After reading the latest article form TC, I find myself suddenly questioning the validity of just about every protein bar out there. Counting gelatin as a protein source? Sounds like a joke but it’s not. Is there anyone out there that seiously makes a TRUE protein bar (besides the new Biotest ones coming out in June)without all of the carbs (NO SOY,PLEASE)? All comments appreciated and welcomed on this one…
I’m going to have to go with the Nitro-tech smores bar. Best damn bar I’ve ever tasted, no gelatin and/or collagen, excessive saturated fat, or soy.
Joel,
per the label, Nitro-Tech bars contain: “hydrolyzed protein, glycerine” and if you add up all the macros you’ll see the totals are way off so I’m guessing there’s quite a bit of glycerine that’s not being counted on the carbs. On the other hand, according to their advertisement, clinical studies Nitro-Tech bar users gained an average of 50 pounds on their bench press and 8 pounds of pure mass in just six weeks!! That’s a pretty amazing result from ground up horse hooves and an ingredient used to make soap. Maybe’s it’s the creatine that Nitro-Tech bars are also supposed to contain…or maybe they just made it all up
Joel, you know you’re supporting a company that sues everyone else trying to put them out of business, including T-mag, right? They even tried to sue board memmbers at one site who dissed their crappy products and lame ads. Maybe some people don’t shop like that when it comes to supplements, but personally I love T-mag and freedom of speech and just can’t buy anything from that “-tech” company. I just can’t help fund their frivilous lawsuits and their “6 page special report” attacks on my intellect.
There seems to be some confusion - hydrolyzed protein is NOT gelatin. Hydrolyzed protein is what is in Surge and I don’t think Biotest is putting gelatin in Surge. Hydrolyzed protein is predigested and the most bio-available and the most expensive protein you can buy. That aside, I don’t eat any protein bars and think they all suck - stick to real food.
Labrada Lean Body LoCarb bars in Texas Pecan Pie flavor are delicious. Actually, all of Labrada’s bars are pretty good tasting. One problem, ingredients on the bar I mentioned list five types of protein, soy protein isolate being the last of the listed proteins (I never saw soy in any of his other bars). My hope is that there’s so little soy used that it’s irrelevant. Hope so because I’m gonna contnue eating them. Also, ISS’s Pro 42 bar in Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter flavor is a good bar. 410 calories, 42 grams of protein per bar. I’m looking forward to the Grow bars and hope they give Labrada’s a run for the money.
Heb is right. HOWEVER: I love the Designer Whey Bars. Why does everyone on this site dis Next Nutrition. They make solid supplements. Period. I argue their whey blends are the best for your money out there. But back to the D.W. bars, Malted Muscles is my favorite. Try the lemon, p.b., mint. The new Labrada Low carb Pecan Pie bars are the bomb as well. Give them a try too.
I’m sorry but Heb is not right. Hydrolyzed protein IS gelatin. Hydrolyzed WHEY protein is the good stuff. The two are NOT the same thing. I do agree that the Designer Whey bars are probably the best ones out there right now. The malted and triplemint are my favorites.
First off, hydrolyzed collagen = gelatin.
Next, the bar contains 15 grams of glycerine. Either that, or high-fructose corn syrup is neccesary to make the bar edible...you choose.
Finally, TEK, thanks for the info about the "tech" company. I know their adds are bogus, but I don't know much about what goes on behind the scenes, so thank you for informing me.
Hydrolized Protein almost certainly refers to gelatin.
Gelatin is a protein (albeit incomplete) and it LOOKS better to say Hydrolized Protein rather than indentifying the specific type of protein.
Look at the Pure Protein Bar Labels and you’ll see the same thing.
Anyway, I doubt it really matters. It still has some good protein in there and most people are only buying it for the taste anyway.
