Best Healthy Protein Bars

While many nutrition bars are wholesome snacks, some are basically junk food. We scoured supermarket shelves to find the best and the worst bars on the market. For our criteria, we looked at the component number and overall calories, protein, fiber and sugar. Read on to find our exceed seven picks and three we recommend you avoid .

What to Look for in a Bar

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Livestrong.com

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The healthiest bars have a calorie range of 150 to 250 calories — the sweet spot for a bite, according to Alissa Rumsey, a register dietician and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The ingredient list includes by and large unharmed foods like nuts, seeds, whole grains and fruits. “ Avoid bars that have a laundry list of ingredients, which signals a highly processed food, ” advises Melissa Rifkin, RD. The best bars besides include at least seven grams of protein ( about the like amount in a hard-boiled egg ), at least three grams of fiber and less than 13 grams of sugar per serving — by and large from real food, not total sugars like beloved or syrups .
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BEST: Health Warrior Lemon Goldenberry Protein Bar

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Health Warrior Plant-powered Health Warrior bars contain a blend of protein-rich chia seeds, oats, quinoa and peas. Chia seeds are loaded with protein, fiber, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acid fatty acids. Dry chia seeds turn into a mousse when soaked in fluent, so they take up some unplayful board in your stomach, helping you feel full moon. ( They besides help prevent constipation, giving you more energy and a flat belly ). This Health Warrior barricade is besides a good beginning of calcium, which can help at-risk populations like women and adults over age 51 meet their needs .
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BEST: Evo Hemp Cashew Cacao

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Evo Hemp With a simpleton component list and a protein rise from vegan cannabis seeds and protein powder, Evo Hemp stands out among the herd. It ‘s low in boodle, and the first three ingredients are all whole foods : dates, cashews and apricots. Hemp, like chia, contains omega-3 fatty acid fatty acids, which “ can reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol and boost brain serve, ” according to Rumsey. If you ‘re anxious about getting high gear from cannabis seeds, do n’t worry. Industrial cannabis made for food is not the same as marijuana. You can try to smoke the bars, but you ‘ll barely end up burning them .
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BEST: RXBAR Chocolate Sea Salt

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RXBAR If you ‘re looking for a clean component number, look no far. With the exception of “ natural chocolate relish, ” all six ingredients are real foods : dates, egg whites, almonds, cashews, cacao and ocean salt. You read that right — there ‘s no total sugar. On the mineral front, the RXBAR measure is a good source of magnesium, which helps maintain brawn function, and it ‘s besides a good source of potassium, which can lower blood blackmail by countering the adverse effects of sodium. egg whites are a capital informant of protein and “ less processed than some of the protein powders that are typically add [ to bars ], ” says Rumsey. Since egg whites have fewer calories than egg yolks, they provide protein while keeping the sum calories first gear, she adds .
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BEST: Juno Bar Apple Crisp

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Juno Bar

Juno Bars are largely made of wholly foods like dates, almond butter and apples — the first three ingredients — plus quinoa, chia, rice protein and hangman’s rope protein. It ‘s besides a good generator of cast-iron, which is authoritative for women of childbearing age, who are frequently insufficient. however, people with irritable intestine syndrome ( IBS ) may want to skip the Juno Bar because it contains inulin, a type of roughage that may cause gas and bloat in sensible individuals. Inulin is a “ prebiotic ” ( it feeds your gut bacteria and promotes digestive health ), but can be unmanageable to digest .
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BEST: Zing Bars Double Nut Brownie

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Zing Bar The Zing Bar is lower on the list because none of the sugar comes from natural sources ( tapioca syrup and agave syrup contribute to the nine grams ). however, with eight grams of character and 10 grams of protein for less than 200 calories, it ‘s a healthy choice for people on the fit. The Zing Bar is besides high in iron, providing 20 percentage of the casual recommended value. You ‘ll absorb more of the iron from the Zing Bar if you pair it with a good beginning of vitamin C like an orange or handful of strawberries. People with IBS should proceed with caution, since Zing Bars ( like Juno Bars ) contain prebiotic character to boost the roughage content .

