Protein Bar/Shake flavors

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Why do almost all protein bars, shakes, and whathaveyou have such gross flavors? Almost all of them are either chocolate or peanut butter, and most are the really heavy and gross versions of both substances. I've tried a handful of them, and they're usually like eating a candy bar made out of chocolate and cardboard, or drinking a bottle of Hershey's syrup. I also notice that most of these things are chock-full of both fat and sugar, which seems counter-intuitive considering most people who care about eating more protein also care about their general diet and health.

This is just an enigma that I've never been able to figure out. For now I think I'll stick to my greek yogurt, but I would like some other options for a change now and then in my mid-day snacks.

Well, if you goto Walmart you won't find good powder. Clif makes good protein bars that don't have artificial junk in them. If you want good powder, goto Vitamin Shoppe. They still have powder that has junk in in, but they also have good powder that's sweetened with stevia and won't have that much sugar, if any sugar. I believe it'll still have some sugar, but a very small amount; about less than 1 gram per serving. Honestly your body needs fat, it just depends on the type of fat. If you aren't getting enough fat in your diet, you will start to develop hormonal problems.

I use a brand called Vega. Their vega-sport series of powders have a great macronutrient balance if you are looking to supplement protein rather than replace meals. They also have good flavours in both bars and powders.

My favorite thing about this brand is that it is made from good food - all plant based (so its good for health & the environment). It is also wheat/dairy/soy/sugar...free, so it works for most restrictive diets (which many on the spectrum adhere to). Because it is made from a wide variety of whole foods it also has a better micronutrient profile than other powders I have tried (covers a lot of amino acid and mineral requirements)

Good luck with your search - hope this helps (and that I am not steering you towards something you don't end up liking!)

I don't know if you have this in the US but here in the uk we have a can/bottled nutritional drink called Nurishment (comes in Peanut, Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Raspberry, Banana and Mango) and they say that sugar is needed as a balance for the overall product to work the way it should, as long as you have a balanced diet alongside it. Here's a sample of the nutritional information:

Per Can (Chocolate)

Energy: 408 calories
Carbs: 57g
Protein: 20g
Fat: 6.8g
Almost 100% all vitamins (apart from D and E)

This could be a waste of time and you not being able to have it delivered to your country.

I used to be able to get a protein bar that was flavored like strawberry cheesecake and was real good, so of course I can no longer find it.

True Nutrition is a good brand, but you're going to pay a lot for shipping. Vitamin Shoppe is your best spot when it comes to protein powder.

I wasn't suggesting get the drink I was telling them about, just get whatever alternative you have available in your country, I do drink them to try to gain weight but it doesn't seem to work, but I do have my RDA of protein every day, maybe my body is at the point where i'm not losing or gaining weight at the same time but keeping to a balance of 2500 calories per day on average. I get most of the protein from milk though, some people say milk isn't a valid source of protein, some 'professionals' like GP's and nutritionists say dairy, meat and fish all contain sources of protein whichever it may be. I've tried bars, and whey protein, also both don't work and are very much expensive, and they taste horrible so maybe thats just one reason not to have them.