The Best Nutrition Bar

Nutrition bars, energy bars, meal replacement bars...whatever your use, I usually have 1-3 bars shoved in my purse or corporate bag. On the go bars help curb my hunger pains when I’m running meeting to meeting or carting kids around like their personal Uber driver. 

The older my kids get, the more time they spend on the go themselves. My oldest spends 15 hours in the gym a week. At 12 years old, “little kiddie” snacks don’t do his body good. In order for him to perform optimally his body requires nutrient dense foods.  

On the go protein tends to be the hardest for our family to consume. For starters my son and I are lactose intolerant so that rules out a few decent options like yogurt, cottage cheese, or string cheese. Most protein bars also contain milk and are loaded with an abundance of unnecessary ingredients like hidden sugar, additives, chemicals, whey or soy. It’s also a challenge finding a protein bar my son will actually eat due to taste and texture. 

I went on a hunt and tested 10+ brands. Here’s a few of my favorite product picks:

No Cow Bars

Taste: B+

Some flavors are better than others. Cookie dough is my favorite. 

Texture: C

My son can’t get over the texture. Can be chalky but is chewy - I’ve gotten used to it. 

Nutritional Value: A

A great job with the calories and macro profile.  Calories ~210, Fat ~7g, Carbs ~24g, Protein ~20g, Fiber ~17g, and Sugar 1g.

Pro: Dairy free, variety of flavors, balanced macro profile

Con: Texture is inconsistent - kids don’t like it, high fiber and may cause some digestive issues 

Good! Snack Vegan Protein Bar

Taste: A-

In my opinion the snickerdoodle actually tastes like the real cookie but let’s face it, I haven’t had one of those cookies in awhile. 

Texture: B+

Not chalky but doesn’t resemble a candy bar :) 

Nutritional Value: A

By ingredients, Good! Protein Bars are dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.

A decent job with calories and macro profile. But No Cow Bar is better. Calories ~210, Fat ~7g, Carbs ~29g, Protein ~15g, Fiber ~15g, and Sugar 10g.

Pro:  Uses fava bean protein (I like the protein diversity in this bar), top-rated on Amazon,  Variety of flavors

Con: Contains isomalto-oligosaccharides which is a sugar alcohol and may cause digestive issues. 

Shanti Bar 

Taste: A

If you don’t like one flavor try another! The variety selection is HUGE.

You can choose between:

• Chocolate berries acai
• Cranberry crunch goji
• Crunchy almond spirulina
• Dark chocolate brownie cacao
• Mango cashew turmeric
• Mexican chocolate mulberry
• Nut butter chocolate chip maca
• Salted nutty caramel coconut
• White chocolate goldenberry

Texture: A-

Dense, a bit chewy, the closest you’re going to get to homemade 

Nutritional Value: A

Calories ~240, Fat ~8g, Carbs ~27g, Protein ~17g, Fiber ~17g, and Sugar 17g.

This bar is packed with ‘superfood’ ingredients such as:

• Acai berries
• Cacao
• Coconut
• Goji berries
• Goldenberry
• Maca
• Mulberry
• Spirulina
• Turmeric

Each of these have documented health benefits. Turmeric, for example, fights inflammation and supports joint health, while cacao is full of antioxidants and acts as a mood enhancer. (1) (2)

Pro: Packed with superfood ingredients, a selection of Gut Health bars with a prebiotic blend, clean ingredients compared to most processed bars, this bar is raw, vegan, organic, soy free, gluten free, paleo, and non-GMO

Con: High fiber and may cause some digestive issues  

Protein bars can be a nutritious, on-the-go option just be sure to look for a high quality brand which prides itself on clean ingredients like nuts, whole grains, and fruit. 

Schedule a Break thru the Gut Rut strategy call with me today to start understanding your reactive foods and how to balance your system to start feeling good. Schedule your session here-> BREAK THRU

Be Gutsy as a Mother,

-Mary

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