Today’s protein bars are packed with flavor, and the taste options seem to be expanding by the workout. We now have cookie tastes, cake tastes, even tastes that mimic toll house treats. It’s an all-out battle for your palate, but the winner is always you. If you do your research.
We have, and here’s our starting lineup. We think these bars will give you the boost you’re after.
Taste like they’re baked
If you like a soft health bar with a little crunch, this one does the trick. High in protein – 20 grams per bar – these bars mimic that home-baked cookie you savored as a child when weight management and carb counting were foreign concepts. Soft outside with a crunch in the middle, there are nine amino acids packed into these treats, with 12 grams of fiber and only 5 grams of net carbs. They come 12 in a box and unlike some other protein bars, these can stand the heat of a hot day without melting into a hot mess.
Buy: Quest Nutrition — High Protein
Healthy ingredients
The Built Bar uses 100 percent high-quality chocolate – you read that right, chocolate – to improve on the taste and aftertaste of its all-natural offerings. Combine that with the salty taste of caramel, and you have a protein bar that could pass – especially with its lingering after taste – like a candy bar. But don’t sweat it. These handy carry-anywhere bars have that protein boost and energy you need on hikes, runs, and in gyms.
Buy: Built Bar 18 Pack Protein and Energy Bars
The right combination
Amazon’s entry into this highly competitive market was well-thought-out. Its pleasing chocolate peanut butter taste, and 20-gram protein content, checks two of the more popular boxes that consumers look for in their health bars. And they contain only a speck of sugar – just two grams. The 1.76-ounce bars are offered in a 12-pack.
Buy: Pure Protein Bars
A great way to start the day
Another relatively new face on the market, ONE isn’t lying – there really is just one gram of sugar in these protein-packed bars. But those 20 grams of protein don’t dull the unique lemon-cake taste, further separating this brand from its more well-known competitors. It’s gluten-free and a perfect complement to your morning coffee or juice. Consider it a healthy tart or danish to start your day.
Buy: ONE Protein Bars
Recover and replenish
The pioneers of replenishment weigh in with their take on the protein bar. Unlike many of their competitors, the emphasis of these ingredients is on recovery, not weight loss or snack/meal replacement. You still get your 20-gram hit of protein, but these bars are designed to replenish fuel stores in muscles and energy reserves in the liver. That means a healthy 43 grams of carbs and a bar that contains 350 calories.
Buy: Gatorade Whey Protein Bars
S. Ruxton is a contributing writer to Florida Travel & Life, an online brand that inspires active, affluent travelers, providing them with insider information on discovering the best of Florida. Informative and engaging, the website showcases travel destinations, arts and cultural venues, vibrant dining scenes, recreational activities, the great outdoors and the revitalized real-estate market. A former baseball writer, S. Ruxton loves to revisit the smaller Gulf towns of Clearwater, Dunedin, and Bradenton. Historic Winter Park is also a favorite destination.
