Snack foods with added protein are the latest fad in ‘healthy’ eating with supermarkets and health food stores alike offering everything from fortified cereals to cookies and drinks.
Products with added protein boast that they can help fuel your gym workouts grow lean muscle, while they’re also touted as a supplement to a vegetarian or vegan diet.
But where there’s processed foods, there’s usually added sugar and Femail has discovered that snacks fortified with protein that are being advertised as a ‘healthy’ choice can contain more sweetness than a bar of chocolate.
For instance, a Strippd chocolate chip cookie, which boasts of being high in fibre and protein contains more sugar than a 32g Cadbury Flake bar at 19.7g.
And the higher the sugar level in your snack, the more likely it is to cancel out the benefits of the added protein.
Nutritionist Antonia Magor told Femail: ‘The protein will help balance the sugar spike from consuming a lot of sugar.
‘However with high added sugar this benefit will be lessened in correlation to the sugar level, as this goes up the less the protein balances the effect.
‘Also the sugar will be added to your daily allowance which should be considered.
This Strippd Cookie contains more sugar (19.7g) than it does protein protein (15g), while a 32g Cadbury’s Flake contains 18g of sugar
SCI-MX Nutrition Caramel and Vanilla Duo Bar contains 20g of protein and 11g of sugar per bar, or 18g per 100g
Nutritional therapist Karen Newby added: ‘There is often a lot of sugar in processed cookies and protein shake and shop bought smoothies.
‘Many pre-packaged smoothies will also have been pasteurised which often means that vital nutrients especially the vitamins can be lost in processing.
‘Many protein shakes are artificially sweetened which in fact tricks the body into thinking it is going to receive something calorie dense and sweet and then when it doesn’t, the body craves it even more. Always check the labels for ingredients.’
Instead of relying on processed snacks, Karen recommends eating natural sources of protein to fuel your training.
‘Eat as close to nature as possible to mined this problem. Protein rich foods such as lean poultry, nuts, seeds and natural yogurts are naturally low in sugar,’ she said.
Another high in sugar product is the Battle Oats Dark Chocolate Chip Protein Flapjack, which contains 21g per 100g, or 14.7g per bar
A Cacao Mint Energy Ball from Bounce contains 11g sugar per serving, or 26g per 100g
A 250ml serving of Innocent’s protein infused smoothie contains 23g of sugar (left). FUEL10K’s Liquid Breakfast High Protein Boosted Milk Drink contains 20g of sugar per serving (right)
‘There is nothing in nature that has for example high sugar and fat – this only occurs in manufactured foods which is why the body often gets addicted to them as it sends our reward system into overdrive!
‘Making a green smoothie with avocado, spinach, lemon juice, blueberries or a little mint and apple, topped up with water.
‘It will flood your body with micronutrients which will help your energy levels for training, the fibre and protein will help keep you fuller for longer and won’t spike your blood sugar due to the low carbs and fibre content.
There’s 14g of sugar in a Trek Cocoa Oat Protein Flapjack or 27.9g per 100g