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I love a good protein bar. There are constantly new varieties coming out on the market and they all seem to have an advertised benefit that fits into nearly everyone’s lifestyle. If you’re looking for a low carb bar, there is one for you. If you’re looking for a naturally-sweetened bar, there’s one for you. If you’re looking for a vegan bar, there’s one for you, too! I decided to make it a point to, every once in a while, buy 3-5 random bars and do a little review.
In this post, I’ll be reviewing the 5 I picked out on my last shopping trip, but I’m going to begin with a protein bar shopping guide that I think will be helpful when choosing bars considering there are so many!
Here’s an in-depth breakdown of my tips:
- Make sure there is a balance of macronutrients. There are bars that will have a ratio of protein/carbohydrate/fat that’s out of whack. Since protein bars are meant for on-the-go nutrition, there isn’t really a reason that it shouldn’t have a balance of all three since that’s what you’d want for a snack or meal. Bars that contain nuts will typically be higher in fat, but try to stick to 4-9 grams of fat. Added sugar in the form of dates, sucrose, honey, etc. will increase carbohydrate content. Stick to a bar with less than 30g carbohydrate. Finally, protein is what we want the most anyway from a bar! You don’t want to be eating it for nothing, so try to find one with at least 10-15g protein.
- Be aware of artificial and added sweeteners. This is a double tip, but both regarding sweeteners are important. Many bars have added artificial sweeteners/sugar alcohols to increase sweetness without increasing carbohydrate. Sometimes, artificial sweetener overload causes bloating and gas! Some examples are: sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame. Alternatively, added sweeteners will add calories. This can be in the form of “natural” sugars such as dates or honey, but also plain, processed sugars like sucrose, brown rice syrup, or corn syrup. (< That’s not a full list!).
- Look for a bar with adequate fiber. Why not? Many of us don’t get enough fiber throughout the day, and if we are eating a protein bar chances are we are skipping a meal or snack. We want bars to do as much for us as possible, so one with 4-5 g fiber will be useful to contribute to healthy digestion and a healthy gut. It also slows down digestion, keeping you fuller for longer.
- Know what the serving size is- whole or half? I believe many bars are made to be one serving, but you never know! Sometimes manufacturers are sneaky, and eating an entire bar can set you back 400+ calories. Even if the bar is one serving and it’s 300+ calories, consider eating half if you’re only having a quick pre-workout snack.
- Assess the quality of the ingredients list. I’m not 100% sold on the fact that having a long list of ingredients is a bad thing. My homemade protein bars have almost 20 ingredients! Just make sure they’re quality ingredients. If you’re reading through it and you can barely pronounce most of them, or there are things in there you’ve never heard of, maybe find another. That being said, manufacturers list ingredients by weight, so there could be 3-4 different types of sweeteners included throughout the list.
OK, here is my short review of the last 5 I picked up! Note, I’m picking these randomly. Some I’ve had before and some I’m getting just to test.
PureFit: Peanut Butter Crunch
This one was a new one to me! The texture was so creamy, it was like I was eating peanut butter right out of the jar. It was a great snack size, too. It had 230 calories, 8g fat, 24g carbohydrate, 18g protein, 3g fiber and 16g sugar.
PROS: High protein, texture was creamy and delicious, good calorie snack size, soy protein
CONS: Sugar is the first ingredient, fiber is low
RATING: 4/5
One Bar: Almond Bliss
The first time I had this bar, I thought it tasted like an Almond Joy! The texture is super chewy, and the chocolate coating definitely makes it taste like it’s worse for you than it is. I’ve always liked One bars, and I think this is more of a traditional “protein” bar approach than the PureFit. It had 230 calories, 9g fat (7 saturated), 22g carbohydrate, 20g protein, 8g fiber and 1g sugar.
PROS: Taste, high protein and fiber, appropriate carbohydrate
CONS: Low sugar due to sugar alcohols, very high in saturated fat, added preservatives/stabilizers
RATING: 3.5/5
Robert Irvine FITCRUNCH Snack Bar: Chocolate Peanut Butter
I remember eating this quickly the day I took that photo and forgot to take one of the label! I really do like this bar, though it’s not going to get my best rating in terms of ingredients. It’s marketed as the world’s first 6-layer baked bar and you can definitely taste them! It has a chewy/crunchy texture that’s really unique. It had 190 calories, 8g fat, 14g carbohydrate, 16g protein, 1g fiber and 3g sugar.
PROS: Snack size meant low calorie and low carbohydrate, consistency is different, does not taste artificial, whey protein
CONS: Very low fiber, high fat to carbohydrate ratio, contains many stabilizers, preservatives, artificial colors, several sugars and sugar substitutes
RATING: 3/5
NuGo Slim: Crunchy Peanut Butter
Going to keep it real with you guys: I threw this one out before I finished it. It was dry, crumbly and tasted very artificial. The company website says they don’t use any maltitol (sugar alcohol) but maybe they should have because it wasn’t good. It had 180 calories, 7g fat, 18g carbohydrate, 17g protein, 7g fiber and 3g sugar.
PROS: Vegan, good macronutrient ratio, good snack size
CONS: Tasted artificial, dry texture probably due in part to microcrystalline cellulose, which is an anti-caking and bulking agent found in supplements, gluten free so additives for consistency were added
RATING: 1/5
OATMEGA: Chocolate Mint
I got one of these bars as a sample after a race once, and kept the wrapper to look for it at the grocery store. I love chocolate mint as a flavor combo, so this was right up my alley. The texture of the bar was something similar in terms of the crunchy/chewy combination the Robert Irvine bar achieved. It’s called ‘oatmega’ as a nod to the omega-3s added in the form of fish oil, which you obviously can’t taste because that would be disgusting. It had 200 calories, 7g fat, 22g carbohydrate, 14g protein, 7g fiber and 5g sugar.
PROS: Taste, macronutrient ratio, added benefit of omega-3, sugar isn’t listed in the first 5 ingredients, no sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners/colors/preservatives
CONS: Can’t think of one!
RATING: 5/5
Hope that was useful! Keep in mind, a con for all the bars would be cost. Protein bars are notoriously expensive ($2-$3 per bar) and that can break your budget if you’re buying them weekly. Let me know your favorites and I’ll check them out!
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