When you stand in the aisle at the grocery store staring at the rows and rows of bars, what are you looking for?
Are you looking for an energy bar before practice, a protein bar for afterward, a meal-replacement bar for breakfast as you run out the door, or just a snack in between classes or to go with lunch? Do you want it to be gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, nut-free, non-GMO, plant-based or vegan? Are you eating for functionality, performance or taste?
Answering these questions will help narrow your search and find the right bars for your needs.
My best advice as you shop is to read labels. Usually the bars with the fewest ingredients and the most that you recognize are the healthiest. Some brands of bars have consistent nutritional content regardless of the flavor while others vary significantly from flavor to flavor.
To complicate the decision-making process, some brands of bars offer multiple kinds of bars, for example, the Kind bar line includes Healthy Grain Bars, Pressed Fruit and Veggie Bars, Protein Bars, Kind Bars, Kids Bars, Mini Bars and Breakfast Bars, all with different flavors and nutritional content.
To try to make your life easier, I’ve organized and categorized a number of bars that are commonly found in grocery store bar sections.
Protein bars
12 grams of protein or more per serving.
Hint: Look for bars with more protein than sugar or at least an equal amount of each. Be careful of bars containing sugar alcohol, as they may cause GI upset.
• Rx Bars
• NuGo Slim
• Kind Protein
• Luna Protein
• Builders
• Clif Protein
• Oatmega
• FitJoy
• Zone Perfect
• Think Thin
Jerky-like bar
High in protein, low in sugar.
Hint: A very good portable protein bar option, but looks more like jerky than a granola bar.
• Epic
Raw bars
Ingredients are real, raw and typically nutrient dense. Bars are often date-based and chewy with some seeds or nuts that make them crunchy.
Hint: Raw bars can be protein bars or snack bars or bars with a purpose, such as high fiber.
• Go Raw
• Raw Rev Glo
• Lara
• Health Warrior Barr
Nut-allergy friendly bars
These brands take precautions to keep nut-allergic consumers safe and are safe for schools.
Hint: These typically are snack-sized, so you might need additional food to satisfy your nutritional requirements.
• 88 Acres
• Don’t Go Nuts
• Enjoy Life
Healthy fat bars
Calories might be higher due to the fat content.
Hint: Try to give yourself plenty of time to digest these before training or playing — usually 90 minutes.
• Health Warrior Chia Bar
• Oatmega
• Kind (nut-based) bars
I hope this is helpful. More than likely, finding the right bar for you will require some trial and error. Start with a good nutritional profile and then evaluate for taste and how you feel after eating.
Remember that the majority of your day should be clean real food you recognize.
