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You might think grabbing a case of protein or granola bar to eat as meal replacements or snacks may be the healthy choice over say, a tubs of cookies or a supply of candy bars–but you would be wrong.
The Kirkland protein and granola bars are *loaded* with sugars, and the idea that they are “healthy” because they are protein-packed is misleading to the consumer from a health perspective, experts warn. Here’s everything you need to know:
Kirkland Chewy Protein Bars
These bars are highly processed (look at the long list of ingredients!), contain 10grams of sugar including “added sugars” (typically, a way for food manufacturers to make the sugar appear lower in the ingredient list), and health experts hate them.
“Stop with the protein bars that taste like candy!” celebrity health and wellness Joey Thurman, CES CPT FNS, of kuudose warns. “If you didn’t run a marathon, you don’t need that much sugar!” he states.
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"If these things don’t have 'real' sugar they are loaded with sugar alcohols which will leave you running to the bathroom or not being able to fart with confidence." Yikes--we don't want either!
"Costco's Kirkland soft and chewy granola bars are not much better for you than a candy bar," Nutritionist Heather Hanks, MS, of Instapot Life agrees. "They contain several forms of sugar, including sugar, molasses, corn syrup, fructose, and invert sugar, which raises blood sugar levels." None of that sounds very "healthy" to us!
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"When your blood sugar levels spike due to an increased need for insulin, they will eventually crash - causing you to feel hungry and crave quick sugary foods to spike your glucose levels again," she explains. "This leads to a vicious circle that is hard to get out of. You'll end up eating more calories per day than you want, which leads to obesity." Say it ain't so!
"Furthermore, these are "empty" calories that do not contribute much nutritional value. Additionally, these bars contain canola oil, which contains unhealthy trans fats that are highly inflammatory. This can lead to chronic inflammation in the body and may increase the risk of inflammatory disorders." Wow--we'll never look at these bars the same way again.
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