What’s the best protein bar on the market?

I was recently asked this question and like most nutrition questions it is really hard to give a straight answer. But if you are wondering if your protein bar is a good fit for your goals, here are some helpful tips for you.

The reason it is so hard to give such specific nutrition advice is because each individual has individual needs and requirements. What might be a great fit for one person might not be for another.

First you have to answer a few questions:

1. Why are you eating protein bars?

Seems like a dumb question but what is the goal of consuming the bar? Is it simply to get more protein? To find a healthy snack between meals? Maybe to help recover after a workout? Depending on your answer you may want to choose one product over another.

2. What is your overall daily nutrition status?

Many are looking for low carb protein bars. Is that important? Again it is hard to give you good advice unless you look at the total picture. If you eat low carb most of the day and find a protein bar that helps you hit your protein needs, tastes great, but has some carbs in it, is that really a big deal? If your daily carbohydrate intake is good then you shouldn’t stress over a few extra grams of carbs in a protein bar. If you tend over do the carbs most days, you probably will be concerned with that.

3. Do you have a food preference or tolerance?

Are you vegan, vegetarian, carnivore, lactose intolerant, have peanut allergies, etc? There are protein bars out there that fit all types of diets and food preferences. Chances are you can find one that will meet your preferences. On a side note, seeing a bar that is marketed as keto friendly doesn’t mean it is great for you. If not on a keto diet this should not matter at all to you.

You are probably hoping I give you specific protein bar recommendations. Instead I thought I would at least give you a guide to help you decide if the bar in front of your is a good fit for you. Here is a hierarchy that you can follow to pic your protein bars.

1. Choose a bar with better food quality sources.

It is an oversimplification to say if you can’t pronounce or don’t recognize an ingredient it is bad for you. There are plenty of things out there that you probably don’t know how to pronounce and it is still good for you. Would you eat something that had cyanocobalamin in it? There is always google to help you see exactly what ingredients are. Do a little leg work here to learn about what you eat. But you should recognize most ingredients and be able to read the label pretty well. For example RXBar is a great example. They have their ingredients listed on the front of the package.

2. If you are looking to add protein, find bars that are good sources of protein.

As you get older you will want to take in high amounts of protein per sitting. So you will want to find something with at least 15g of protein ideally. So while RXBar has clean ingredients, it is a little low on the protein. Atlas Bar has 20g so might be a better fit for those looking to add more protein throughout the day.

3. Finally, check how it is sweetened.

Again this might mean you have to find low carb bars or maybe it won’t matter the amount. This depends on what you are looking for. Just keep in mind that no one wants a bar that doesn’t taste good. If you take out the sugar and fat you aren’t left with much. So they will have to add things in to make consumers like it. You might find artificial sweeteners here which may be something you are trying to avoid. If you find you can tolerate monk fruit or stevia, those might be better options for you.

I know this was a lot for simply picking out bars, but I hope this helps you find the best one for your needs.

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