DIY Bars.
Thursday, January 24, 2008 8:31Bar none, the best way to insure success on a fat loss regimen is prepare your own meals. No better option exists as far as controlling portioning, nutrient partitioning (carbs vs. fat vs. protein), and ingredients (high-fructose corn syrup no more!).
So if you’re going to all the trouble of cooking your own meals, why settle for a commercially-produced protein bar for your pre and post-workout nutrition?
There are woefully few protein bars I recommend to clients; most contain high-fructose corn syrup, soy, or other unneccessary fillers. Nutrient profiles for most meal replacements are lacking. Also, most of them just plain taste bad.
One viable alternative is make your own protein bars from nuts, seeds, protein powder, etc. I believe Alton Brown (of Good Eats fame) even made a nutrition bar on one of shows (although it was way high in carbohydrates). Personally, since I have the cooking skills of a spiny anteater, a service like YouBar is quite awesome. YouBar allows you to custom order nutrition bars - you can either use one of their templates or make custom requests. If you’re lactose-intolerant, gluten-sensitive, vegan, whatever, you can create a bar to suit your personal nutritional profile.
Of course, pre and post-workout nutrition should ideally be in liquid form, but being able to control ingredients is a plus.
Matthew (2 comments) says:
January 25th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
I made the Alton Brown Pro-tein bar, tasted good and are not to difficult to manipulate after you get the hang of the ingredients. I work with a food scientist at the moment, ask what kind of binders they use to hold their bars together. Some of these newfangled syrups they use are pretty gastly. A basic simple syrup(equal parts water/sugar substance) only have a shelf life of 2-3 weeks. My advice, make friends with Alton.
etfwellness (5 comments) says:
January 25th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Mr. Hayes,
Thank you for your perspective. It’s easier for me to order rather than cook a bar, although you know I’d opt for some grilled skirt steak and a cut-up tomato any day. Unfortunately, I just don’t get that hungry after jiujitsu practices.
Hope all is well in the chef/bride-slimming business!