You know those articles that say, ‘According to nutrition experts, these are the best protein bars you should be buying.’
And then they give you a run-down of pretty much every protein bar on the market.
Is that supposed to provide people with guidance? How exactly does that help?
Gee, now I have no idea which protein bar to get.
Thanks, experts!
I’m not convinced that there are that many great protein bar choices out there to begin with, so let’s apply some common sense here.
The best protein bars are going to be the ones with the least amounts of unnatural, genetically-modified, man-made ingredients and preservatives.
But, you already knew that.
The real problem with most protein bars
I’m not telling you anything out of the ordinary when I say that you should probably be looking for protein bars that are marked ‘organic’ preferably with a ‘Non-GMO Project’ stamp on the front. (1)
But, here’s the problem with focusing on just the organic part.
They have food bars, meal replacement bars, and protein bars that are processed to maintain freshness for long periods of time that also carry the organic label!
Doesn’t it make sense that foods containing additives and preservatives to extend shelf life are going to be less nutritious than something that goes bad after a relatively short period of time, organic or not?
That’s why you should be looking for something that doesn’t have all the preservatives and that’s organic to boot.
What makes for a bangin’ protein bar
Here’s what I look for in a protein bar, other than it being labeled ‘organic.’
1. High in protein
What a concept! A protein bar that’s high in protein!
Believe it or not, there are a lot of supposed protein bars that have less than ten grams of protein in them.
They should be called waste-of-money bars, not protein bars.
2. Does Not Contain Soy
Most of the soy cultivated in America and around the world is genetically modified and should be avoided for that reason. (2)
There’s also all this conflicting data on soy and its estrogenic effects on men that make it a crapshoot as to whether you’re going to develop man-tits or not.
I don’t trust all the supposed research saying soy is good or healthy. For all we know, this research was directly funded by the soy industry.
If a protein bar has that little disclaimer on the back that says, “Manufactured in a facility that also processes tree nuts, milk, and soy” or it plainly says, “May contain tree nuts, milk, and soy” I let it slide because they probably put that on there for legal reasons.
3. No Sugar Alcohols
If you see erythritol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH), isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, or xylitol on the ingredient list, avoid.
These sugar alcohols have the tendency to give you flatulence because they can be hard to digest.
4. Refrigerated if possible
Registered dietitians and nutritionists are unsure as to whether refrigerated protein bars really are superior to standard protein bars that are processed with chemical additives and preservatives, but I think it’s pretty clear that something with a shelf life of, potentially, years is going to be less healthy than something that only keeps for about a month or two (a week out of the fridge).
I’m reminded of when the dairy industry used to deliver fresh, nutritious milk to consumer’s doorsteps and then decided, in order to extend the shelf life of milk, to start pasteurizing and homogenizing the crap out of it, essentially negating many of the nutritional benefits in the milk itself, but that’s for another post. (3)
Are preservatives bad for you?
You might be thinking, “Fez, it doesn’t matter that those other bars have preservatives. Lots of foods have preservatives.”
It is true that lots of foods have preservatives, but there’s a difference between chemical preservatives like BHT and natural preservatives, like certain fats, sugar and sea salt.
If preservatives were nothing to be worried about, food companies wouldn’t go through the trouble of marketing their products as ‘minimally processed,’ or containing, ‘no added preservatives.’
Certain brands of meat are starting to tout, ‘no nitrites,’and you may have seen canned goods that say, ‘no sulfites.’
If you look on nutrition labels now, there are cereal brands, like my cereal, Grainberry Bran Flakes with Onyx Sorghum, that use vitamin E as a natural preservative, instead of BHA, which could cause cancer. (4)
Dreaded ‘trans fat’ is also considered a preservative, so, yes, preservatives are something that we should avoid if at all possible. (5)
The best protein bars out there IMO
We’re at the cusp of a new era in refrigerated protein bars.
There are more options, in the way of refrigerated goodness, coming on the scene every month and that’s because refrigeration is becoming the new, standard operating procedure.
From what I’m seen, though, most of the refrigerated options aren’t geared toward the muscle-heads and jocks like you and me.
They’re marketed toward health-conscious families, grandma and grandpa who need their probiotics for gut health and women who like yogurt.
Of the ones I’ve seen, there are two standouts, and I review them below.
My review of G2G protein bars (contains Amazon affiliate links)
If you couldn’t tell already by the picture at the top of this post, I strongly favor G2G protein bars, which you can find in the refrigerated aisle at your local supermarket.
Why? Because it’s high in protein, containing 18 grams of protein per bar.
It does not contain soy, except for that little disclaimer thing on the back, but I don’t count that because soy is not actually on the ingredient list.
I hate that bloated feeling I sometimes get when eating protein bars, but the G2G bar generally agrees with me and doesn’t have any sugar alcohols, or unnatural fiber in it, either.
