PROTEIN BARS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL

Protein bars are not a whole food, but some are MUCH LESS processed than others. I recommend

protein bars when you’re on the road and might not have access to a whole food. What should you look for in a protein bar?

·        Minimal ingredients

·        Low ADDED sugar or sugar alcohols (11 grams or less)

·        No artificial sweeteners

·        210 calories or less

·        Enough protein to keep you full (4-20 grams)

·        Low saturated fat (4 grams or less)

·        Low sodium (150 mg. or less)

So, which protein bars meet these criteria?

·        Lara bars have relatively few ingredients, are made from whole foods, and are gluten free. My favorite is the Blueberry Muffin Lara bar which contains 190 calories and has 4 grams of protein with only 5 mg. of sodium. The ingredients are: cashews, blueberries, blueberry juice concentrate, lemon juice concentrate, and vanilla extract. The 17 grams of sugar are not added sugar they come from the blueberries! The downside to the Lara bar is that it is relatively small and not very high in protein which helps keep you full.

·        Rx bars also have few ingredients. They are made from whole foods and are gluten free. I don’t think they taste as good as Lara bars, but they have 3 Xs the protein. My favorite is the Coconut Chocolate for 210 calories, 6 grams of fiber, and 12 grams of protein. The ingredients are: egg whites, almonds, cashews, cacao, natural coconut flavor, seas salt, and coconut. They also have 6 grams of fiber while the blueberry Lara bar has only 3 grams of fiber. However, they contain 150 mg. of sodium which is a lot more than the Blueberry Lara bar.

·        Kind bars are also recommended but are certainly a bit more processed, although they are also gluten free. My favorite is the Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt which contains 200 calories, 6 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber, 4 grams of saturated fat, 140 mg. of sodium, and only 4 grams of added sugar. The ingredients are: almonds, peanuts chicory root fiber, honey, palm kernel oil, sugar, glucose syrup, rice flour, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa powder, seal salt, soy lecithin, natural flavor, and cocoa butter.

Those are my top-three choices. The Lara bar is great if you just need a little something to tide you over. The Rx bar is good if you’re hungry and your next meal won’t be for a few hours. The Kind bar is perfect if you’re craving chocolate and want to avoid a candy bar. In addition, Kind bars now come in mini bars for just 100 calories and 3 grams of protein and Rx bars come in Kids size for 140 calories and 7 grams of protein.

When on the road and you don’t have an apple and almonds or another whole food, grab a protein bar as an “emergency snack”. Keep one in the glove box of your car, or your purse or brief case, so you don’t arrive at your destination ready to eat 2 rolls before your meal even arrives! But remember, protein bars should be an occasional snack. Whole food should be your first choice.