Cereal bars, yes, but better! Are we really sure about that?
“What do I take when traveling so as not to lose my muscles? » On TikTok, the influencer and athlete Aline Dessine, followed by 2.5 million subscribers, reveals her favorite products to maintain your muscles: creatine, magnesium, and especially protein, in powder and in the form of snacks, sports nutrition brand Bulk with whom she made this video.
The young woman, a regular at the gym, is not the only one to favor these protein-enriched food supplements. If protein powder, known as whey, dominates the market, bars are becoming increasingly popular, and will bring in $6.5 billion in 2022, according to market research company Global Market Insights. More practical than whey which has to be prepared (and which doesn’t make you want it), easily transportable, with chocolate, peanut, blueberry, cookie or caramel flavor…, protein bars are invading gyms and supermarkets. and even gas stations.
“I lost 70 kg in eight months”
Formerly the prerogative of athletes, these augmented snacks are consumed by a wider public, seduced by their promises: “People think they are doing something good for their health” when they eat these snacks, explains to New York Times Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at New York University. Because, in the collective imagination, proteins are associated with muscles and athletic bodies. An imagination that sells, since in France, 1/4 of French people who do not practice any sporting activity consume protein bars, reveals a study by the company L’ObSoCo published in April 2024.
And while in 2022, 43% of people aged 18 and over were overweight worldwide, compared to 25% in 1990, according to the World Health Organization, the protein-enriched treat gives the impression of being overweight. pleasure, while providing essential elements to your body. After stopping sport and falling “into the cycle of junk food and inactivity”, coach Rayan Leg gained 70 kg in two years. But he decided to take charge, by joining the gym again and eating a more balanced diet. Results: “I lost more than 70 kg in eight months! » rejoices the young man in front of the camera, in an Instagram reel published by My Protein France, followed by 252,000 subscribers. A promo code offers discounts to those who order from the site offering protein bars and preparations for cooking your own breakfasts and enhanced snacks.
Sugar bars, bulges for the abs!
If sports nutrition brands are invading social networks and increasing collaborations with more or less famous influencers, it is no coincidence: they mainly target GenZ, looking for healthier options. On TikTok, the hashtag #healthyrecipes has 1.4 million videos. No more good old Mars or the packet of M&M’s, it’s good news for our health. But protein bars are not necessarily more virtuous: most contain a lot of sugar and are only ultra-processed products presented as healthy and aimed at our need for comfort food.
