I get variations on this question quite a bit. People ask me if there are bars that they can buy at the supermarket that are as effective as the Medifast bars. I have a definite opinion on this, which I will share in the next article. I’ll also describe some of the features that I think make these bars so effective to help you understand what attributes you might want to look for if you’re trying to find an alternative.
Some of the features that make Medifast bars effective: I realize it may seem more convenient to get your diet foods from the same place you buy your groceries. But having all the features of these bars is a tall order for most mainstream products.
Let’s take a look at Medifast bars to compare apples to apples. For the purposes of this article, I am going to talk about crisp bars. This product contains 110 calories, 3 grams of fat, 12 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of sugars, and 11 grams of protein. When browsing the aisles of your store, I suspect you’ll have a hard time finding another bar that is so low in calories, carbs, and sugars while maintaining a high level of protein. But, to get a closer look at the point, I’ll take a look at a couple of popular bars that are readily available and, at least by most people, considered pretty healthy.
Comparison of two popular diet bars in supermarkets: First, I’ll look at the Special K Protein Snack Bars. In terms of calories, this one is pretty comparable. He only has 110 too. And it has 3.5 grams of fat. But, where it deviates a bit, at least in my opinion, is in its sugar content and low amount of protein. This product contains a high content of 11 grams of sugar and only 4 grams of protein. It has 15 grams of carbohydrates.
Now, let’s take a look at Kashi’s Go Lean Protein Bar. This product is much higher in calories at 180. It contains 30 grams of carbohydrates, 13 grams of sugar, 5 grams of fat, and 9 grams of protein. As you can see, the sugar, calorie, fat, and carb content is higher than you’d like. It also has the lowest protein content of any product I have seen.
Many of the so-called protein bars are not as good for you or as effective for weight loss as you might think. And, when you look at their ingredients, you’ll often see that one of the first ingredients listed is some type of sugar. For example, you might see corn syrup or honey listed as one of the first items. If you look at the Medifast bars, you’ll see protein instead.
People often have the perception that store bars are cheaper and are just as effective. But I hope this article has shown you that many of them are high in sugar and carbohydrates, while lacking in protein. If you agree that eating fewer calories and carbohydrates while increasing your protein intake is important to your weight loss success, then you might also suspect that Medifast Bars are more likely to help you achieve this based on their nutritional information. And they aren’t that expensive either. Yes, you have to order them online, but this is a fairly quick and easy process.