powders...
So how much protein are you getting in each? Does one have any more? On average NO. Both seem to run around 20-30 grams of protein per serving depending on the manufacturer. But for post-workout nutrition shakes nudge ahead for their fast absorption.
Everyone likes to watch their waist, so what about calories... Bars average 250 + calories each while a single scoop of most powders runs around 120 calories, so about half, but a lot of people add a cup of milk... then things end up just about even. I'm mental and mix mine with water, but then I've been known to drink a tuna shake just to keep my carbs under control while getting my protein in.
Which brings up another point... Carbs. Carbs aren't evil, but a lot of people are watching how many we consume. Protein powders have basically none. Bars have WAY more carbs (that's mostly what they are) and have been trying to down play that since they started making protein bars. "Impact carbs" for example was a way companies could make a lot of the carbs in their bars disappear... Oh, they where there, they just stopped putting them on the label. They did get in trouble for this, but of course they have figured out new ways to hide stuff we don't want to see lots of on the label...
That's a good lead-in to fat and sugar. Again powders have almost none, bars.... not such a good story. There's more fat in the bars and a TON of sugar. Most are just a Snickers bar with protein added in. Ingredients are listed on product in descending order of how much of the ingredient is in the product, on most bars sugar is the first or second ingredient, but it's not always listed as "SUGAR". Watch for these other names sugar often goes under on labels... Sucrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, chocolate, Brown Rice Syrup etc. Basically if you don't know what it is..... it's sugar.
Digestion- Shakes are very quick, which is great post-workout and easy on your system. Bars are a much slower absorbed source of protein which is good for keeping you feeling full longer but the digestion of the bar it's self can be a little hard on your system if you don't drink the recommended 500 ml (2 cups) of water with it.
Taste- TOTALLY depends on the product, there's no question. I've had bars that tasted like newspaper and others that where the best chocolate bar I'd ever had. Same with the shakes which have even more variation depending on how you make them and what you make them with.
So what's the scoop? Bars taste great, are easy to transport, quick and are filling. They are also VERY expensive, twice as many calories and are full of sugar. Protein powders are dirt cheap, quick to drink, and taste great alone or in a million different shake and baking recipes and are obviously the "healthier" food choice. Powders are messy to take with you most places and you have to buy them in bulk.
Powders have been the winner on my list for a long time simply because of the price thing. well, and the sugar thing....Bars are great treats, or for emergencies, but I just found it harder to keep my calorie count and my pocket book justifying buying bars more than occasionally.
Thoughts....
First in the price department, protein powders are INSANELY cheaper. Not marginally, INSANELY cheaper. Some bars go for as much as $5 a serving, with the average being around $3a piece, while the average protein powder works out to be about $0.75 per serving. Yes, you have to buy the powder in bulk, but man it's a lot cheaper in the long run. Let's say you have 2 protein supplements a day for a month... Using bars that would workout to be about $180, with powders it would be $45... difference of $135 in your pocket. (Or out of pocket, depending on your choice.) One point for powders...
So how much protein are you getting in each? Does one have any more? On average NO. Both seem to run around 20-30 grams of protein per serving depending on the manufacturer. But for post-workout nutrition shakes nudge ahead for their fast absorption.
Everyone likes to watch their waist, so what about calories... Bars average 250 + calories each while a single scoop of most powders runs around 120 calories, so about half, but a lot of people add a cup of milk... then things end up just about even. I'm mental and mix mine with water, but then I've been known to drink a tuna shake just to keep my carbs under control while getting my protein in.
Which brings up another point... Carbs. Carbs aren't evil, but a lot of people are watching how many we consume. Protein powders have basically none. Bars have WAY more carbs (that's mostly what they are) and have been trying to down play that since they started making protein bars. "Impact carbs" for example was a way companies could make a lot of the carbs in their bars disappear... Oh, they where there, they just stopped putting them on the label. They did get in trouble for this, but of course they have figured out new ways to hide stuff we don't want to see lots of on the label...
That's a good lead-in to fat and sugar. Again powders have almost none, bars.... not such a good story. There's more fat in the bars and a TON of sugar. Most are just a Snickers bar with protein added in. Ingredients are listed on product in descending order of how much of the ingredient is in the product, on most bars sugar is the first or second ingredient, but it's not always listed as "SUGAR". Watch for these other names sugar often goes under on labels... Sucrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, chocolate, Brown Rice Syrup etc. Basically if you don't know what it is..... it's sugar.
Digestion- Shakes are very quick, which is great post-workout and easy on your system. Bars are a much slower absorbed source of protein which is good for keeping you feeling full longer but the digestion of the bar it's self can be a little hard on your system if you don't drink the recommended 500 ml (2 cups) of water with it.
Taste- TOTALLY depends on the product, there's no question. I've had bars that tasted like newspaper and others that where the best chocolate bar I'd ever had. Same with the shakes which have even more variation depending on how you make them and what you make them with.
So what's the scoop? Bars taste great, are easy to transport, quick and are filling. They are also VERY expensive, twice as many calories and are full of sugar. Protein powders are dirt cheap, quick to drink, and taste great alone or in a million different shake and baking recipes and are obviously the "healthier" food choice. Powders are messy to take with you most places and you have to buy them in bulk.
Powders have been the winner on my list for a long time simply because of the price thing. well, and the sugar thing....Bars are great treats, or for emergencies, but I just found it harder to keep my calorie count and my pocket book justifying buying bars more than occasionally.
Thoughts....
Gratuitous Hot Chick...
posted by Geeper at 9:19 p.m.
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