Why a Gastroenterologist Says She Quit Protein Bars After a Decade

Walk through nearly any grocery store and you’ll see packaged snacks promoting themselves as healthy choices. Labels such as “high fiber,” “low sugar,” and “keto friendly” are meant to suggest that you can curb hunger and stay on track with your wellness goals at the same time. For people balancing work, family errands and exercise, these convenient options can seem like an obvious choice.

Still, a health halo can hide the full picture. Many people try hard to pick nourishing foods, only to later deal with bloating, gas, cramping or an uneasy stomach, without realizing the snack they trusted may be the source. Since those symptoms often appear hours after eating, the connection is easy to miss.

The digestive system also contains trillions of microbes that react to what we eat. Some ingredients feed that ecosystem, while others can overwhelm it, especially when consumed every day. Even gut health experts sometimes discover that a routine they thought was beneficial was actually causing problems.

One gastroenterologist recently described the everyday snack she used to depend on for years before giving it up completely. Here’s what it is, why it can be hard on digestion and what she suggests eating instead.

The ‘Healthy’ Snack a Gastroenterologist Gave Up for Good

“While marketed as the ultimate healthy, convenient snack, many of these bars have hidden ingredients that wreak havoc on the gut,” Dr. Srivastava said.

One major issue is isolated fiber. Instead of fiber that comes naturally from whole foods, many bars use added fibers such as inulin. “When inulin hits the large intestine, gut bacteria ferment it extremely rapidly. This produces a sudden volume of gas, often leading to sharp abdominal pain and severe bloating—especially in people who aren’t used to high fiber intake,” she said.

Sugar alcohols can also create trouble. “Ingredients like erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol or maltitol are poorly absorbed in the small intestine. They draw water into the intestines, leading to loose stools, while simultaneously being fermented by colonic microbes, leading to more gas and bloating,” Dr. Srivastava said.

Erythritol has also drawn attention beyond digestive health. A 2023 study in Nature Medicine by Cleveland Clinic researchers found that higher blood levels of erythritol were linked to a greater risk of heart attack and stroke. The study showed an association rather than a cause-and-effect relationship, and more research is still needed.

The protein itself may be part of the problem as well. Dr. Srivastava said concentrated whey or soy isolates can sit heavily in the stomach and move through it more slowly, especially when combined with binding gums such as xanthan or guar gum, which may leave people feeling overly full or nauseated for longer.

What to Eat Instead

If you still want to choose a bar, it helps to inspect the ingredient list closely. “Look for bars that derive their protein naturally from whole-food sources—like hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, egg whites or nut butters rather than concentrated whey or soy protein isolates,” Dr. Srivastava said.

The same advice applies to fiber. “Choose bars where the fiber comes from real, intact whole foods, like oats, nuts, seeds and dates, rather than added, highly fermentable isolated fibers such as ‘chicory root fiber,’ ‘inulin,’ or ‘soluble corn fiber,’” she said.

A better option may be skipping the bar entirely. Nuts or seeds paired with fruit, dark chocolate or roasted chickpeas can provide protein and fiber in less processed forms.

And if digestive symptoms are interfering with your routine, seeing a gastroenterologist can help identify the underlying cause and guide treatment.

Adapted from Parade’s Gastroenterologists Say This ‘Healthy’ Snack Can Be Tough on Digestion by Emily Laurence Sardinha.

Sources

• Dr. Savita Srivastava, MD, Yale-trained gastroenterologist and microbiome specialist

• Dr. Neelima Reddy, MD, gastroenterologist, Gastroenterology Associates

• Witkowski M, et al. The artificial sweetener erythritol and cardiovascular event risk. Nature Medicine. 2023.