Getting the right nutrition possible out of the protein bars you take will determine how efficient will they be and how will they affect your body.
Finding a protein bar that has a good protein to sugar ratio will make sure that the protein bar is healthy and worth the money you’re paying for. However, it might not necessarily mean that the protein bar is nutritious enough.
There are other factors you should consider, just like when you’re paying attention and choosing the right protein bars for yourself.
In this post, you will learn how to find the most nutritious protein bars on the market, but you will also find the list of most nutritious protein bars that I have personally tested.
How to Choose the Most Nutritious Protein Bars?
Photo from Flickr – Alpha
By reviewing and testing a lot of protein bars in the past, sometimes, I came across protein bars that weren’t much better than a simple candy. Obviously, such protein bars wouldn’t do any good to your body.
Finding the nutritious protein bar that has all the necessary ingredients that will make you less hungry, give you more energy, and give you a necessary dose of ingredients that will help you develop your body and keep it in a healthy shape.
Things to Look Out For
- Easy to read ingredients
- Amount of protein
- Amount of sugar
- Amount of fiber
- Total calories
Other than that, you should also pay attention to
- Taste
- Budget
Easy to read ingredients won’t only make your search easier, but they will also help you to sort the quality and honest protein bars from other not so good protein bars. Also, stick to the protein bars that have fewer ingredients, since it’s most likely that they will be healthier.
Amount of protein obviously matters in protein bars. The more protein is in a bar, the better for you. I wouldn’t recommend you to purchase and eat protein bars that have less than 5 grams of protein per bar.
Amount of sugar should be the lowest possible. I’d recommend you to stick with less than 10 grams of sugar per protein bar. There are many protein bars that have only 1 gram of sugar per protein bar, and they’re very healthy.
Amount of fiber is recommended to be around 5 grams per bar. It goes well with the protein, and I wouldn’t recommend you to settle down for less than that since most people don’t get enough of fiber in their diets naturally.
Total calories shouldn’t go over 300 calories per protein bar in case you’re working out, trying to stay fit, or you’re following a strict diet plan. In case you are using protein bars as a temporary meal replacement, you can go for a protein bar of up to 400 calories per bar. However, make sure that there are no more than 20 grams of carbs. Also, make sure that there are no artificial sweeteners. That way, you will get the healthiest, yet most nutritious protein bar.
Taste is really important, but you shouldn’t put it before everything else. Some healthiest protein bars might not be your favorite at the first bite, but give them some time and I am sure you won’t have a hard time finding the protein bar that tastes good for you.
Budget is something you should pay close attention to. While protein bars might not seem expensive at first, eating them on regular basis can make a hole in your pocket. Therefore, create a separate budget for your protein bars. Also, buying them in bulk is cheaper so keep that in mind.
Most Nutritious Protein Bars
Muscle Milk Lemon Bliss Protein Bar
Muscle Milk protein bar has everything that you would expect out of the most nutritious protein bar. At the first look, it has all the necessary ingredients shown right at the front.
It features 15 grams of protein per bar, with only 4 or 5 grams of fiber and 9 grams of sugar. On top of that, it’s gluten-free which makes it suitable for people who need to avoid gluten products.
Total calorie amount of Muscle Milk protein bar is only 190 calories which are pretty great. There are no artificial sweeteners or any other additional ingredients that might make this protein bar less healthy.
On top of that, it has a sweet lemon bliss flavor that will keep you satisfied, eliminate all the cravings, and make you feel fuller for longer.
Taste is delicious which in combination with one of the best nutritious ingredients out there, you get a perfect protein bar. Also, the price is pretty reasonable and affordable which makes it even better.
Evo Hemp Plus Greens Organic Protein Bar
If you’re looking to combine healthy and nutritious together, Evo Hemp protein bar is just the right thing you’re looking for.
Evo Hemp protein bar consists of 7 grams of protein, 8 grams of sugar, 4 grams of fiber, and 20 grams of fiber in a single bar.
Fiber lacks 1 gram to meet the minimum requirement for my standards when I look for nutritious protein bars, however, there is a reason it’s located at the second place.
There are loads of vitamins and minerals which are very healthy and nutritious at the same time. It has vitamin C, omega 3s, and minerals like copper and biotin.
They’re made only from organic ingredients, and they’re even suitable for vegans. At the same time, they’re nutritious enough to power you up and revive you even after the most intense work out session.
This protein bar tastes like cherry banana bread which has an aroma of greens mixed together.
Simply Protein Bar
SimplyProtein is a company that produces high-quality protein bars, and you can see them in many of my review posts. I’ve had only positive experience with their protein bars in the past, and they have protein bars suitable for every category and purpose.
Simply protein bar is packaged in a nice clean wrap with a great red design that stands out. At the front, you can easily recognize the ingredients and their amount.
It has 16 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber, and only 1 gram of sugar. All these ingredients are packed with only 150 calories. That’s a perfect protein to calorie ratio, considering the amount of sugar as well.
