I love protein bars. Yes they don't taste as good as a real cookie, or chocolate bar. But knowing they're providing protein towards my daily totals and somewhat lower in Calories compared to something really 'naughty' just makes them taste that much sweeter to the point I am willing to admit I sometimes enjoy them to the level of a legitimate cookie.
In combination with that, protein bars can be a great snack than can almost serve as a meal replacement which is perfectly fine provided the overall healthfulness of the diet is good, whole foods are high, and fruit and vegetable requirements are met. They're a useful tool for buys people as an alternative to reaching for the office kitchen cookie tin.
I'd consider myself a 'protein bar connoisseur'. I've been buying and trying protein bars for a while now and have even had streaks of 'must try all the flavours'. I don't think there would be many protein bars on this planet I haven't tried. So I think I'm a pretty good person to make a few recommendations.
So over time, I've developed a bit of a top 'hit-list'. Here it is.
But before I dive in, IMO the factors that make a protein bar great are as follows.
Calories per bite
Protein content
Taste & texture
Digestive comfort
Quality of ingredients
Typically protein bars lie on a spectrum of 'full of low quality protein and ingredients that will likely upset your guts', through to 'fake health hipster bars' (the 'raw-natural' kind) that are no better than the 'unhealthier' ones despite the fact they're marketed as being 'natural', and free from 'bad things'.
So here is my pick of the bunch
ALL-TIME NUMBER 1: Smart Protein Bars
Uncooked and free from sugar alcohols making them easy on the guts. The protein quality and content is great and the Calories per 60g bar are the lowest I've seen. The fact they're hard to find and have a questionable texture isn't enough to rid them of my number one spot. They're also not the best tasting bars, but it's a small trade-off and I think they still taste pretty damn good. Unless it’s the coconut flavor, certainly avoid that one.
Number 2: MRE bars.
Probably my favourite tasting bar with fantastic ingredients that are easy on the guts. Only second to the SPB because they're slightly higher in Calories which would be okay if protein content was the same, but unfortunately, they match the SPB at 20g protein meaning the additions in Calories are coming from carbs and fats. Not really a bad thing, but a lower Calorie bar means you can eat more other stuff later on.
Number 3: ONE bars
Up there in taste, not too bad on the Calories but can and do cause some gastric distress. Also, get a point off as they're not available in Australia as far as I understand. If they were they'd be a fair few points in front of Quest bars.
Number 4: Quest bars
Probably the brand that defines the protein bar, they're common, easily obtained, taste pretty good, are decently low in Calories and provide the upper industry-standard of 20g protein. However they can be a little rough on the guts, so proceed with caution. They're very close IMO to the ONE bars but are slightly edged out due to taste. The best part about Quest bars is that they're available almost everywhere!
