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Or are they just glorified candy bars?
By Dani Blum
In the late 1980s, two distance runners who were living together in the Bay Area blended vitamins, oat bran, milk protein and corn syrup in their kitchen, concocting what would become a PowerBar, one of the first modern protein bars. By the mid 1990s, it was a phenomenon — what one writer for The New York Times called “a high octane snack for yuppies and fitness freaks.”
Today, though, protein bars are everywhere, and their branding has expanded far beyond exercise fanatics. They’re presented as healthy snacks for when you’re on the go or even as part of a self-care routine. Grocery stores, gas stations, bodegas, gyms and pharmacies now carry colorfully wrapped hunks of whey protein, marketed as energy-supplying health foods, despite coming in flavors like cookie dough and lemon cake. The global market for protein bars is growing quickly and expected to swell to more than $2 billion by the end of 2026, according to the financial analysis site, MarketWatch.
“We’ve just gone completely off the rails with protein in recent years,” said Hannah Cutting-Jones, a food historian and director of the food studies program at the University of Oregon.
Manufacturers of these products would have you believe that they can improve your health and your workout. The website for Clif Bar shows people hurling kettlebells or racing through the rain; Gatorade describes its protein bar as “scientifically designed for athletes.” Others seem to brand themselves under the squishy umbrella of wellness. Their marketing features photos and videos of serene women writing in journals, with tips for preventing burnout on the side.
Despite the advertising, though, nutrition experts say that protein bars aren’t all that healthy.
“You can put ‘keto’ or ‘protein’ on a candy bar and sell it, and people don’t even question it,” said Janet Chrzan, an adjunct assistant professor of nutritional anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Protein is an important part of our diet.
There’s no question that our bodies need protein for building, maintaining and repairing muscles, said Anthony DiMarino, a registered dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Human Nutrition. Protein also makes up our hair, skin, nails and organs; and the amino acids in proteins help our brains function. Perhaps because of that, protein stands alone in the world of wellness. Over the last 40 years, fad diets that vilify sugars, fats and carbs have come in and out of fashion. But many of the most popular diets, past and current, prioritize protein, associating it with weight loss, Dr. Chrzan said. “We value protein so much that it’s the central thing on our plate,” she said.
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