If you’ve followed my blogging journey from the start, you’ll probably remember that I used to use whey protein powder in a lot of mydesserts and baking. It was a fun way to add proteinand flavour into recipes while keeping the calories low. I could get all kinds of wonderful flavours from chocolate, banana, strawberry cream to more unusual yet intriguing flavours likerhubarb & custard, tiramisu and sticky toffee pudding. Because they’re already sweetened (if you’ve trieda flavoured whey protein powder you’ll know how sweet they are!), using them in desserts and baking meant I didn’t have to add much sweetenerresulting ina sweet treat that’s much lower in calories.
How learning about nutrition changed how I view food
My diet and recipes have changed a lot since I started blogging. Learning about nutrition has changed my view on things like dairy and sugar-free sweeteners. I try to avoid them both as much as possible. I would rather sweeten something with dates any day over a sugar-free sweetener (although dates don’t always work in recipes). True dates have calories and sugar-free sweeteners don’t thus they must be‘more fattening’, but the truth isthe long-term effect of consuming sweeteners is not yet known. Dates area natural, whole fruit that’s full of fibre, minerals and nutrients and it guaranteed not to haram you (as long as you don’t eat an unreasonable amount!). So yes, I will always choose dates over sugar-free sweeteners.
I used to lookat how healthy a food isby looking at itsfat and calorie content. So to me, I would rather eat a rice cracker that had 50 calories than a banana that had over a 100 calories. To me that made sense because less calories meant I won’t put on weight. But weight doesn’t equal health and weight loss alone is not the only reason you should re-think what you eat. Sadly, this is how so many people view food and health.
Animal protein vs plant protein
Anyway, back to protein! There is no denying that protein is an essential part of our diet and that it makes up thebuilding blocksin our bodies, so ensuring you consume an adequate amount is crucial formaintaining good health. Too much protein however is not good, especially animal protein. Animal protein contains IGF-1, a cancer promoting growth hormone. One of the main reasons individuals who train eat a lot of protein, which is usually happens to be from an animal source, and take protein supplements is because it contains this growth hormonewhichpromotes fast muscle growth, but it also promotes cancer cell growth. So the more you eat of it the higher your chances of developing cancer. Plus research has shown that even if you exercise a lot, if you’re not an athlete training hours on end a day, you really don’t need to consume that much more protein.
Dairy and inflammation
Dairy is also pro-inflammatory. Chronic inflammation is another cancer trigger. To top it all off, the sweeteners found in many whey proteins are only adding fuel to the fire. For these reasons I chose to stopconsuming whey protein. Plant protein doesn’t have the same health concernsassociated with it and it doesn’t strain thekidneys the way animal protein does.
Where I get my protein from
I usually make sure I get my protein from whole foods like beans, pulses and tofuas well as other foodsyou wouldn’t usually associate with having muchprotein like oats and vegetables. It all adds up! But every now and then I like to add protein powder to my diet to make sure I’m meeting my dailyrequirements. Hemp or riceprotein is usually what I would go for.
These bars vegan hemp protein bars may not be super high in protein, especially when compared to your average shop bought protein bar, but they have a good amount as a snack and they would make a good post-workout snack since they also have a good amount of good carbs to help your body recover. You always have the option of adding more hemp protein and less oat flour if you like. Just be warnedthat hemp protein does have quite a strong flavour.
Vegan Hemp Protein Bars
2016-06-09 11:23:15
Serves 12
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp hemp protein
- 3/4 cup (90g) oat flour (use gluten-free if you're intolerant)
- 6 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (125g) peanut butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 80g 70-80% dark chocolate or chocolate of choice
Instructions
- Mix together the protein, oat flour and pinch of salt in a large bowl.
- Add the maple syrup, peanut butter and vanilla extract.
- Press into a cake tin covered with parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate and pour on top.