The sugar content of the bar is 15 grams, which is on the mid to high end of the spectrum, but this doesn’t deter me because it’s in the form of honey, brown rice syrup and organic raisins, which are more natural, and because it’s counteracted by the good, essential fats in the bar (14 grams), lowering its overall glycemic index.
*Note: The sugar in it, by the way, makes it a particularly good post-workout meal when you’re out and about.
Lastly, it doesn’t contain any chemical preservatives, or unnatural flavors in it and says so on the label.
It’s refrigerated, like I said, and that means it can go rancid after the sell by date, which convinces me that I’m eating something more along the lines of real food.
It is pretty caloric, at 300 calories per bar, but for bodybuilding purposes, this is a good thing.
Hold on! It’s not labeled organic!
This is true, but it does say made with over 70% organic ingredients, which is pretty damn close and when I inspect the ingredient list, I don’t see anything that rings any alarm bells.
I tend to get the ones that don’t have chocolate in it as a personal preference, but they have seven flavors, including Almond Butter Chocolate Chip, Almond Coconut, Almond Fruit Nut, Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Coconut Chocolate, and Peanut Butter Fruit Nut, so there’s lots to choose from and they all taste great.
My review of the Perfect Bar (contains Amazon affiliate links)
Perfect bars are pretty good. I used to buy large quantities of them.
They tick most of the boxes, except for one and that is ‘high in protein.’
There are ten flavors available, including Dark Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter, Coconut Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, Dark Chocolate Almond, Chocolate Mint, Blueberry Cashew, Mocha Chip, Chocolate Walnut Brownie, and Chocolate Hazelnut Crisp, but of the ten, the only one that has 17 grams of protein is the Peanut Butter flavor.
Some of the flavors are useless because they typically top out at 12, or 13 grams of protein, depending on which one.
I figure, if I’m paying around $2.25 to $2.50 per bar, I should be getting maximum amounts of protein.
The other thing I dislike about the Perfect Bar is that, after I get done eating one, I feel like I just ate five tablespoons of peanut butter.
It’s heavily caloric, at around 350 calories per bar and it feels heavy in the stomach.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s more of a meal replacement bar, I would say, instead of strictly a protein bar (but it doesn’t market itself as a protein bar, anyhow).
The benefit of going with the Perfect Bar is that you know 100% you’re getting a Non-GMO project verified, organic product.
There are no ingredients that aren’t organic and that’s something that could set some of your minds at ease.
These bars have 19 grams of sugar in them, which is high, however, as the label says, they’re low glycemic because of the whopping 22 grams of fat this bar has.
It’s hard to read the ingredient list in the picture so here’s what’s in this bar, in the order of first to last: Peanut Butter, Honey, Nonfat Dry Milk, Coconut, Dried Whole Egg Powder, Coconut Oil, Rice Protein, Dried Whole Food Powders (Kale, Flaxseed, Rose Hip, Orange, Lemon, Papaya, Tomato, Apple, Alfalfa, Celery, Kelp, Dulse, Carrot, Spinach), Sunflower Lecithin, Flaxseed oil, Sunflower oil, Sesame seed oil, Olive oil, Pumpkin seed oil.
As far as taste goes, I like the Blueberry Cashew the best, but again, it only has 12 grams of protein in it š
Where does one get the best protein bars??
Your local supermarket may or may not sell these bars, depending on where you live.
If they do, then you face the issue of them selling out pretty quickly.
A lot of times, the flavor I like isn’t available at the supermarket and I have to settle for the other flavors I may not like as much (but they’re still very good).
If you want to try them all out and save yourself some money at the same time, I would get them from Amazon.
You’re going to like them, so why not get a box?
Peace-out!
If you’d like to share any thoughts about protein bars, this post, or whatever, leave me a voicemail on the podcast line: 917-267-8590.
Your training partner,
Read next: Sweet Potato Pie Recipe With Mo’ Protein
Sources:
1. “The Shocking Difference Between Organic And Non-GMO LabelsāIt’s Huge!” FoodBabe.com, https://foodbabe.com/difference-between-organic-non-gmo-labels/
2. “High Risk Crops And Inputs,” Non-GMOProject.com, https://www.nongmoproject.org/high-risk/soy/
3. “Omega-3 Fatty Acids Contribute To The Asthma-Protective Effect Of Unprocessed Cow’s Milk,” The Journal Of Allergy And Clinical Immunology, June, 2016, https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(15)01731-5/fulltext
4. “Report On Carcinogens, fourteenth edition: Butylated Hydroxyanisole,” National Toxicology Program, 1991, https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/content/profiles//butylatedhydroxyanisole.pdf
5. Gardner, Karen, “Harmful Effects Of Preservatives In Foods,” LiveStrong.com, June 23rd, 2019, https://www.livestrong.com/article/325437-harmful-effects-of-preservatives-in-foods/
