What do you think of Zone Perfect Bars?

[saraseth]

I recently started trying out The Zone Diet and Zone Perfect Bars. I like the bars because I find that my energy level is nice and even after I have one. They are 40-30-30 (40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat). The Zone site recommends having half a bar a half-hour before a workout and the other half after your workout.

Do any of you clean eaters out there have any experience The Zone? Would you recommend/not recommend the Zone Perfect Bars?

 

[Fitnessfreak366]

I love them, they are my choice of protein bars when I'm on the run. Marc's has them for $.98 each. Great tasting, each flavor is excellent. My favorite is the Chocolate Almond.
Debbie in OH

 

[materialsgirl]

I, personally, prefer to stay away from energy bars / protein bars / granola bars / etc... because they usually (1) are high in sugar and (2) are highly processed with lots of additives and (3) are just candy bars in disguise. Clean eating is eating foods in their most natural state, and last I checked, I haven't seen any energy bars growing on trees. LOL! Okay, so that's a little extreme. I don't know much about Zone Perfect bars - I just checked some nutritional info on them and they are high in both sugar and sodium. There are probably better things you could eat... but then again, there are probably much worse things you could eat. Perhaps others will have better advice...

 

[Imafitnessfreak]

I try super hard to eat as clean as possible so I try to avoid bars as a whole. Not as bad as candy bars but still like candy with the added sugar.

However, sometimes your out shopping and running errands and it is a must to eat and fast food is NOT an option for me...ever! For such cases, I do carry a Zone bar in my purse to carry me over until I can get my hands on a complete, clean meal.

I don't think eating one every day is the greatest idea if a clean menu is your goal. I use to and it is a habit I am so glad I broke!

 

[hippahips]

I agree with Emily -- nothing beats clean food.

But I also agree with Sarah. When I'm on the road chauffering my boy around or running errands, I gotta have a power bar in my purse. I do get Zone bars because they're cheaper than most and don't taste like cardboard-coated medicine, or medicine-coated cardboard. Better that than drive-thru food. I do realize that fast food places now have salads but I can't drive and fork chicken and lettuce into my mouth at the same time.

Pinky

 

[maxwells]

Since I am a bar aficionado (the kind you eat...not where you go to drink), I'll give you my take on Zone Perfect Bars.

As others have already said -- things in bar form aren't considered "clean". However, I don't think they are terribly bad either (the 16g of protein make them better than a candy bar). I don't eat them very often because they DO have more sugar than other bars. I prefer Avid or Lean Body (Carmel Cookie Twist is yummy) or Tri-o-plex (although I'm off their bandwagon since they changed the recipe). They have more protein (30g per bar) but are also a bit higher in calories. Sure...there's some sugar in there too...but not too much.

In the end -- you should make the decision based on how YOU feel when you eat them. You say they're working for you (energy level nice and even) so I say stick with it.

Shonie

 

[kathryn]

>I, personally, prefer to stay away from energy bars / protein
>bars / granola bars / etc... because they usually (1) are
>high in sugar and (2) are highly processed with lots of
>additives and (3) are just candy bars in disguise. Clean
>eating is eating foods in their most natural state, and last I
>checked, I haven't seen any energy bars growing on trees.
>LOL! Okay, so that's a little extreme. I don't know much

Ditto!

I only resort to them in extraordinary circumstances, like today, when I needed a "snack" to take my poison ivy meds with, and there was not much in the pharmacy I went to, so I got a luna bar.

I will occasionally eat some vegan "meal replacment" bars that are made of real foods like fruits, and nuts, and flax, etc. The bar might not grow on a tree, but much of what's in it does!