GREAT NEWS🙌 – SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY NEW PROTEIN BARS ON THE MARKET THESE DAYS, I UPDATED THE OLD BAR CHART (BELOW). HERE IS THE LINK TO MY NEW BAR CHART (EVALUATING 42 PROTEIN BARS & LISTING THEM FROM BEST TO WORST).
I wrote this article because everyone asks me if I can recommend a quality protein bar. The answer is YES!
I have done thorough research by comparing all the popular brands as well as the bars you suggested. With my strict standards of quality, I am excited that I have found 3 awesome protein bars! By the way, I do not sell any of these bars and I am always up for checking out more brands.
To keep things simple, I have 3 main rules when evaluating protein bars. Instead of hyper-focusing on calories, it is so much more important to read the ingredients and be mindful of the protein sources and sugar grams.
- #1 PROTEIN RULE: No soy protein! Soy protein is horrible for your digestive tract, your hormones, and your metabolism. Most bars that I investigated are made from soy protein isolate – yuck! If you have digestive issues, I do not recommend whey protein however some people tolerate whey protein just fine. My favorite protein sources are rice, pea and other vegetarian (non-soy) options.
- #2 SUGAR RULE: Keep sugar grams under 10! Optimally, aim for 5 grams or less. Unfortunately, most protein bars contain between 15-20 grams of sugar! This is comparable to most candy bars. Checkout your favorite “healthy” protein bar…I bet it has too much sugar.
- #3 INGREDIENTS RULE: Make sure to read the ingredients and that you can pronounce them all. Avoid artificial sweeteners, additives, and preservatives. I am ok with a small amounts of stevia or sugar alcohols.
I have designed a chart with 15 bars (popular bars and bars that you wanted me to research). On this chart, I documented their protein source, total carbs (broken down into fiber and sugar), and an evaluation of ingredients. Just want to note that all values documented are an average. I listed the bars in order of BEST to WORST. Therefore my 3 favorites are Raw Rev Glo Bars, Kind Bars (w/5 g sugar) and Bulletproof Bars.
What you should do next …
✅ Register for my Nutrition Class: 3 Realistic Solutions to Rev Your Metabolism so you can Drop Weight Naturally Without Deprivation. And after class, you will receive a gift (My Favorite Balanced Breakfast Recipe Book). I recommend you register early; spaces are limited!
✅ Sign-up for my 3-Day Eating Reset: Tame your sugar cravings without feeling deprived. You will receive my step-by-step guide to stabilize your blood sugar with a done-for-you menu plan, simple recipes, and shopping list.
✅ Schedule a FREE Metabolism Mastery Call: This is a no pressure phone conversation with our health coaches. Let’s dive into your specific challenges and goals to figure out what next steps are best for you.
About the Author
Hello, I’m Betsy Markle. I’m a Registered Dietitian and Holistic Nutritionist with over 20 years of experience. Living a busy life with 3 kids and a passionate career, I understand the importance of realistic nutrition, exercise, and balanced living.
Women tend to put the needs of everyone else before their own. My passion is to empower women to create a healthy lifestyle that they love and can stick with forever.
Here at Sunshine Wellness, we are proud to help women lose weight effortlessly, overcome cravings, and revive energy so they can heal their metabolism, ditch the diet mentality, and love their bodies.
