The Bar Battle: Best and Worst Protein Bars

best protein bars

If you follow my posts, you’ll know I am a huge fan of protein and making sure it’s a main component of my diet. However, sometimes cooking up chicken or filleting fish isn’t exactly convenient or timely. That’s why knowing the right protein bars to grab on the go is vital to anybody with a busy schedule. There are certainly a few candy bars masquerading as “healthy protein” snacks but actually contain more harm than good. Luckily, there is hope and some delicious choices for all you travelers and busy bees.

The Best…

  • Quest Bars: questbar_9This is the protein bar that has blended gym-rats with yoga gurus, marathon runners with bodybuilders. On top of having loads of killer flavors, Quest bars stack up nutritionally as well. At 170-200 calories, 8-9g of fat, 20g protein and 20-25g carbs, these are a perfect snack to energize you before the gym or get you through the afternoon workday slump. They also have 15-17g of fiber for extra satiation and health benefits. To top it all off, Quest bars have almost no sugar (2g). Beat that Snickers!
  • VPX LifeLift Protein Bar: Another fantastic fiber pharaoh, the Life Lift bar boasts 20g fiber per bar as well as 20g protein. Similarly to Quest bars, it comes with on 25g of carbs with almost no sugar. The 7g of fat isn’t bad either, only 1.5g are saturates and we all need fats in our diet. It’s like a twin with Quest bars in regards to healthy choices for your snack time.
  • RBA-30816-3RiseBar Protein: This is an option that goes more along the lines of a “normal” bar you’d find in a supermarket or gas station while still being a healthy option. Less fiber, true, but all natural ingredients and that what puts it at the top end of the list! 20g protein, 20g carbs, and 16g fat (healthy fats naturally from almonds) make this bar a solid snack for anyone on the go. Want me to list all the ingredients? Almonds, honey, whey protein. THAT’S IT! Natural, healthy, and soooooo good.

The Worst…

  • ZonePerfect Protein Bar: ZonePerfect Protein BarSorry guys and gals, this one falls under one of the worst options. High sugar count (17g of the 25g total carbs) makes it not great, but the fact that over half of the 7g of fat are saturated. High sugars and saturates make this bar one to stay away from, Zone diet or not.
  • Supreme Protein Carb Conscious Bar: This bar is out to confuse and trick you. “Carb conscious” makes us think, “must be a healthy option,” but when you break it down, the numbers don’t lie. Only 13g carbs, but 14g sugar alcohol! How?! Almost no fiber (1g) and way less protein (13g) than fat (18g)! How can you call it a protein bar? More like a fat bar! And that’s probably more accurate when you consider that of the 18g of fat,9g are saturates. This is a big “no way” from me.
  • EAS Myoplex 30 Protein Bar: EAS Myoplex 30 Protein BarWhy not end the list with one of the worst! This bar would be better suited to the candy aisle than most candy bars. Sure, it does have 30g protein which is awesome, but at what cost? I’ll tell you! Of the 36g or carbs, 28g are sugars! That’s over half of what is suggested for a whole day by some nutritionists. To cap it all off, the 9g of fat can’t be good fats if more than half is saturates (5g). Overall, this is one of the worst options out there.

Hopefully, this list gives you a little more guidance when deciding what to reach for on that next road trip or in the airport.

3 Shares:
You May Also Like