Healthy nutrition & snacks

Olympia's Healthy Nutrition category covers three groups: protein bars, snacks and foods, and peanut and nut butters.

• Ready-to-eat protein bars
• Packaged snacks and foods
• Peanut butter and nut butters

A protein bar is a ready-to-eat solid snack while a shake is mixed from powder; both add protein, and the difference is mostly convenience and cost.

• Bars travel well and need no shaker or water
• Shakes usually cost less per gram of protein
• Bars often carry more carbohydrate and fibre, so check the label

Treat a protein bar as a snack rather than a full meal, because most bars are built around protein and calories instead of complete meal nutrition.

• Useful between meals or straight after training
• If a product is a meal replacement, the label will say so
• Speak to a doctor before replacing meals regularly

Look at three lines on the label: protein per bar, total sugars, and calories, all read against the stated serving size.

• Protein per bar, not per 100 g
• Total sugars, including added sugar
• Calories per bar against your daily target
• Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight

Oil sitting on top of natural peanut butter is normal separation, not spoilage; stir it back through before the first use.

• Stir the whole jar until the texture is even
• Storing the jar upside down between uses reduces separation
• Refrigerating after opening slows separation and firms the texture
• Follow the storage line printed on the jar

For the office or travel, pick shelf-stable items that need no preparation: protein bars, single-serve nut butters and packaged snacks from Healthy Nutrition.

• Bars and single-serve packs are the easiest to carry
• Watch the storage temperature on the pack during summer
• Keep a shaker in the bag if you also carry powder

In a calorie deficit the useful snacks are the ones you can count, so choose single-serve packs with the calories printed per pack.

• Higher protein snacks tend to be more filling
• Nut butters are calorie dense, so weigh the portion
• Count the snack inside your daily total, not on top of it

Note: Set your daily total with the free calculators first.

No. Olympia sells food supplements and sports nutrition to customers aged 18 and over, and they are not intended for children without a doctor's advice.

• Site terms require customers to be at least 18 years old
• Speak to a paediatrician about a child's nutrition
• The terms also exclude pregnancy and breastfeeding without medical advice