Soy protein is an essential element in many people’s diets, serving as a source of animal-like protein for vegetarians, helping adults lower cholesterol and reducing the risk of breast and prostate cancer. It increases the nutritional value of other foods as well as providing extra amounts of amino acids. Soy protein bars are one of the best ways to get your daily recommended amount of soy protein, offering taste along with nutritional benefits.
Kinds of Protein Bars
There are many different brands of soy protein bars on the market, each offering about the same benefits as the others. Some of these bars are more expensive, contain extra vitamins or nutrients or just taste better than other bars. Genisoy, SoyJoy, ThinkThin, Soy Protein and Revival are some of the leading brands and distributors of soy protein bars. They differ in size, flavor selection, ingredients and price, but they all have one thing in common: they are abundant in soy protein.
Ingredients
The ingredients in soy protein bars vary but most bars, no matter what brand, usually consist of some sort of soy protein isolate, corn syrup, flavoring and coloring. There are various amounts of rice and wheat flours used as well as soy lecithin (an emulsifier), canola oil and whey protein isolate. Generally, the ingredients in soy protein bars are fairly consistent with one another, varying only in amounts of ingredient and soy protein.
Certain brands offer different benefits in their ingredients. ThinkThin bars, for instance, contain no gluten or wheat ingredients (except the S’Mores flavor) and have 0 grams of sugar. Genisoy bars offer 20 essential vitamins and minerals each. SoyJoy protein bars are packed with real fruit and all natural ingredients. Depending on what you want out of your bar, one of these elements may appeal to you.
Amount of Soy Protein
The FDA suggests that at least 25 grams of soy protein a day as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet can be beneficial to your health and help prevent heart-related diseases. Even a bar with 7 grams of soy protein can help you improve your soy protein intake.
The amount of soy protein found in protein bars varies greatly from brand to brand. For example, the Genisoy Chocolate Fudge Brownie bar has 14 grams of soy protein while SoyJoy bars only have 8. Each ThinkThin bar contains 20 grams of soy protein, which is one of the highest amounts of all soy protein bars.
Price
Price is one of the most important factors when it comes to soy protein bars. Because they are often considered a health food, they are usually priced to reflect that. You can often purchase them individually or in bulk. Generally, bars run from $10-15 per package of 12, or $1-2 individually.
If you are looking for a tasty snack, a healthy meal replacer or just a boost to your daily soy protein intake, soy protein bars are the best route to take. They offer much more than just soy protein, are fairly affordable and come in a variety of flavors. Plus, you can find soy protein bars right in your local grocery store or specialty shop.