- Leave to chill in the fridge until set.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information (estimated per serving)
- Calories: 163 kcal
- Protein: 6 g
- Fat: 9.2 g
- Carbs: 16.9 g
- Fibre: 3 g
Nadia's Healthy Kitchen https://nadiashealthykitchen.com/
If you liked this vegan hemp protein bars recipe you may also like my Healthy Chocolate Banana Protein Smoothie
Nadia2016-06-19T17:05:41+01:00June 11, 2016|Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, Post Workout Meals, Protein bars, Protein recipes, snack, Sweet Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian|20 Comments
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20 Comments
Rebecca @ Strength and SunshineJune 11, 2016 at 10:57 pm - Reply
Real, beautiful ingredients is always the way to go! It makes you feel good inside and out….like these that put a smile on my face, taste buds, and tummy 😉
AimeeJune 11, 2016 at 11:23 pm - Reply
These look and sound fantastic! I can always count on your recipes for the perfect mix of healthy & delicious 🙂
CassieJune 12, 2016 at 12:39 am - Reply
I definitely agree with you: calories in vs. calories out equals weight loss but does NOT equal health. You could be drinking 100 calorie protein shakes and shed off fat but not meet your optimal micronutrient levels at the same time. I definitely love being creative in the kitchen and making my own healthy treats in that way! And these hemp bars look delicious!
Sisley WhiteJune 12, 2016 at 2:47 pm - Reply
I’ve just started looking into protein and this has answered a few questions I had. I am really tempted to try making this. Looks delicious.
Cathy @ Planet VeggieJune 12, 2016 at 5:37 pm - Reply
These look amazing. I’ve heard good things about hemp, so I’ll have a look out for some hemp protein.
ChocletteJune 12, 2016 at 8:18 pm - Reply
These look sensational Nadia and sound both healthy and delicious. I’ve not tried hemp protein powder, but I really like hemp milk. So glad you are learning about good nutrition. I’ve always liked my food to be as natural as possible so have avoided artificial sweeteners and low fat anything like the plague. Science seems to be finally catching up 😉
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy HappyJune 13, 2016 at 12:35 pm - Reply
These look beautiful! I have never made anything with hemp protein before, but these are tempting me to try. A great post workout snack.
Ashley@CookNourishBlissJune 14, 2016 at 9:14 pm - Reply
My view of what is healthy has definitely changed since I started blogging too (very similar to yours!). Love the sound of these bars! And the photos are so pretty!!
lucieJune 20, 2016 at 11:47 am - Reply
I love how healthy and delicious these sound – packed full of protein too!
Natalie | Feasting on FruitJune 21, 2016 at 2:04 pm - Reply
Who needs candy bars in a world where these beauties exist!?! They look so decadent, and I happen to have a big bag of hemp protein in my pantry that needs a purpose in life 😀 I totally agree on everything you said about nutrition too. We all live learn and make changes as we do! The calorie thing drives me the most crazy, what a completely useless form of deciding what to eat. A calorie is not a calorie, there is so much more to it than that!
CraigSeptember 25, 2016 at 3:38 am - Reply
Wow these look great! I’m definitely going to have to give these a whirl! Thanks for the article!
AnnaSeptember 25, 2016 at 6:13 pm - Reply
I LOVE these bars! Thanks so much for another brilliant recipe, Nadia!
ankit kumarMarch 11, 2017 at 5:31 pm - Reply
I tried this protein bar recipe and it tastes just awesome. I absolutely loved these recipes I also recommend everyone to try these recipes at least one time you will love it. Thanks for sharing these recipes.
Tanya MiletteJune 3, 2017 at 4:12 pm - Reply
I am not familiar with hemp protein powder. Do you make your own by grinding up hempseeds or is this something that is store bought?
NadiaJune 5, 2017 at 3:16 pm - Reply
I used store-bought, but you can use any type of protein to make these bars 🙂
Nate HigsOctober 10, 2017 at 12:38 am - Reply
6 tbsp maple syrup <<– am i reading that right?
that's about 100 grams if i am correct, that's a whole lot of sugar.NadiaOctober 10, 2017 at 5:06 pm - Reply
You can use water/milk if you prefer, but the texture and taste won’t be as good 🙂
Nicola TingeyOctober 17, 2017 at 2:18 pm - Reply
These are absolutely delicious Nadia. I made them tonight and am straight back here to give you the congrats you deserve. I added in a few seeds and some dried cranberries too 🙂
MichelleSeptember 16, 2018 at 9:16 pm - Reply
I was wondering what I could substitute the oat flour for? I have a child that is grain I tolerant but I would love to try this. Would Almond or Coconut flour work?
SherylJune 19, 2023 at 11:48 pm - Reply
These are amazing!!!! Love them! Thank you for the recipe!
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