You might want to do some research. Any kind of protein can be hydrolyzed, not just whey or collagen (gelatin). Normally, if gelatin is used, it’s specified as hydrolyzed collagen which is also sold as a supplement for the joints. You can also purchase hydrolyzed casein, hydrolyzed complete milk protein, hydrolyzed beef plasma, and hydrolyzed soy, in addition to hydrolyzed whey (see the protein factory). I would assume that a protein sold as a protein supplement and listed as hydrolyzed protein would be one or mixture of either the milk based hydrolyzed products or soy but I’m not familiar with Nitro-Tech products and suppose that a non-reputable or dishonest company could bend the rules by calling collagen protein. The companies accused of this practice in the past have listed the ingrediant as hydrolyzed collagen but then included that amount in total grams of protein on the label. I guess we really don’t know. That’s why I don’t eat protein bars.
Hydrolyzed protein IS gelatin or the like folks. Its true, you can hydrolyze most any type of a protein, but its never a positive thing for the protein. Surge contains HydroSYLATED whey protein. Definitely not the same thing.
hydrolyzed protein is Gelatin. Why would they use the stuff thats in SURGE… Hydroslayted whey. The stuff tastes horrible… Its the last thing a Bar manufacturing company would want to put in a bar.
Bars have never been a great source of protein, we always knew that… But hey would u rather a gelatin bar with a little soy or shrink? Most of us will eat the bar…
No, Heb, Steve is right. Hydrolyzed protein in BARS for Meal replacement or bodybuilding purposes means gelatin. If it was a higher quality protein, BELIEVE ME, they would list it as such (hydrolyzed whey, etc…). In a joint product, hydrolyzed collagen is a GOOD thing so “hydrolyzed protein” is listed as such and not just hydrolyzed protein. You can bet ANYTHING that when you see hydrolyzed PROTEIN in a bar it is a really poor quality, incomplete, you wasted your money protein.
Right Poman!
Keep in mind that when it’s the last item in a bar’s “protein blend” then it is not a significant amount to be saying that bar is a “waste of money.”
Also, I thought that whey protein hydrolosate and hyrololyzed whey protein were the same thing (i.e. partially digested whey protein).
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the release of GROW! bars.
Chris- I'm not sure if this has been discussed before, but could you give us some info regarding some of the nutritional info of the GROW! bars [i.e. average protein per bar, carbs per bar (low-carb bar?), glycerine content, etc.] I apologize if this has already been covered. Thanks!
Hydrolyzed protein and protein hydrosylate is the same thing, ie hydrolyzed whey and whey hydrolyslate is the same thing, just different tense of the same word. And that is what they put in Surge. And to rc…yeah i know whey hydrolyslate tastes horrible (I drink it all the time) but it doesn’t taste so horrible in Surge, so it would be possible to put it in a good tasting bar if wanting to. I never said what Nitro-tech puts in their bar…I have no idea…but hydrolyzed protein may or may not be gelatin. You’re probably right…it probably is…but the point I was trying to make and will stand by is that hydrolyzed protein is not necessarily gelatin and hydrolyzed protein and protein hydrsylate is the same thing and can be made from any protein and a hydrolyzed protein is a good thing as it’s predigested and has better bio-availability and is why it’s used in Surge.
Joel- The bars will have 30 grams of protein, 0 of them coming from junk fillers. They’ll also have 31 grams of carbs and 8 grams of fat. So it’s more of an MRP bar than a “low carb” bar. Then again, according to the protein insider TC interviewed there is no such thing as a true low carb bar. In fact, I’ll bet the Grow! MRP bar has less carbs than many “low carb” bars.
There will be four flavors: chocolate, peanut butter, lemon and blueberry. (Biotest tried for Britney Spears coochie flavor but it just kept coming out too Jenna Jameson and gamey smelling. On a side note, TC kept all the failed prototypes 'cause he likes his with a little funk.)
No word on price yet, but I doubt they’ll be super cheap given the quality of the ingredients. Then again, you won’t be paying for horse hooves either.
The numero uno reason whey hydrolysate is used in SURGE is for its rapid absorption.
Any hydrolyzed protein in large amounts is not a good source of protein other than pre/post workout purposes. Just thought I'd clear that up.
Then, UNTIL the Grow bars do come out, what are the TOP 3 Best Bars on the market - RIGHT NOW? I’m leaning to Labrada’s as bein’ the top. And really, taste isn’t THAT much of an issue with me, but something that provides me with some quality protein - taste is secondary.