Simply protein bar is a non-GMO and gluten-free, but also dairy free, yeast free, and wheat free. It’s packed with only the healthiest ingredients.
Maple pecan flavor in combination with a great amount of protein will keep you full longer and give you that needed energy boost.
Muscle Milk Salted Caramel Protein Bar
Here is another protein bar from Muscle Milk. However, this one is slightly different. Not just different in a taste, but also the ingredients as well.
In my opinion, they’re both equally good, however, since they’re a little bit different – they might be suitable for different people so I decided to put both.
On a nice packaging, you will notice everything you need to know. Muscle Milk Salted Caramel protein bar has 20 grams of pure protein per a single bar, along the 7 grams of fiber and 9 grams of sugar. There are total 240 calories.
On top of that, salted caramel flavor along with other natural flavors make this protein bar a great guilt-free snack.
It has no unnatural ingredients. It features milk proteins such as whey protein isolate, milk protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, and even calcium caseinate.
It’s a very nutritious protein bar that is very reasonably priced.
Pure Goodness Protein Clusters
Pure Goodness protein clusters are very similar to protein bars but are only differently shaped.
They’re shaped in a smaller size, yet have the same amount of protein and fiber as normal sized protein bars. Which means, that if you eat a few of these protein clusters, it would count as you ate 4 or even 5 protein bars.
That’s how nutritious they are, but let’s have a look at the nutritious values. Each Pure Goodness protein cluster has 10 grams of protein in each cluster, with amazing 9 grams of fiber.
There are also 3 grams of omega 3s, 6s, and 9s which counts per 50 grams serving.
On top of that, they’re vegan-friendly, dairy-free, and are only based on the plants’ ingredients. Everything is natural and there are absolutely no artificial sweeteners.
They can be added to breakfast, eaten as a snack, or after lunch, and the price for this nutritious clusters full of protein will amaze you. Very affordable, and in some situations, it can be even better than some classic protein bars.
Goji-Chocolate Protein Bar
Goji-Chocolate protein bar is a very nutritious protein bar, featuring 11 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein, and 500 mg Omega 3s. There is a very low amount of sugar compared to other ingredients. There are only 5 grams of sugar per bar.
It’s also non-diary and gluten-free protein bar that is suitable for most likely anyone and everyone. It’s suitable as a meal replacement for extraordinary situations, afternoon snack, or a simple addition to your meal and diet plan.
It’s a filling protein bar that will make you feel fuller for longer while boosting your energy and stopping your cravings with its delicious taste.
On top of all of the healthy ingredients and benefits, Goji-Chocolate protein bar maintains digestions through prebiotics which promote a healthy balance of bacteria in your digestive tract.
Zing Nutrition Protein Bar
Zing Nutrition protein bar has the most attractive look from most of the protein bars that I have seen in the past.
It also has shown all the ingredients on the back side which makes things easier. It’s a 100% natural protein bar that offers a complete nutrition and it has been created by nutritionists.
The bar itself consists of 10 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. It is a real challenge to create a protein bar that will be as useful and helpful to your body while being as nutritious as possible.
Even a few that came close to creating the most nutritious protein bars just didn’t have the great taste. However, Zing Nutrition protein bar is exactly what you would expect out of a protein bar.
Great nutrition and amazing taste which makes you love eating it. It has a peanut butter chocolate chip taste, yet it is gluten-free and GMO-free. It’s suitable for vegans, and it creates a perfect guilt-free snack.
Ingredients You Should Avoid When Choosing Nutritious Protein Bars
Checking the ingredients when choosing the right protein bar for yourself is necessary, however, it shouldn’t be a complicated process.
As you practice and do it on a regular basis, it will become a second nature to you.
However, there are some ingredients you should avoid in protein bars right away when you see them. It will help your search as well since you won’t be wasting a lot of time.
Ingredients to avoid
- Sugar alcohols
- Carrageenan
- Soy
- Sugar
Sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, and others are usually used as sweeteners. Not only such artificial sweeteners aren’t healthy, but they can also cause some bowel problems for some people.
Carrageenan can be even hard to pronounce, but you will easily recognize it when you see it. It’s used as an emulsifier in many products, but it isn’t healthy and can cause some irritation and problems.
Soy should be avoided only in two cases. If you’re allergic to it, and if it’s not natural soy, yet GMO. Only find protein bars with organic soy.
Sugar is often added to protein bars to make the taste better. Actually, they increase the calories and aren’t healthy for your body. A little of organic sugar that is usually found in protein bars is fine.
Conclusion
Usually, the most nutritious protein bars happen to be the most organic protein bars for a simple reason of using the natural plant-based ingredients only.
It’s not that difficult to find the most nutritious protein bars, and if in some case it is for you, you can always come back to this list of top 7 nutritious protein bars and you will have a plenty of bars to choose from.
I’ve personally tested every single bar from the listed above, and I could guarantee that they won’t disappoint you.
Cover photo credit – Flickr – Newbirth35
