

"Maybe you're looking for dessert, but you want something a little bit healthier," Bede says. Abeytas and Bede agree that the right bar for you might not be the right bar for your CrossFit buddy. But different bars serve different purposes, so you need to know what to look for. Protein bars are perfect for a post-workout snack, road trips, or to keep your stomach from grumbling while you're working. "If I'm looking for a keto bar, I'm looking for a variant in which most of the calories are going to come from fat," Bede tells Men's Health. But those looking for low carbs in their bars should read the food labels closely. Abeytas says some people may even want to look for 15 to 20 grams of protein, depending on what their goals are, whether it's weight loss, building muscle, or training for a marathon. And some are whole-foods based, meaning they're close to their natural source of food."įor low-carb and keto, you'll want at least 10 grams of protein. "When we're super busy and can't make a meal or we're on the go and only have snack in our bag, they're a really great supplement to a balanced diet. "Bars offer a great deal of sustainability," he says. Goodbye, breakfast bagels.ĭezi Abeytas, R.D.N., a Men's Health nutrition advisor, says certain protein bars are a great addition to a keto or low-carb diet. It focuses on high fat, with just 20 percent of calories coming from protein and 10 percent coming from carbs. The goal is for the body to go into ketosis and burn fat instead of carbs for energy. Repeat.Bede says that often, people who start on a low-carb diet typically consume similar numbers to keto, with around 10 to 20 percent of their total calories coming from carbohydrates. Technically if carbohydrates constitute 45 percent or less of your total calories, your diet could be considered low-carb, says Pamela Nisevich Bede, R.D., author of Sweat. A low-carb diet limits the daily amount of carbs a person consumes, focusing on high-protein intake.īut unlike keto, more on that below, there's no clear definition of what constitutes a low-carb diet.

While low-carb and keto are technically different diets-the keto was originally designed to help those with epilepsy-both reduce or eliminate carbohydrates.

They're effective, too, in the short term, thanks to cutting out (or cutting back) an entire food group. Low-carb and ketogenic-keto- diets are extremely popular for those who want to lose weight.
