Being an ex-gym rat, a slave to the dumbbells and treadmills, I have consumed my fair share of energy/protein bars and shakes in a quest to reach my bodies "utmost potential". And it's that stigma, the one that says going to a gym and eating this garbage must go hand in hand, is why I feel many gym goers are unknowingly followers of a misguided and ironically enough unhealthy cult. Driven by the urge to supplement the typical American's unhealthy lifestyle of minimal activity and poor nutritional intake, these food manufacturers (if food is what you want to call it) have drilled it into our heads that in order to be strong and fit, and dare I say healthy, you must consume ungodly amounts of protein. Heck they even have so called nutritionist working at gyms along with trainers pushing these poor unhealthy eating habits.
And who says we need all this protein?
I hate to admit this since I am one myself, but Humans (as a whole) in today's society are by far the laziest species on the planet, and far lazier than our hunter-gatherer ancestors were. When is the last time we walked countless miles a day hunting and gathering our food? When is the last time we spent countless hours building shelter to protect us from the elements or making fire to keep us warm and safe? I mean if anyone needed tons of protein it was our ancestors! And lets be honest, since the gathering part of their lifestyle consumed less energy and was often more successful than the hunting part, it would have been a prime market for such protein infused products.
The truth is we have been dubbed a starving nation but not by quantity, not when you can super-size just about anything, instead we are starving due to the quality of our food. The average American's diet lacks nutrients in EVERY way, but the one thing it does not lack is protein. When is the last time you saw a restaurant or fast food joint advertising their new and improved more petite burger... No, protein is by no means a luxury anymore. It is there for the taking, cheap and super-sized for your eating pleasure. And I believe these unhealthy fad diets that ban carbohydrates of any kind have only fueled this blind quest for more protein.
Have you ever taken a second to examine what is in these protein bars that you so willingly consume? Let's take a look at the popular power bar, and remember none of these ingredients are organic or come from an organic sustainable source, and nearly all have been manipulated so many times in a lab that they don't even resemble in taste shape or color the food source they came from. This is why they must be chock full of sugar and flavoring... Note the 4 occurrences of sugar, 4 of the first 5 ingredient to be exact.
Ingredients:
POWERBAR&Reg; TRISOURCE™ PROTEIN BLEND (SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE), EVAPORATED CANE JUICE SYRUP, CHOCOLATY COATING (SUGAR, FRACTIONATED PALM KERNEL OIL, ALKALIZED COCOA, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL VANILLA FLAVOR), FRUCTOSE, GLUCOSE SYRUP, CANOLA OIL, WATER, GELATIN (BEEF), NONFAT MILK, L-LEUCINE, NATURAL FLAVORS, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE), PEANUT FLOUR, ALMOND BUTTER.
There is a healthier way to eat, it's called real food. Know and care about where your food comes from and you will be on your way to the healthier you.
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