My high-protein bars made with anti-inflammatory whole foods

Protein bars are ultra processed, low in fibre and packed with additives that aren't great for your gut. So I went on a mission to try all the viral protein bar recipes on the internet that I could find and that's how I created the Doctor's Kitchen Protein Bar. 18 grams of protein, 7 grams of fibre, made from a mix of anti-inflammatory foods. You can batch it, freeze it and it doesn't require any baking skills. This is the protein bar I make every week as a medical doctor and nutritionist trying to look after my gains. A lot of people are probably going to say, what's the harm with protein bars? They're packed with protein, they're not that bad, but it's a daily staple and I think there's an opportunity to make it far superior and that's why we're using really good quality ingredients at every step of the way, starting with peanut butter. Now peanut butter has got a reputation of being high in fat and high in calories. It's actually one of the most nutrient-dense ingredients that we have. They're packed with mono and saturated fatty acids, B vitamins, even things like magnesium. And there's even some really interesting research around how peanuts can lower cholesterol. But it does depend on the quality of the peanut butter. 100% peanuts, no added sugar, no added oils and I'm on team crunchy. That way you're preserving a lot more of the whole structure of the peanuts and your body has to work that little bit harder to get the nutrients, which means you'll stay full and satisfied for longer. On the subject of nuts, I'm also going to be using ground almonds. Now almonds are one of my favorite ingredients. They're full of things like vitamin E, extra magnesium, and this is much better than using a refined white flour. It'll be a lot better for your blood sugar levels, plus this is going to add a lovely texture, a lovely chew to the protein bar. Now the secret to upgrading this protein bar, and I've never seen it in a protein bar recipe on the internet before, is chia seeds, a small ingredient that packs a big punch for your health. It's packed full of fiber, and let me be clear, gym bros need fiber too. And it's the type of fiber that forms a gel in your intestines, slows down the absorption of sugars into your bloodstream, and that might explain some of the multitude of benefits that we see when people eat more chia. It's great for your heart because it has plant-based short-chain omega-3 fatty acids like ALA, and it's also great for recovery because not only is it packed with protein, it's got anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds. You will not notice the flavor, but you will feel the benefit. The issue with chia that a lot of people find is that it gets stuck in your teeth a bit, which is why I'm going to mill it. Simply pull it into a blender for five seconds, and now you have a fine powder that mixes really well with the rest of the protein bar mixture. Commercial bars use synthetic binders. We're using a natural binder in the form of chia. This is actually great for your gut. Win-win. On the subject of synthetics, we are going to be using a protein powder. Now, before you click off, I know people aren't great fans of protein powders, but it's exceptionally hard to make a bar that's high enough in protein without using something like this. The key is choosing a high-quality protein powder. You've got two options. Whey, which is traditionally seen as the highest quality, but it will make this bar slightly chewier, and for some people it's harder to digest. Or plant-based protein powders, which is what I'm using. They're generally a blend of things like pumpkin, pea, and brown rice, and it will give a good biscuity texture to this bar, which is exactly what I'm looking for. Now, people still think whey is way better. But when you compare them side to side, they have a similar, if not equivocal, effect on something called muscle protein synthesis, which is essentially the signal to your muscles to grow. As long as there's a good amount of leucine in your plant-based protein powder, around 7 to 8 grams per 100 grams, the impact is going to be the same. Go for unflavored. This means you're not going to be getting sweeteners or other additives in your blend. Ensure that the brand you're buying from has done third-party testing. Unfortunately, a lot of plant-based blends have got contaminants in, like heavy metals. And I personally also choose organic. I want to try and mitigate any exposure to things like pesticides, particularly if I'm having something like this on a regular basis. This goes, this has got 125 grams. I have tested this recipe with and without maple syrup. And unfortunately, it does need a bit of sugar. Now, maple syrup is no better than brown sugar or white sugar. Sugar is sugar. The important thing is that you're limiting the amount of sugar that you're using. You could use molasses, something like date syrup. That won't be as sweet, but I find maple syrup gives a lovely earthiness, which is what we're looking for. And when you mix this, you'll see it starts clumping together. That's peanut butter mixing in with the chia and the almonds. What you're looking for is