Scientists are warning that a popular ‘healthy’ snack loved by dieters could be making people gain weight

Are you working out at the gym every week and eating better than ever, only to find that the numbers on the scale aren’t moving?

The ‘healthy’ snacks you eat to improve your results could be to blame.

After all, Spanish scientists have warned that foods marketed as high in protein, such as muesli bars and yoghurt substitutes, are actually packed with fat.

They are said to make muscles stronger and more resilient, but they can actually cause consumers to pile on unwanted, excess pounds.

The researchers, who analyzed more than 500 products, found that only one in ten could actually be classified as healthy.

More than a quarter contained high levels of free sugars – sugars added to food and drink that can cause feelings of hunger – and saturated fat, while a fifth contained sweeteners.

“Consumers attribute healthy properties to foods with protein claims,” say scientists from Miguel Hernández University in Elche, in southeastern Spain.

‘This perception is incorrect. Consumers may not be aware of the high health risk posed by other nutrients in foods with protein claims.”

The UK is already one of the largest markets for added protein in Europe, with sales of almost £640 million in 2020 alone.

The UK protein industry could be worth £6.8 billion a year by 2035, according to analysis by the charity Green Alliance.

In the study, scientists examined the protein claims of 561 products, including plant-based meat alternatives (68.2 percent), snack bars (35.3 percent) and protein-rich yogurt or dairy desserts (21.3 percent).

About 90.8 percent were classified as ‘less healthy’ according to the World Health Organization-backed ‘Nutrient Profile Model’.

This is a scoring system where points are awarded based on nutritional value.

They also found that bars with protein claims had lower carbohydrate content but had 48 percent more saturated fat.

Eating too much saturated fat can make you gain weight.

Too much fat in your diet, especially saturated fats, can also raise your cholesterol, which increases your risk of heart disease.

Said to make muscles stronger and more resilient, high-protein products can actually cause consumers to pile on unwanted, excess pounds

The Nova system, developed by scientists in Brazil more than a decade ago, divides food into four groups based on the amount of processing it has undergone. Unprocessed foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs and meat. Processed culinary ingredients – which are not usually eaten alone – include oils, butter, sugar and salt

Milk and dairy drinks contain a lower amount of total and saturated fat, and yogurt and fermented milk contain a lower amount of carbohydrates and sugar.

But milk substitutes with protein claims contain more total fat compared to milk substitutes without protein claims, the researchers noted.

While these foods may be helpful for certain groups who need to increase their protein intake, such as the elderly, “foods with protein claims are unhealthy,” they concluded.

‘This is particularly serious because consumers are often unaware of this risk and instead perceive these foods as healthy.’

Consumers should check the nutritional value and ingredient list of any high-protein product before purchasing it, she added.

It comes amid the growing popularity of high-protein diets linked to the rise of gym culture.

Fitness and nutrition experts still disagree on the optimal amount of protein you should consume daily, but medical authorities say you should aim for around 0.75 grams of serving per kilogram of body weight.

For the average British woman this is 45 grams and for men 55 grams – roughly two portions of meat, fish, nuts or tofu per day.

According to the British Heart Foundation, a portion of protein should fit in the palm of your hand.

However, many Britons already exceed their daily protein intake.