Performance. When you need it, it should be there. As an athlete in training, you should be fueling your body both before and after sessions. But the I get most is, “What should I fuel with?”
On a basic level, your meal between meals (aka snacks) should mimic what your nutrition looks like as a whole. That means, they should have balanced proportions of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to keep your body running properly without making you feel lethargic.
Protein bars are useful for pre-training fuel, a competitive boost and recovery essential – but not all bars are created equal.
As a trainer, I’ve done extensive sampling and research into a slew of protein bars and what I can tell you is that you get what you pay for. The FitJoy bar has become my go-to for a number of different reasons, here’s why you should integrate them into your own nutrition plan:
Protein
All companies claim to pack their bars with protein but only a few deliver a high quality product that can be fully utilized in the body. FitJoy bars are made with both a whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate. This is important as your body will receive the full amino acid complex that is not found when bars are made with one and not the other.
At 20-24 grams of high quality protein per bar, this is not only one of the highest on the market, but also delivers everything you need for muscle growth and recovery.
Carbohydrates
These are essential for recovery and give your body energy reserves to draw on when competition or training get really tough. Now what you will find in most protein bars is sugar, dextrose or High Fructose Corn Syrup (gasp). Most bars give you a boost by spiking your insulin only to leave you super drained after training and nutritionally depleted.
Fit Joy Bars pack in 24 grams of carbohydrates and 12 grams of dietary fiber to go with it.
Bear with me while I drop a little nutrition science on you. First, 24 grams of carbs may sound like a lot, but it’s not. Here’s why: Fiber by its nature is harder and slower for the body to digest which means that the result is sustained energy. These pack in a whopping 12 grams, slicing that carb count in half.
Second, FitJoy is sweetened by Stevia. Stevia is a ‘healthier’ sweetener that is much nicer on your insides than cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup. When your pancreas doesn’t have to work hard to produce mass amounts of insulin to counteract cheap sugar substitutes you benefit and your blood sugar doesn’t spike.
Fat
Fat is essential for proper cognitive function and you should be consuming it from high quality sources throughout the day.
FitJoy bars keep Fat content low, only 7 grams – perfect for pre and post workout consumption. The Fat you do get from a FitJoy bar is high quality from Whey and Palm oil, delivering longer sustained energy without going overboard.
Gluten Free and GMO Free
We all want to fuel our bodies with the highest quality rocket fuel. Products that are Gluten Free and GMO Free ensure that unwanted inflammation does not occur in our bodies. Inflammation can knock us out of training and competition as well as open the door to disease and injury. Sounds scary, but it’s true.
FitJoy bars are on another level when it comes to protein bar nutrition, and the taste is on point.