Protein bars are definitely a top snack at the minute and I – like most of the Irish Fit Fam – am a huge fan. They are the little treat that I say “keep me sane” in terms of having a little bit of something sweet.
I get asked a lot of questions about protein bars – mainly what ones I like best. In this post I’ve listed my top five and also answered a few other questions that pop up almost everyday on my social media.
1: Should you have a protein bar everyday?
My short answer here is no. Why? Well because my first recommendation is to always try get your fill of macros from more wholesome foods. My advice is to aim for no more than 2-3 per week and to try and make those on days where you’ve been training to get in some added protein. Nutritionally protein bars (especially the ones I’ve listed below) are very macros friendly but its easy to grow dependent on them because of the convenience factor. And lets face it – they are pretty tasty!
2: What ones are the best for you?
To answer this I’ve listed a few of the lowest sugar options below. I always aim to get protein bars with low sugar values.
3: Why are they so expensive?
Protein bars can be pretty pricey but a good option then can be buying them in bulk. Discount Supplements do a wide variety so check them out. Boxes usually contain 10-12 bars but the trouble then is resisting them in the kitchen press!
My Top 4 Choices
1: Fulfil
These are relatively new to the market but if you haven’t heard about them then you must have been hiding under a rock! Less than 210 calories, four gorgeous flavours to choose from and less than 5g of sugar per bar. Add to that the 20g of protein and you’ve a winning formula. I personally jump between the carmel and peanut and the coconut flavours but the strawberry and cookies and cream are tasty too. And rumour has it there are new flavours on the way but how they are going to top what they already have I just do not know. I can barely contain my excitement!!
2: Quest
Quest bars are the true originals! My obsession with the Cookie Dough flavour began long ago and it hasn’t dwindled. When it comes to Quest Nutrition – the flavour choices are endless. Some of my favourites are:
- Cookie Dough
- Raspberry and White Chocolate
- Double Chocolate Chunk
- Chocolate Brownie
But that doesn’t even scratch the surface! Here are a few more flavours on the market.
- Banana Nut Muffin
- Apple Pie
- Coconut Cashew
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Peanut Butter and Jelly
- Chocolate Peanut Butter
- Lemon Cream Pie
- Cinnamon Roll
- Vanilla Almond Crunch
Quest bars have typically in and around 200 calories per bar and with 2-4g of sugar they are a good treat to reach for. Quests again are loaded with protein – one bar gives you a 20g serving.
3: Nutramino Lean
I’ve always been a fan of the Nutramino but recently they added these lean bars to their range. There are five flavours:
- Cookie Dough
- Raspberry Chocolate
- Blueberry Chocolate
- Hazelnut Chocolate Crumble
- Cookies and Cream
Again these bars have a low sugar content – less than 3g – but it’s the protein hit of 20g and 21g that really helps to hit your protein requirement of the day. A tasty snack idea.
4: Clean Nutrition
I first encountered these as samples from Discount Supplements and I was impressed. Again being a chocolate fan I loved the Chocolate Chip Cookie Flavour. These bars have a slightly different texture than most other protein bars but the definitely taste “clean”. With 25g of fibre and 20g of protein they are definitely a good choice.
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Leanne x