This video was both fun and tortorous to make.
Why tortorous?
I'm telling you... there were some gag worthy bars. Don't worry I'll reveal all to you soon.
I tried 12 bars!
I tried every protein bar brand my grocery story (Harris Teeter) sells so you don't have to.
Here's the skinny...
When it comes to hitting your protein to build muscle and help lose weight...
You want to get it from real food.
BUT...
That's not realistic when life gets crazy.
What happens if a meeting goes over time and you have to rush to make your workout?
There's no no time to go home for cottage cheese and fruit.
Protein bars to the rescue!
But...
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Which taste great?
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Whih are down right aweful?
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Which have whey?
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Are the plant based bars better?
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Which cause bloat and/or gas? (definitely not something you want before a workout!)
I'm about to give all the answers you seek!
Try these for yourself and let me know what you think.
The Protein Bar Tasting Rules
Three rules in picking the bars:
Rule 1:
Must be marketed as a "protein bar".
No endurance or snack bars like Cliff, Lara, or Kind bars. (All of which are just candy bars anyway.)
Rule 2:
All chocolate flavors.
I tried to make it as fair as possible by choosing all chocolate dessert flavors and zero fruit flavored bars.
Rule 3:
Only bars found at my (or your local) grocery store.
If you like this video...
Should I can highlight another store (Trader Joes?)?
Let me know over on Instagram .
The Protein Bars Tested
Here are the bars that made it to my shopping cart.
I wish the store had Built Bars and Barbell Bars (Caramel and Cashew is DELICIOUS)... they're both SO GOOD.
The Best Bars Nutritionally
1. RXBar...
With only 3 ingredients, this bar is by far the most clean bar of the bunch.
No artificial colors, weird protein blends or gas inducing artificial sweeteners.
The only downer? It packs just 12g of protein and has 15g of sugar (zero added).
2. Aloha Bar...
This was the only other bar with easy to identify ingredients, void of fillers, is soy-free and has zero artificial sugars!
Plus it has cashew butter... who doesn't love cashew butter?
Packs 14g of protein and 5g sugar.
3. Orgain Protein Bar...
Not the best tasting but based on ingredients was the 3rd place winner.
What I don't love is that it only has 10 grams of protein and 6g of added sugar... but the ingredients are clean, it's soy-free, gluten-free, dairy-free.
A WARNING: it doesn't taste anything like chocolate chip cookie dough.
The BEST Tasting Bars
Let me preface this with:
These aren't the healthiest of the 12 bars.
They're the best tasting.
They might be great for a rare grab and go but I wouldn't make eating these a regular thing.
Many contain artificial sweeteners which can lead to gas, bloat and even mess up your gut biome if consumed too often .
They're candy bars with fake sugar and added protein.
But based on my very scientific research...
These are the yummiest of the 12 bars...
1. Nick's Keto Bar...
These Swedish style bars (I don't have a clue what that means) are bomb.
They're keto friendly, have 15g of protein and taste like a Twix. So good!
But it does include 9g of sugar alcohol. So if you have a sensitive belly... I'm warning you now.
2. Alan Nu Fit Snacks...
My store sells 3 flavors and I love them all. A crispy rice base covered in chocolate and gooey fake caramelgoodness... these bars are delicious.
Each has 16g of protein and 4g of added sugar. The protein is whey based... not vegan friendly.
3. Fit Crunch...
I hate to say this because the Fit Crunch bar is SO ARTIFICIAL but this is a taste testing... taste is freaking bomb.
Like eating a Snicker bar!
Ingredients include soy, vegetable oils, artificial coloring, and artificial sweeteners (just to name 4 of the 38 listed ingredients!)... all of which I try to avoid.
Each has 16g of protein, 2g of added sugar and 8g of sugar alcohols.
Made Easy!
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Get the most accurate macro numbers to start with
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Use My Fitness Plan? Don't use this feature
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5 healthy... delectible... dessert recipes
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Plus a custom one week meal plan
The WORST Tasting Bars
This list is simple...
1. No Cow...
The worst bar I've EVER tasted. And I've tasted A LOT of protein bars!
I couldn't get this one down. It was that bad.
Do yourself a favor and avoid No Cow bars at all cost!
If I had to choose between eating this or eating raw chicken... I'd try my luck with the chicken.
Sorry No Cow.
2. One...
I was really sad this bar sucked so bad. It tasted like pure alcohol and left the worst after taste.
Such a shame because we actually like their fruit flavored bars (the lemon is my favorite).
3. Lenny & Larry's...
Their new, smaller bar loaded with 18g of protein is plain disgusting.
This brand has changed recipes several times over the years and I think they need to go back in the kitchen.
It taste fake, chalky, and now I see why it was the cheapest of the 12.
So there you have it!
Of these bars, which have you tried? Hated? Loved?
I enjoyed doing this taste test... what else could I do? I need your help!
Let me know over on Instagram .
