Anonymous wrote:There are several brands of protein bars and shakes that have no artificial sugars. You just have to Google for them. Amazon has a selection. And now, most supermarkets have a selection, too.

If they are an athlete, they can have the protein bars or shakes before a workout/practice and they'll burn off the sugar.

They typically have erithritol and other sugar alcohols. Also bad.

Nah she’s right. She is seeking whole food protein sources not these chemical laden frankenfood bars. That’s way better for his health and the protein from real foods and not chemical crap is a better source for his body as well.

Anonymous wrote:It truly is hard to find foods with extra protein that don't contain a ton of sugar, or artificial sugars. Kind bars have more sugar than protein. Evolve shakes have stevia. My meat-hating, picky kid definitely struggles to get protein. We do a lot of dairy and eggs which is fine for now but as she gets older she'll need to branch out.

Teen athletes need carbs. Sugar is a carb. Artificial sweetener is a carcinogen, and nobody needs it.

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend whose child is an athlete, practice every day. She posted saying she can’t find ways to get enough protein in her child, since she avoids artificial sweeteners. So that eliminates a lot of protein bars, meats, protein supplements, etc, apparently. Wouldn’t the benefits of adequate protein outweigh the negative effects of the artificial sweeteners, particularly for a growing child who exerts themself? What am I missing?

I tell my teenage athletes not to eat artificial sweetener, and I don't buy (but don't object if they buy) protein powder or bars if they contain a lot of processed ingredients. I don't have trouble getting enough protein in them.

But I don't understand how meats have artificial sweetener in them, so maybe I am missing the point.

Anonymous wrote:It truly is hard to find foods with extra protein that don't contain a ton of sugar, or artificial sugars. Kind bars have more sugar than protein. Evolve shakes have stevia. My meat-hating, picky kid definitely struggles to get protein. We do a lot of dairy and eggs which is fine for now but as she gets older she'll need to branch out.

Are you looking at the breakfast bars? Because this is not true of the protein bars.

There are several brands of protein bars and shakes that have no artificial sugars. You just have to Google for them. Amazon has a selection. And now, most supermarkets have a selection, too.

If they are an athlete, they can have the protein bars or shakes before a workout/practice and they'll burn off the sugar.

She could bake her own protein bars.

Protein smoothies. Add in whey, use whole milk, yogurt (or is that considered a "bad"??) and vernier to naturally sweeten it.

Your "friend" (just admit it's you, Op) coukd just allow sweets in moderation.
She sounds controlling and over the top with her restrictions. It'll back fire

Anonymous wrote:Jerky, nuts, chickpeas

Just what a ravenous teen wants to eat after a tough sports practice...not.

Jerky, nuts, chickpeas

It truly is hard to find foods with extra protein that don't contain a ton of sugar, or artificial sugars. Kind bars have more sugar than protein. Evolve shakes have stevia. My meat-hating, picky kid definitely struggles to get protein. We do a lot of dairy and eggs which is fine for now but as she gets older she'll need to branch out.

I do like that we are paying attention to artificial sweeteners because they have crept in everywhere lately. It's so annoying to buy an herbal tea and notice that it has STEVIA in it! I love the idea of checking and alerting each other to alternatives.

I assume she posted asking for ideas? Good, that's what she should be doing. Although this doesn't seem that hard to figure out. Kind bars don't have artificial sweeteners, you can buy those anywhere. I don't eat meat, but that's news to me that meat contains artificial sweeteners??? I just looked in the fridge to see what kind of protein shakes my son has; the brand is Evolve, it's plant-based and there are no artificial sweeteners. This does not seem hard, I wonder where she shops??

I have a friend whose child is an athlete, practice every day. She posted saying she can’t find ways to get enough protein in her child, since she avoids artificial sweeteners. So that eliminates a lot of protein bars, meats, protein supplements, etc, apparently. Wouldn’t the benefits of adequate protein outweigh the negative effects of the artificial sweeteners, particularly for a growing child who exerts themself? What am I missing?