Most protein bars are marketed as healthy. But very few of them are. In fact, the average protein bar should be in a trick-or-treat bag rather than a gym bag. But these 5 protein bars break the mold.
Now let’s get one thing straight.No protein bar is healthier than whole, real food. Better quality bars are still in the “treat” category. But these bars as better options. They have…
- Zero added sugars, sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners
- No toxic vegetable oils
- No fancy processed ingredients like hydrolized whey or soy protein isolate
- Just real ingredients, you can identify and pronounce
So now, presenting in no special order:
5 top protein bar options:
#1 LaraBars
A few LaraBar brand bars have added sugar (think chocolate chip varieties.). But most of them don’t. And each bar contains only a few, easy to pronounce ingredients. While they aren’t necessarily a great source of protein, they are a tasty snack. And definitely one of the better options to choose.
#2 Kit’s Organics
Cliff Bar brand makes this line as a better quality alternative to their regular bars. They are pretty similar in concept to the LaraBars. A few identifiable ingredients make up each bar. And like most Larabar varieties, dates are the only sweetener. In fact, if you’re choosing between the two brands, it really just comes down to personal taste preference.
#3 RxBars
These protein bars use ingredients like egg whites, dates, and nuts. So while these bars aren’t goof for vegans, they offer more protein than the first two options. And as a bonus, they’re pretty filling. While they’re not low in sugar (which comes from the dates), they are lower than the first two options. And I would rather have sugar from real foods than processed or artificial sweeteners any day.
#4 Bulletproof
Alert, alert, alert! These are not vegetarian so beware if that means something to you. Collagen protein from grass fed cows is a main ingredient. Talk about a great source of protein. They are sweetened only by stevia, the only natural no-calorie sweetener. And while the bars contain a couple of slightly processed ingredients, they are still pretty wholesome. And if you’re at a point of never wanting to see a fruit and nut protein bar again, this is the way to go.
#5 Julian’s Bakery
Again, there’s an alert here for vegetarians. This brand offers many protein options including egg protein and vegan options. But they also have grass fed beef options as well. Bonus points for giving protein bar eaters something they don’t usually see! Again, the ingredients are a little more processed than the first 3 options, but still not at the level of candy bar.
Are you confused that your favorite bar didn’t make my list?
Well, I’m certainly not familiar with every option out there. The protein bar market is pretty expansive. But I just want to quickly mention a few popular brands that I left out.
#1 Kind Bars
I left them out because they have added slightly-processed sugar.Let’s just call them an honorable mention. They are lightly sweetened with healthier sugar varieties like honey and maple syrup. While those sugar varieties are still sugar, they’re definitely better than the more processed stuff.
#2 Quest Bars
Alas, I used to think these were healthy too. But if you look at the ingredients label, you’ll be shocked at the bevy of artificial ingredients. Soy protein isolate? Natural flavors? Yes, they are sweetened with stevia. But they also contain sucralose which is more commonly known by the brand name Splenda. Artificial sweetener alert! And they contain the sugar alcohol erythritol and malitol. So these bars are by no means all-natural.
#3 Think Thin Bars
I can say pretty much everything about the Think Thin bars that I did about the Quest bars. They are just fancy, heavily processed junk that contains a lot of not so good for you ingredients. Except they are 100% sweetened by artificial sweeteners. Definitely no good.
With anything, I never say never.
If you have a favorite protein bar that isn’t so good for you, you can still eat it…occasionally.
Protein bars aren’t a replacement for whole food. They’re not an acceptable meal option to make up for your lacking protein, But they can be a healthier snack to include a few times a week. Just make sure to read the nutrition label before assuming your favorite protein bar is healthy. Otherwise, the hidden ingredients in your favorite bar will derail your healthy intentions.
Being outside the US, I am not familiar with your listed brands of protein bars. We have a number of protein/energy bars in the UK, most of which are sold in health care stores. I must confess they are not cheap.
I don’t know much about UK protein bars either, but I imagine they sell them everywhere these days.
Even so-called healthy protein bars contain calories. I tend to eat them like candy (bad), so I avoid them. My favorite when I need a snack on a flight is a lemon bar. Still better than digging into a chocolate bar!!
The ones that are just fruit and nuts are pretty good if you’re gonna have a snack anyway, like on a flight.
I used to always just grab any protein bar that caught my attention because it’s a protein bar so it has to be healthy right? Now, I am much more aware that some protein bars are not as healthy as you may think they are so now I always double check the ingredients list. Quest used to be one brand I went for but I haven’t gone back to them since!
It is crazy how things can be marketed as healthy that really aren’t healthy at all.
When we first moved to Maui many years ago we were obsessed with exploring the island so I’ve literally hiked from end to end, across lava fields, and through caves and trudged through Haleakala Crater six times. During these odysseys, we lived on trail mix, protein bars, and dried fruit. I share this because I would rather eat weeds than ever consume another protein bar or trail mix for that matter … dried fruit maybe. That said, I will gladly share your most informative article!
Wow, that’s a lucky occurrence I wish that would work with my favorite foods!.
Great list. My husband likes to eat protein bars but doesn’t like the mainstream brands because of how unhealthy they are! Lara bars are great. I have tried to make my own protein bars at home for him to eat after he works out, but haven’t perfected a recipe yet.
If you do come up with a good protein bar recipe to make at home, please share. I tried to make one once with whey protein powder and coconut oil and a few other ingredients. I thought they were OK, but definitely could have been better.
Thx for this post, Erica. Timely, as just today, I was at Costco looking at some of the new offerings in the protein bar lineup. There sure are a lot these days! But like you, I read tge labels carefully, and was quite put off by some of the ingredients mentioned on the labels. I love the sound of the RXbars, but haven’t seen them at any of our local stores yet.
RXbars are relatively new in my market. I’ve known about them for years, but only saw them in my local Whole Foods about a year ago. But now they have them in almost all the stores. So maybe they’ll make their way to you eventually.
I don’t think I’ve had any of the five you mentioned. Will try to search around for them and give them a try.
If you do eat protein bars, they are all pretty good. In moderation, of course!
Cracking up at Marquita’s comment. I’m with her in that at one time I had a protein bar (Cliff bar) before heading off to the gym after work. It took forever to be able to try them again. Is it true that you should always look for the protein to be higher than the carb percentage?
That’s so funny. I used to LOVE Cliff bars. But I’ve been gluten-free for almost a decade so now I can’t have them. So I always think of them wistfully because they are like forbidden fruit.
Boy, you really need to check out the labels on ‘health food’ these days. Bars are the worst. Most are candy bars in disguise. Thanks for pointing this out as most people don’t do the research.
Yup, I used to think they were healthy too until I started studying nutrition. It is shocking to learn what junk is really in these bars.
You are so correct about most protein bars not being healthy.
I do not know how they allow such things to be marketed, when they are full of sugars and chemicals,
Thanks for this post. I have some recommendations for protein bars to pick up now.
Somehow calling them “protein” bars as opposed to candy bars really does make people think they are healthy. And some of them aren’t even a good source of protein anyway! Crazy.
I haven’t tried any of the Protein bars mentioned above, will, however, save the list for next time a friend or cousin is coming for a visit here will tell them to get some for me to try 😉