Most of us agree that there are times when we need a pick-me-up to get us through a busy afternoon, to tide us over between meals, or to make us feel stronger after a really intense workout. We need something really substantial to take care of our bodies when we can’t get breakfast or lunch because we might not be able to. Is it because of the popularity of the bars that they become so popular? You can eat them on the go if you toss them in your briefcase, gym bag, or purse.
Not all bars are created equal. With all the marketing surrounding them, it can be difficult to decide which ones are real and which ones are just candy bars. If you’re a person who relies on a snack to get through the day, but you don’t know how to pick the right one, here’s some advice.
Your mileage is going to vary so ranking a bar is difficult. Your needs are going to be a little bit different because everyone is. The right bar for another person might not be the best for you. There are general guidelines for adjudicating a bar. According to Livestrong, you can start by assessing the ingredient list and looking for bars that are made primarily of whole foods, instead of ingredients that you don’t recognize. If you want to be satisfied until your next meal, you want to look for bars that are high in fiber and have lots of calories. A bar with at least 10 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber is considered satisfactory.
If you want to get specific about the ingredients that make up a “good” or “bad” bar, consider this: Your bar might get its protein from either a whole food source (such as nut butters or egg whites) or a concentrated/isolated source According to Eat This, Not That!, if you just want a snack that will tide you over, and only go up to 15-20 grams of protein if you are serious about packing, then you should choose a bar with no more than 12 grams of protein.
If you’re an athlete, you want to make sure you’re getting from whole sources. According to Eat This, Not That!, synthetic fiber can cause upset in the stomach in the middle of exercise.
Don’t go over 13 grams of sugar and watch out for added sugar, since natural sweeteners are better than sugar alcohols. Whole fruit doesn’t constitute added sugar as the way fruit juice or fruit concentrate does, so sweetened bars with whole fruit are great.
If you want to get the most out of your bars, you need to make sure you’re smart about how much you eat, and not just what’s in them. If you eat too many of them or aren’t doing enough physical activity, the best bar will be useless. If you’re trying to build muscle, a bar that’s full of high-quality whole foods will give you at least one gram ofProtein per kilogram of body weight.
You can eat a bar after a workout to aid in recovery. As long as you don’t eat a lot of them, you can probably count on them to help you maintain a healthy weight, as well as building muscle, because of their important role in satiety.
If you only look at the nutrition list, you won’t get a full perspective on a bar. If you were to look at factors such as fiber content and sugar content when choosing a bar, you would think that it would be the perfect answer. A lot of them have a lot of fiber with little or no sugar content. According to Livestrong, the birthday cake flavor Quest bar has 21 grams ofProtein and 14 grams ofFiber, all with no added sugar and less than a gram of total sugar. Yes, what’s not to celebrate about that type of cake?
Livestrong notes that the bars are not made from whole foods. They are sweetened with sugar alcohols that could upset you. If you’re getting used to ultra-sweet foods like Quest bars, you might start craving other sweet foods that are high in calories.
It’s not just the alcohols that could upset you. The fiber in the bars is known as Isomalto-Oligosaccharides, and it could cause distress in the gut.
You could be forgiven for thinking that Zone Perfect is the perfect snack for recovery when you’re in the exercise zone. That may not actually be the case. Livestrong explains that Zone Perfect bars have a lot of calories. They have vitamins and minerals that your body needs. They are highly processed and have other drawbacks as well. Zone Perfect bars have ingredients like corn syrup, palm oil, sugar, and soy, which is why they are on Eat This, Not That!. You’ll still be taking in a lot of sugar and salt even if they deliver on the food you need. Livestrong points out that the low-sugar versions on the market aren’t a great option because they are made with sugar alcohols that are bound to cause GI distress. These bars aren’t perfect, unless you’re judging them solely on nutrition.
According to Human Food Bar, Pure Protein bars have become a popular option for people who are doing a high-fat, low-cholesterol diet, however, they don’t have enough fat to lend themselves to the diet. Most of the calories in Pure Protein are derived from food.
This sounds like it could be ideal. Correct, it’s good to have a good source of calories. They are clearly low in sugar if people are using them. According to But Eat This, Not That!, Pure Protein bars wouldn’t be classified as healthy even if they were successful in helping you lose weight. Some of the bars have a gram of fiber in them, but they are full of artificial sweeteners. Most of the fat is coming from ingredients that are sources of saturated fat, like palm oil and dairy.
The way Clif bars are marketed should be watched. They usually have a picture of an athlete on the wrapper, which indicates that these are bars for active consumers. According to Medical News Today, Clif bars are high in calories and could lead to weight gain if you don’t exercise. Clif’s sugar content in the form of brown rice syrup makes it far from the best option if you’re watching your sugar intake and want to lose weight.