BEST: KIND Madagascar Vanilla Almond

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KIND KIND Bars are relatively easy to find ( think airports, drugstores, markets ) and have a good overall food profile. Some bars are higher in carbohydrate than others, therefore constantly check the nutrition facts label beginning ; the Madagascar Vanilla is one of their best, with entirely four grams of sugar and seven grams of protein for 210 calories. On the downside, the ingredients in this KIND bar are n’t ampere simple as many other bars on this list. It contains three types of lend boodle, inulin ( which can cause GI problems for people with IBS ) and soy sauce lecithin, an additive .

What About Quest Bars?

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Quest bar While Quest bars are surely high in protein and low in sugar, they contain high-intensity sweeteners and sugar alcohols and their first component is never a whole food. We distillery are n’t precisely sure how artificial sweeteners affect our mind and body in the retentive term, and sugar alcohols can cause GI distress when consumed in excess ( or if you have sensible stomach ). Some studies have shown that consuming artificial sweeteners may not help with weight loss, could promote slant acquire, and could alter our food preferences. Their highly sweet relish may short wire our body ‘s ability to estimate how many calories we ‘re consuming. While Quest Bars did n’t meet our criteria today, they may meet yours. If you ‘re comfortable with artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols, then they ‘re a solid choice for a low sugar, high protein option .
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WORST: Balance Bar Lemon Meringue Crunch

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Balance Bar balance wheel Bars are first gear in fiber and hold questionable ingredients like carrageenin and caramel color. The drawn-out ingredients number is barren of whole foods and reads like a chemistry examination. For model, the first base seven ingredients are soy protein nuggets, glucose syrup, protein blend, sugar, fractionated palm kernel and handle anoint, fructose and turn back sugar. There are four types of sugar in the first few ingredients alone ! Balance Bars contain carrageenin, a thickening made from seaweed, which has been linked to gut inflammation in animal and homo cell studies. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration believes it is safe, people with incendiary roll disorders — or anyone concerned about its effect — may want to avoid it. The bars besides contain caramel color, a electric potential carcinogen, according to a 2015 cogitation from Johns Hopkins University. The report cautioned that consuming large quantities of caramel color ( popular in pop ) could increase the hazard of cancer .

WORST: thinkThin Creamy Peanut Butter Protein Bar

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thinkThin With 20 grams of protein and zero grams of sugar, thinkThin looks appealing ; but think again. There are hardly any whole foods on the ingredients number ( except a little total of peanuts and sea salt ), and there ‘s only one lonely gram of fiber. thinkThin besides has 11 grams of sugar alcohol. Sugar alcohols preference sweet, have fewer calories than sugar and do n’t raise blood sugar ampere much as boodle. ( Despite the name, they do n’t actually contain any alcohol or sugar ). But they can cause GI straiten like abdominal trouble, gas and diarrhea when consumed in overindulgence ( above 20 grams per day ), according to a 2014 cogitation in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. If you suffer from stomach problems, check food labels for sugar alcohols — the solution may be to cut back or eliminate them wholly .
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WORST: Green SuperFood Energy Bars Original

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Green Superfood Energy Bars Do n’t be fooled by the buzzwords “ greens, ” “ superfood ” and “ energy. ” The SuperFood legal profession has 25 grams of boodle, which make up about half of the total calories. And while it does contain an “ amazing Grass Green Superfood ” mix of powders, teas, roots and produce that ‘s been processed enough to fit in the bar, you can get everything you need from wholesome fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes and grains at your other meals and snacks. In font you ‘re tempted by the four grams of roughage, it still is n’t adequate to justify eating this sugary bar. You can easily get that in half a cup of raspberries, half a cup of oatmeal, an snow leopard of almonds, an orange, half an snow leopard of linseed or one adust dessert potato. A cup of cook blacken beans has 15 grams. Just eat a healthier nosh and have some raspberries for dessert that night .
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source : https://nutritionline.net
Category : Healthy