After analyzing and comparing the ingredient list, the number of calories and the amounts of protein, fiber, and sugar, Caroline Kaufmann, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and freelance writer, has made a list of the best and the worst protein bars found on the market.
According to Alissa Rumsey, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, healthy snacks have between 150 and 250 calories. The best protein bars should contain whole foods such as nuts, seeds, or fruits, and must have at least seven grams of protein, three grams of fiber, and less than 13 grams of sugar per serving (sugar from real food, not added sugars).
THE TOP 7 PROTEIN BARS
1. Health Warrior Lemon Goldenberry Protein Bar
This bar is a mix of chia seeds, oats, quinoa, and peas. Chia seeds are especially healthy due to their high amounts of protein, fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids. They have the ability to prevent constipation, raise the energy levels, and can make us feel full longer. This Health Warrior protein bar is also a great source of calcium.
2. Evo Hemp Cashew Cacao
The first three ingredients of this raw organic bar are dates, cashews, and apricots. It also contains protein-rich hemp seeds and it is low in sugar.
3. RXBAR Chocolate Sea Salt
With the exception of “natural chocolate flavor”, all the other ingredients in this protein bar are real foods. This healthy snack contains dates, almonds, egg whites, cashews, sea salt, and cacao. The RXBAR bar is a good source of magnesium, which is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, and it is also a great source of potassium, a mineral that is known for its ability to balance the blood pressure. The egg whites are an amazing source of protein and are less processed than most of the protein powders that are usually added to the bars. Another good characteristic about this bar is that it doesn’t have added sugars.
4. Juno Bar Apple Crisp
Juno Bars are mostly made of whole foods such as apples, dates, and almond butter. They also contain quinoa, chia, rice protein, and hemp protein. Juno bar is a very good source of iron, a mineral that helps improve the brain and muscle function.
5. YouBar Customized Nutrition Bar
On http://www.youbars.com/, you can design your own unique energy bar by choosing the ingredients from their list of mostly organic, non-GMO, and grass-fed whole foods, and YourBar will send you a box of 13 professionally packaged bars. The price of one protein bar ranges from $2.89 to $3.19. YourBar will also give you the nutrition facts of your protein bar on their website. When choosing the ingredients, we recommend you to make a protein bar that contains at least seven grams of protein and three grams of fiber and no more than 13 grams of sugar.
6. Zing Bars Double Nut Brownie
This bar is lower on the list because the sugar content (tapioca syrup and agave syrup) does not come from natural sources. But still, zing bar is a very choice due to the 8 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein for less than 200 calories. It also provides 20% of the daily recommended amount of iron.
7. KIND Madagascar Vanilla Almond
The Madagascar Vanilla bar has only four grams of sugar and seven grams of protein for 210 calories. However, a big disadvantage of this bar is that it contains three types of added sugars and soy lecithin (an additive).
What about the Quest Bars?
Although Quest bars are rich in protein and low in sugar, they contain artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols, and their first ingredient is never a whole food.
THE 3 PROTEIN BARS YOU SHOULD AVOID
1. Balance Bar Lemon Meringue Crunch
Balance Bars are low in fiber and contain questionable ingredients such as carrageenan (a thickener made from seaweed that is linked to gut inflammation) and caramel color (a potential carcinogen). The ingredient list does not have whole foods and contains an array of chemicals. For instance, the first seven ingredients are soy protein nuggets, glucose syrup, fractionated palm kernel and palm oil, protein blend, sugar, fructose and invert sugar.
2. thinkThin Creamy Peanut Butter Protein Bar
Although it contains 20 grams of protein and does not have sugar, thinkThin barely has any whole foods except small quantities of peanuts and sea salt, and it contains only 1 gram of fiber. This bar also contains 11 grams of sugar alcohol, an ingredient that can cause abdominal pain, gas and diarrhea when consumed in more than 20 grams daily.
3. Green SuperFood Energy Bars Original
This bar contains 25 grams of sugar, which makes up almost half of the total calories. The amount of fiber and protein is also smaller when compared to the protein bars mentioned above.
Sources:
http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/1011743-7-protein-bars-3-avoid/#slide=1
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/best-and-worst-protein-bars.html
