Gatorade Whey Protein Bar Contains 20 Grams of Protein, but It’s Still Unhealthy Food
Boasting 20 grams of protein, the Gatorade Whey Protein Bar is great for athletes and anyone trying to get more protein in their diet . However, the devil is in the details: it also contains 28 grams of sugar and 30 percent more calories than the Snickers bar. It’s marketing and a halo of health wrapped in one sinister package.
We know whey protein is a good way to increase your protein intake . Gatorade knows we know this because the packaging clearly says “20g of protein”. For convenience, they have decorated their packaging with the logos of the major sports confederations: NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB. You know that athletes like it too. Let’s take a look at the nutritional value of Snickers Bar and Gatorade Protein Bar:
Snickers Bar // Gatorade Whey Protein Bar
270 calories // 350 calories
14 g fat // 12 g fat
4.5 g Sat Fat // 10 g Sat Fat (!)
29 g sugar // 28 g sugar
4 g protein // 20 g protein
The Gatorade website says the bar promotes muscle recovery thanks to whey protein (good source) and high carbohydrate content. But if you look closely, many of the many ingredients in the Gatorade Whey Protein Bar are fat and sugar. In fact, cane syrup, palm kernel, and palm oil are the first three ingredients. As Dr. Yoni Friedhoff, associate professor of family medicine at the University of Ottawa, notes, “Children don’t have a chance.” Packaging claims, sports stats, and a powerful brand are all the visibility behind the fact that the Gatorade Whey Protein bar is actually just a bar of chocolate.
Sugar is not the end of the world. Many of us are simply already eating too many empty calories with added sugar (and unnecessary fats that often come with high-sugar foods), making it difficult to eat truly nutritious foods that meet our daily calorie goals.
Even if you claim that you are active enough to consume calories and that you are eating very little sugar to begin with ( but are you? ), It just isn’t worth the sugar, fat, and calories in one bar. Not to mention, you will probably be hungry and will eat again soon after. Sure, 20 grams of protein is enough, but there are better alternatives like Quest Bars if you want to stick with protein bars, a DIY protein shake, or that post-workout popsicles .
NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB Apparently Endorse the Chocolate Bar | Important questions