The Crunchy Peanut Butter variety of Clif has 20% of the 56 grams ofProtein a man needs every day, which is a good source of Clif. If you want to build muscle and maintain a healthy weight, soy could be a good alternative. Clif bars are best if you’re allergic to soy.
By now, you’re probably aware that a lot of the ingredients in the bars are processed and can cause problems, such as sugar alcohols and processed ingredients. There is one bar that falls into this category. They have a moderate amount of fiber and only 1 gram of sugar, but they are sweetened with 6 grams of sugar alcohol.
If you’re looking for something that’s minimally processed and made from whole foods, you will have to pass on the one bars. Fit Healthy Momma thinks that one bar is not a bad choice if your priority is to increase your intake of meat and dairy products. They don’t have an artificial aftertaste like the ones you get from many bars made with sugar alcohols and they taste great.
Don’t let the fact that ProBars don’t have as much meat as other options fool you, these are still a great option, even if they don’t have as much meat. The Washingtonian explains that ProBars are a good meal replacement. They have up to 400 calories with a lot of Carbohydrates to help you recover from physical activity. The ProBar may be too energy dense for people who want to lose weight. If you’re an athlete who has been doing a lot of physical activity and doesn’t have immediate access to a square meal, a ProBar could be a good option. Go Dairy Free praises it for being made with whole foods like fruit, nuts, oats, and seeds, and points out that there are a lot of different ProBars available.
Think bars are a different version of Think Thin. Even with a different name, these bars still pack a punch of strength without being too high in calories or sugars. Some flavors of the bar have up to 20 grams of high-quality protein that will aid your workout recovery and keep you feeling full. Most of them have less than 5 grams of sugar and no artificial sweeteners, but they have sugar alcohols that have been considered a con for many other bars. Multisport Mojo praises Think bars for being lower in calories and for tasting great, a serious bonus when the taste factor of the bars can be hit or miss. There is a vegan version of the Think bar with 13 grams of protein. They’re so good, you might not want to stop eating just one, according to Multisport Mojo.
It’s a high standard to meet. If you’re looking for a bar made from real, whole, minimally processed ingredients, then the Perfect Bar is for you. Most of the ingredients listed on the label are derived from a variety of sources that aren’t ultra-processed, including peanut butter, rice, skim milk powder, and dried eggs. There’s no shortage of the key ingredient, with a peanut butter bar giving 17 grams of the important ingredient. The bar has a lot of fat, but Real Good Eats thinks it’s a positive as the fat will keep you feeling full. According to Men’s Health, a Perfect Bar can be used as a meal replacement instead of as a snack for people trying to pack on muscle mass.
A lot of people assume that plant-based forms of protein are not as good as they could be, which makes it hard to find a great vegan bar. According to Bustle, Go Macro may be the best option for herbivores. GoMacro bars are mostly made with organic ingredients, but they also use a combination of plant-based sources, such as sprouted brown rice and pea. The plant-based sources are easier for your body to break down and use. The only downside is their sugar content. There is a lot of sugar in GoMacro bars. It’s great that they don’t have artificial sweeteners and they are sweetened with brown rice syrup instead of highfructose corn syrup, but it’s still sugar. If you want to maintain a healthy weight, you should avoid using GoMacro bars and instead use GoMacro bars to fuel your workout.
There’s a lot of Aloha bars that make you want to say “aloha” to them. Human Food Bar points out that they are low in sugar, with most flavors having only a few grams. There are no sugar alcohols or artificial ingredients in the bars of Aloha. They are high in carbohydrates that can help athletes fuel their performance during a workout or recovery after a workout, and are also a good fit for people with diet restrictions, as they are vegan, vegetarian, and soy free. According to Healthline, the mix of pumpkin seeds and brown rice is called a plant-based protein.
Do you think there’s one downside? Human Food Bar thinks their taste and texture could be a hit or a miss. Some flavors are good while others are not.
They’re made with whole foods, including dates for sweetness and egg whites for high-quality nutrition, which is one of the reasons Eat This, Not That! puts RX Bars at the top of its list of best bars. Natural flavors and nuts are included. You can get up to 12 grams ofProtein and 5 grams ofFiber per bar,depending on the flavor you choose. They do have sugar, but it’s from the dates.
RX bars are so minimally processed that they could be a quality choice according to a review by a Dietitian. The fruit and nuts in this bar are not as sweet as you would get with a bar sweetened with alcohol. The egg whites are nicely blended into the bar, but you won’t be able to taste them.