Superfoods are awesome foods. I am sure that much is obvious to you. However, you probably have not put much thought into why they are so awesome. Why is it that people seem to praise them universally? What is it about superfoods that enable their popularity to continue growing over time? Well, the bottom line is pretty straightforward: Superfoods enable you to lose weight while at the same time boosting your overall health and providing you with a tremendous amount of energy. In other words, they are kind of like the Swiss Army knife of food.

We, at Ironfit Thailand, certainly know this and pack our Protein Bars with Superfoods.

It is easy to eat very one-dimensional food. For example, if you eat a lot of rice, you are really only getting one thing. Energy, that is it, because rice is essentially stripped-down sugar. It is white for a reason. It basically has no other nutrient. Its only value to your body is that it provides enough sugar for your body to break down so you can get energy. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Well, the problem is if you are like the typical American who sits in front of a screen for hours on end, eating a lot of rice, mashed potatoes, bread or pasta, for that matter, it is going to be bad for you.

You have to understand that when your body, particularly your liver, processes carbohydrates like rice, potatoes and flour, it does three things. Either it wastes it, turns it into energy or, worst of all, stores that energy. The last time I checked, human beings are not plants. Plants, of course, store the energy of the sun in the form of starch or sugar.

Human beings are animals. Our cellular structure is very different from that of plants. Accordingly, we store excess energy in the form of fat. That is right. A lot of that rice you have been eating will be stored in the form of a spare tire around your midsection. The same goes with potato chips, French fries, pasta, bread. You name it.

This is why you superfoods are so popular. They give you energy like carbs, but they do not have the baggage of carbs. They give you protein. They give you fiber. They give you energy. In other words, you have all the good stuff, but you leave behind a lot of the bad stuff.

You can then use superfoods to get the energy you need to hit the gym consistently or run in the morning regularly. You can use superfoods to give you the protein mass you need to develop a lean muscular mass so you look great, and you can use superfoods to remain healthy. By remaining fit, of course, means your body regulates fat properly.

This may seem like to be good to be true. This might seem like you are packing all these amazing health benefits into one small compact form, but that is precisely what is happening with superfoods. They are very light. They are very small. They are packed, but they deliver quite a bit of value.

Not surprisingly, a lot of protein bars out there are using superfoods or superfood combinations to produce healthier bars. Not only do these bars taste good, but when you eat them after a workout, they help your muscles repair. They give you the protein that you need to help grow and maintain and enlarge your muscle mass. They give you energy and best of all, they taste great. They keep you fuller longer, and they keep you healthier. Sounds awesome, right?

So, with all those, superfoods have to hit these three targets, and three ingredients for each of these key requirements are ideal candidates. Of course, depending on the protein bar you choose, they might substitute alternative ingredients but for the most part, these three ingredients make the best combination when it comes to solid superfood-based protein bars. If you want to get healthier, and you want to do it the smart and tasty way, look for these three ingredients. They are non-negotiable.

Ingredient #1

Cashew Nuts

Cashews have awesome texture. They are not very tough, and they are not too crunchy, but they can actually be quite creamy. They also have a very nice flavor. They are not too mellow, but they are not pungent or too strong either. For these reasons, cashew nuts make for a great superfood component in any healthy protein bar. You get an amazing combination of high fiber, nice texture and an overall awesome nutrient profile. You get an awesome set of healthy fats with cashew nuts as well as vital vitamins.

Ingredient #2

High Dietary Fiber and Protein

Look for ingredients that are packed with fiber. It does not really matter which specific ingredient it is as long as it has high dietary fiber content with a fairly decent protein profile and very little fat. We are looking at oats and pumpkin seeds.

The reason why these two ingredients are awesome is because they give you a lot of texture. It does not feel like you are just chewing on leaves and rocks. You know how nasty that is? You know how unappealing that could be? When you are eating protein bars you do not want to feel like you are in prison being forced to eat garbage by the warden. You do not want to feel like you are punishing yourself. You do not want to feel like you are depriving yourself.

Well, when you eat protein bars with a nice amount of oats and pumpkin seeds, you feel rewarded. They do not feel nasty. They do not feel dry. You get a nice amount of crunchiness and texture, but the best part to all of this is that you feel fuller longer.

Why? When high dietary fiber comes into contact with the fluids in your intestinal tract, it expands. This expansion has an important consequence. It sends satiety signals to your brain. Your brain does not feel as hungry as before. The result is that you eat less.

As I mentioned above, if you want to lose weight, you have to either move around more or not eat as much. Ideally, you should do both, but the moment you eat food that makes you want to eat less, you are in a good position to lose weight. Dietary fiber does that. You feel fuller for a longer period of time.

The protein component of oats and pumpkin seeds helps you with your muscle mass. The great thing about this type of protein is its very lean plant-based protein. There are many types of protein out there. Make sure that you look for plant-based protein that has pretty much all the amino acids needed to synthesize human muscle.

Ingredient #3

Raisins

I guess you could substitute any kind of dried fruit here. However, I am extremely partial to raisins because when it comes to compactness, flavor, vitamin profile and overall portability, it is truly very hard to find a worthwhile contender to raisins. It is undeniably in a class all its own. You get a tremendous amount of texture. It is very chewy it tastes great and, most of all, a number of people are familiar with raisins.

It is not like some sort of alien ingredient that just made the scene in the United States. It is not like durian. Believe me; you do not want to smell one. It tastes like a piece of heaven, but it smells like hell. Anyway, raisins do not have an offensive smell; they taste great; they are very portable; they are extremely handy, and they are packed with an awesome range of vitamins. What is not to love?

Keep the three vital ingredients above in mind if you are serious about superfood-based healthy protein bars. If you are looking to get buffed; if you are trying to be fit; if you are planning to take your body tone to the next level, you have to have the appropriate tools. The right protein bars can help make your journey to a better and healthier you a much shorter and a more pleasant one.