like this crumbly cookie texture. It's not sticky at all at the moment. It's quite dry. I'm going to add some water to make it form like a big dough. This is going to get the chia to come together and it's going to become slightly stickier, but still malleable to the touch. After mixing for about 60 seconds, you'll feel like you can kind of push it almost like this is like ice cream and you can scoop it like that. What the water does is it allows the chia to soak. And that way you're activating the chia as well. And you're getting all those benefits from the fiber. At this point, when the water's all been absorbed, you can see it's very malleable, almost like Play-Doh. It shouldn't stick to your hands. And now we can put this into a mold. I'm going to use my hands to really just push this mixture together. So it becomes one big homogenous mound of proteins. Part of your workout. There we go. Okay. I'm going to push that into the molds. We're going to get a spatula and just push from the center out to the sides. And that way we're going to get into every corner. If this isn't uniform on the top, don't worry, because we're going to add another layer in the form of dates. Now you've heard me already say sugar is sugar, but dates are interesting because you're going to get extra fiber as well as some extra antioxidants that are anti-inflammatory as well. Plus you're using this sugar in its whole form, which is better than things like syrups. We're going to add this to a bowl and add a little bit of hot water just to soften them. I'm just pounding it with the back of a spoon. And it's going to cause this lovely jam. By smashing the dates, we're able to use a thinner layer across multiple bars as well, which means ultimately we get less sugar. And dates as a post-workout fuel are fantastic. It's a natural form of energy, which is great for recovery after a workout. I'm going to scoop this, put it into the middle, and then push it out to the sides. The flavor of these, so much better than a supermarket protein bar, honestly. Could be fancy and put up my palette knife just to get a lovely... Oh, look at that. The pinnacle of protein bar baking. This could be on Bake Off. This goes into the fridge for at least an hour. You can put it overnight if you want. My fridge is full of protein bars. Where am I going to put it? And next, we're going to have fun with toppings. When you're ready, set up a bain-marie, and we're going to use one of my favorite ingredients, dark chocolate. Now, it feels indulgent, but trust me, I think dark chocolate deserves to be a health food in your cupboards. They are absolutely chock-full of flavanols that can support your brain health, lower blood pressure, which means it supports your heart health, and it's a prebiotic, which means it's looking after your gut. The key is looking for good quality dark chocolate. And when I say dark, I mean 85% plus. It should be low in sugar, free of oils and additives, and organic. I also opt for brands that have been shown to be low in heavy metals, which unfortunately is something that can be an issue for many chocolate manufacturers. This is the bit in the recipe where you need to work pretty fast and have everything organized. So whilst this is melting, make sure everything is prepped before you dip your chocolate. Lining a baking tray so when my bars are ready, we can put them straight in the fridge. Chocolate. Broken up our chocolate. I'm going to go straight in. This is my favorite bit. Honestly, the smell in your kitchen is going to be amazing. It's been about an hour. Everything is a nice uniform block. This is where I'm going to mark out exactly where I want to do the protein bars. This mixture will make 12 servings. You've got to work really quickly here, okay? So if you've got some fancy tongs, you don't have to use these. Dunk it in. Better to just get your hands involved. When they're a little bit soft is the perfect time to top them. That way your topping is actually going to stick. First one I've got is coconut, pistachio, Dubai chocolate vibes, quinoa puffs. You can use any puffs, but quinoa are slightly higher in protein and goji berries. Lovely color. I gave up on my fancy tweezers and just used my hands, but the important thing is I'm dipping with this left hand and keeping this all messy with the melted chocolate and I'm keeping a dry hand so I can do my toppings at the same time and I'm not getting everything all messy. It's been about an hour. These are looking glorious. This is going to last me about a month. I'm going to pop them in Tupperware. You can freeze these, pop them in the fridge. Because I don't have a protein bar every single day, they will go really far. The first time you make this, it might feel like there's loads of moving parts, but then it becomes like second nature. Oh my god. You will not believe this is healthy for you. This feels like an indulgent chocolate bar. It's incredible. There is no excuse to be buying the crappy expensive bars that you buy in the supermarkets when you can make this yourself. Bars are a great quick fix, but the best way to add protein to your diet is with proper meals and you can find a high protein recipe right here in the next video.