Last month I tried Quest Bars. These bars messed me up and here’s what happened. I thought Quest Bars were good for me, but I was wrong.
I have not had any kind of protein powders or protein bars since last year. I started a month or so ago taking collagen, but I do not take it every day.
I am a firm believer in getting my primary protein from real sources like (eggs, fish, and chicken).
Nevertheless, I decided to try Quest Bars because many people in the low-carb high-fat community say they are good.
Plus, when I see popular online personalities push Quest products, I feel comfortable trying the products.
Purpose of this Post
The purpose of this post is not to bash Quest Bars, but to tell you about what happened to me.
I realize that most people do not have any problems with Quest Bars (my husband loves them and has no problems), but then there are some of us, myself included, who cannot eat them at all.
All Good in the Beginning
In the beginning, I enjoyed eating Quest Bars and I did not have any issues. I probably consumed the bars over a 3-4-week period.
But it did not take long for me to notice that I had to stop eating the bars.
Shortly after eating Quest Bars I started having certain symptoms, but I did not think the Quest Bars were the cause of the symptoms.
I did a little experiment and discovered the bars were the culprit.
Note: I stopped eating Quest Bars and the symptoms stopped. Re-introduced the bars into my diet symptoms returned.
What Quest Bars Did to Me
Crashed: I would get sleepy after consuming the bars and I never have sugar crashes. I also had spikes in my glucose.
I follow a keto way of eating and my glucose readings were in the high 80s and middle 90s after eating these bars. Not a good thing when you are trying to get fat adapted.
Sneezing, Runny, and Stuffy Nose: Okay, I used to have seasonal allergies, but since changing my diet I have not had any seasonal allergy symptoms.
I did not want to believe that the Quest Bars were to blame, so I stopped eating them and noticed my symptoms stopped. As soon as I had a Quest Bar, the symptoms returned.
Upset Gut: In the beginning my gut health was good, but the longer I consumed Quest Bars the more I noticed my gut/digestive system was out of sorts.
Here’s what happened:
- Diarrhea
- Bloating
- Constant Gurgling in my Stomach.
This was the worst experience because I do not play with my gut health. I stopped eating Quest Bars and the gut issues improved.
I wanted to see if the Quest Bars really caused my digestion issues, so I ate a half of a bar one evening. I ate the second half the next day.
Guess what happened? Diarrhea and stomach gurgling. There is no doubt that these bars wreak havoc on my gut and I will not eat them anymore.
At this time, I am trying to get my gut back like it was before Quest Bars came in the picture.
Note: When in doubt hit up Google. I searched to see if other people had gut issues after eating these protein bars and I found a few.
Final Words
Just because people rave about products and push products does not mean the product is healthy for you to consume.
Real, whole food is always the best food to consume. Nothing can ever replace the real thing.
I will leave protein bars alone and stick with Fat Bombs.
Lesson learned.
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Evelyn Parham is a mind body eating coach and writer in Greenville, GA. She blogs about well-being, personal growth, and beauty. Learn more
I had a similar situation with Almond milk.
The problem is carregeenan .
It’s a seaweed used to thicken products.
they do not have it in all Quest Bars but some do.
I’ve seen it in ready to drink protein shakes and Almond milk
off brands.
It will mess me up everytime.
Hi Kent, thanks for sharing!
Evelyn, that sounds traumatic!
I really love your final takeaway because it is the truth. Real foods are always going to be the best.
A lot of the time (especially in the health / nutrition industry), there are a lot of gimmicks out there. “High-protein” this and “low-carb” that, non-fat this and sugar-free that… a lot of the time, it just comes down to marketing.
It’s sad to say, but everyone has got to earn a living and this space has proven to be an easy way for companies to make a quick buck at the consumers expense. I always say to be careful of what you are putting in your body and be knowledgeable about the claims that are being made.
Nothing is ever going to be better for your body than keeping it simple and eating natural, minimally processed foods.
Thanks for sharing your experience 🙂
Hi Kaitlin,
Yeah, it was traumatic.
You are right about the marketing and about companies.
“Nothing is ever going to be better for your body than keeping it simple and eating natural, minimally processed foods.” <<---Yes to this! 🙂 Thanks so much, Kaitlin for stopping by and commenting! P.S. I visited your blog and I really like it.
Thank you! Glad you like it 🙂 I always love reading other nutrition blogs.
Evelyn, this is just one of the reasons I adore and respect you. You always speak your truth in such an elegant way. 🙂
Thank you, Ms. Carolyn!!
Thank you for posting this Evelyn. It makes me take note of what I’m eating getting back to logging and monitoring intake and symptoms. It’s amazing when you can pin point and narrow down what may be the culprit. So glad you found outhem it was the bars. All bars do that to me not sure why or what ingredients it is but it’s so adverse I just stay away.
On a side note keto is really starting to make sense to me 😉
Hi TeaJae,
Yeah, if you suspect a certain food causes you a problem, cut it out of your diet for a few days and then re-introduce it back into your diet. Pay attention if you have any symptoms.
It could be a number of things. It could be the type of sweetener, fiber, and even the protein, but who knows?
Protein is not an ideal snack for a person who is doing keto and I knew better. A high-fat snack is always best.
That’s good to know! 🙂
Enjoy your weekend!