Are protein bars good for you? I've been trying the Zone protein bars, but they taste like candy. Are they good for you and do they help with weight loss? I haven't read much about protein bars and I'm curious.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 bar
Amount per Serving
Calories 210 Calories from Fat 14
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 1.5g 2%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 23g 8%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 13g
Protein 17g 34%
Est. Percent of Calories from:
Fat 6.4% Carbs 43.8%
Protein 32.4%

That's sort of a complex question.

Protein bars DO provide you with protein, and some minerals. They also have the advantages of being portable and easy to prepare and eat.

On the other hand...I tend to come from a more whole foods perspective, so these bars would definitely not be something I would regularly include in my diet, particularly with other low-cal, delicious options available that are way less processed, have far fewer calories, have more fiber, and aren't loaded with sugar. For example, for the calories, I can eat a whole cup of nonfat greek yogurt for 120 calories, and that comes with more protein than the Zone bar (20 grams). It also has less fat and no added sugar. I could add a cup of sliced strawberries to that, thus surpassing the Zone bar on fiber, and STILL eat fewer calories than the bar. But that takes effort, prep space, refrigeration...all things the Zone bar doesn't require.

I DO love the Zone bars, though, when I'm traveling...running through airports, running in and out of meetings, etc...they are easy to stash in a suitcase and grab on the way out of a hotel room in the morning, or for a late afternoon snack when I get tired. But at home, I try to focus on whole, unprocessed foods as much as I can, which means I'm more likely to reach for something different as my snack.

As for whether they help you lose weight...well, that depends too. Are they replacing something higher calorie? For me, having the Zone bars prevents me from hitting the vending machine or continental breakfast buffet while I'm traveling, and yeah, in that case, they help me keep my calories lower than they might have been otherwise. But if they're replacing whole foods with the same or fewer calories, they're probably going to hinder your efforts more than help.

I like the snack size ones - only 80 calories. But yeah...I try to keep them to a minimum because they are basically tasty junk food but with protein. Better than a regular candy bar IMHO.

Zone bars are one of the better bars out there for you. They have a good balance of protein, fat and carbs, and no sugar alcohols. However - the newer ones do not follow the zone ratio of 40/30/30. Those would be the new dark chocolate ones.

If you follow the zone, only eat the older bars (fudge graham, chocolate peanut butter) to be in The Zone.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with protein bars. They are convenient and portable, and if they keep you from hitting McDonald's or the vending machine- great!

I should add - I might use them more if I wasn't fortunate enough to work from home, meaning I have my kitchen and prep space right next to me at all times. More convenient foods would definitely have more of a place in my diet if I didn't!

I don't think there's anything wrong with them. I just personally like to get more for my calorie buck and feel more satisfied on whole foods (generally because I get more volume per calorie).

I often eat an Orange Cranberry Zone bar as a snack at work. The calories are less than posted above (190, probably a different flavor). I noticed a huge improvement in my fingernails. It doesn't taste all that great in my opinion but it comes in handy in my effort to consume a steady stream of calories throughout the day instead of up and down spikes. It doesn't mess up my blood sugar levels for some reason.

I keep them in my car, and I will eat one as a mini meal replacement if I can not get home intime for a real meal. Or if I'm feeling hormonal and am ready to eat 1000 calories of chocolate (LOL). They are soo yummy (the new dark choc ones espec). I like Zone and balance bars w/c the both have no HFCS or PHO's

I have been looking for something to eat when I get caught running around all day without a meal. Right now I get cereal bars. They're not that healthy, but the calories aren't so bad either (140 for a bar). The problem is, I am still hungry after I eat one. It doesn't do much more than blunt the worst of the hunger.

Do the zone bars fill you up at all? I was thinking mebbe with all that protein they might make a bigger dent on my hunger than the cereal bars.

Cereal bars don't have enough protein to fill you up. You want a meal replacement bar, like balance or zone bars. Those will fill you up, particularly if you have a beverage with them.

Oh, I was in Target last week, adn they had Zone boxes on sale... I think $3.50 per box for 6 bars, but they had some boxes that had 2 free bars, so it was $3.50 for 8 bars.. pretty good deal too! They had a similar deal on Balance bars. I got some choc chip cookie dough flavered for my kids' lunch/school snacks

I picked up some bars today. Not zone though, I think it might have been atkins? It had about the same protein and a ton less sugar. I also got something that is only 30 calories and has a ton of protein. You add it to water and drink it. It was an impulse buy, but I was intrigued. I want to say it was an atkins product also. Has anyone heard of it? I'll check back in after I've tried it out. Hopefully, that won't be for a couple of weeks. I really try hard not to get in a position where I skip a meal because of too much running around.