Protein bars. Most people have a love or hate relationship with them. For me I LOVE some and HATE others. And while I like to majority of the time get my calories/macros from real food, you sometimes just can’t beat the convenience of a protein bar. And I found myself over the last few months trying quite a few because I was traveling or working with long breaks between meals so a protein bar helped me keep “Hanger” at bay
Another reason I like protein bars (especially when traveling) is if I’m eating out a lot I can find myself having trouble hitting my protein and fiber goals. And a lot of bars have 10g+ of fiber in them (you can read about why fiber is important here). So when I’m eating meals at home that I prepared myself I normally have a good amount of veggies, fruits, and grains that are packed with natural fiber that I don’t need to get it from a bar or other wraps or breads that have fiber added to them. But when traveling I may be enjoying more fun foods that are less nutrient dense and have less fiber, so having a bar that’s high in fiber can be great to keep my hunger levels in check and keep everything regular. But there are also bars that have no added fiber, which actually makes them easier to have for days I am eating mostly nutrient dense foods but need the convenience of quick protein. Because having TOO MUCH fiber is definitely a thing that can lead to stomach discomfort (and you can read about what happened to me when I tried to be Vegan for a day and had WAY TOO MUCH fiber!)
But speaking of quick protein, my last reason I like to incorporate protein bars into my days is for a quick source of protein and carbs before a workout. While I try to eat a fairly substantial meal of protein and carbs that’s relatively low in fat around an hour to an hour and a half before a workout for adequate energy to fuel the workout (and yes, that means I don’t take any type of pre-workout…except for black coffee it’s earlier in the day) But sometimes I will have my meal and get caught up working on something while letting it digest and then find myself about to workout while eating 3 hours previously. In this case having a quick digesting protein bar 30 minutes before a workout can give me a boost of energy to fuel my workout.
You will also note below that I took the liberty of correcting the label calorie claims of these protein bars to have the ACTUAL calorie amounts. This is where “Net Carbs” comes in, which you can read about here. Because most bars have a lot of fiber in them companies are allowed to disregard those calories and round them to have a more even “appealing” number. This is why it’s always important to always just count macros instead of calories because protein will always be 4 kcal per gram, carbohydrates will always be 4 kcal per gram, and dietary fats will always be 9 kcal per gram.
So now you know why and how I like to incorporate Protein Bars, so here are my faves with pictures, macro counts, macro usage worthiness, when I like to use them most and links for where you can purchase each bar. I didn’t count the inaccurate labeling towards my reviews because all are guilty (even though some are worse than other *cough*Quest*cough*). And at the bottom I have a list of bars I DO NOT recommend (but no pics because they were gross so I didn’t take any).
Macro Worthiness: 10/10
Notes: Balance Bars are smaller than most protein bars but their taste and texture are similar to a regular candy bar (especially this caramel nut blast!) They’re called Balance because each bar follows the 30/40/30 ration for macro percentage breakdown and I think that’s pretty cool! They don’t have any added fiber (4g) so Balance Bars are something I could/would enjoy incorporating everyday…especially this one because it legit tastes like a candy bar. I’d enjoy any of these Balance Bars pre-workout if I was in need of some quick protein and carbs, or in the morning if I didn’t have time for breakfast.
Macro Worthiness: 9/10
Notes: See above notes, just not as solid as the Caramel Nut Blast flavor but still pretty tasty! I’ve enjoyed this with a yogurt bowl and loved it! Also, only has 2g of fiber I’d prefer having on days that I’m having a lot of nutrient dense foods.
Macro Worthiness: 10/10
Notes: See notes above, I really like this flavor as it’s not too sweet and sometimes I don’t want chocolate in the morning. And again, is low in fiber with only 1g so something easy to have on days I’m getting a lot of fiber elsewhere.
Macro Worthiness: 10/10
Notes: I absolutely LOVE these cake bites! Since they’re coated it tastes more like you’re just enjoying candy instead of a high protein treat! This Blueberry Cheesecake is seriously SO good! I also like the Chocolate Donut Flavor which I did a review and comparison with Donettes here. And I’ve enjoyed the Red Velvet flavor with Frozen Yogurt before and it was fab! These cake bites don’t have any fiber so I’d like to have them before a workout or on a day I’m having mostly high nutrient foods but want a high protein snack
Macro Worthiness: 7/10
Notes: My love for these type of Quest Bars has dropped after trying SO many different types of bars over the past few months, and really just getting over that waxy bar taste. But the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake warmed up in the microwave for 15 seconds is still pretty amazing! High in fiber, so definitely will only have it on a day when I’m maybe traveling and having issues getting in enough fiber.
Macro Worthiness: 10/10
Notes: Really just freaking delicious! I could eat this everyday! It’s a bar that’s packed with my fiber so it’s my go-to on days where I know I may be having trouble reaching my fiber goal.
Macro Worthiness: 9/10
Notes: This is for sure my favorite vegan protein bar, I really like the blueberry but I knock it down a point because I’m just not a huge fan of the waxy texture. These bars hav 16g of fiber so definitely enjoyed on a travel day.
Macro Worthiness: 7/10
Notes: This flavor isn’t as good to me as the blueberry, but still pretty good even with the waxy texture. This brand also has a blueberry flavor which I did NOT care for.
Macro Worthiness: 10/10
Notes: Really delicious with little blueberry chunks inside! And I got a huge box on sale at the Grocery Outlet! Not packed with a ton of fiber so something I can always keep on hand in between high nutrient meals!
Macro Worthiness: 6/10
Notes: The Optimum Nutrition cakes bites are just WAY better. I’ve also had the red velvet of these and wasn’t a fan. The texture of the like confetti is just a little weird, but I wouldn’t give it below a 5 and I know others may like it so I’m adding it here lol No fiber, so it could be a high protein treat.
Protein bar/cookie/cakes I’m not a fan of because they just tasted terrible to me:
-Buff Bake Cookies
-Lenny and Larry’s Cookies
-Quest Chocolate Chip Bar
-Pure Protein Chocolate Chip Bar
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