Posts Tagged ‘Protein Bar’

Protein Bar Review #24: Amazing Grass Green Superfood Chocolate Peanut Butter

Posted: October 30, 2015 in Bike Culture, Cooking, Science
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Post 24 - Amazing Grass Chcolate Peanut Butter

Brand: Amazing Grass (Still no website to link to.)

Product: Green Superfood Chocolate Peanut Butter

Weight: 2.2oz / 63g

Cost: $2.49/per, online (not from manufacturer)

Stats

Calories: 270

Total Fat: 14g, Sat. Fat 4g

Cholesterol: 15mg

Sodium: 190mg

Potassium: 250mg

Total Carb: 28g

Fiber: 3g

Sugars: 19g

Protein: 12g

Protein per ounce: 5.45g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.21

Carb to Protein Ratio: 2.3-1

Vit A: 35% DV

Vit B12: 6% DV

Vit C: 15% DV

Vit K: 15% DV

Calcium: 10% DV

Iron: 8% DV

Organic, gluten free, and fair trade.

Not made in a gluten-free facility.

Flavor:

The taste of this Amazing Grass bar was the best that brand has had to offer, which isn’t saying much since flavor-wise this has been consistently one of the most disappointing brands. This one had real peanuts, peanut butter, and was covered in delicious chocolate. It wasn’t as good as any of the other chocolate peanut butter bars I’ve tried, but I have pretty high standards (one might say snobby). It was better than a Power Bar, and better than the NuGo bars I have reviewed, but that really isn’t saying much, at least not enough in my book. This is the first bar I have reviewed that has any cholesterol, which isn’t inherently a bad thing as it could be good cholesterol (the label doesn’t specify). This bar also uses whey protein, which I am not the biggest fan of since it tends to be a cheap filler protein compared to other, better sources like almonds and hemp. At the same time, I am not vegan and love dairy so whey is not a problem for me but could be if you are vegan or whey intolerant. The Amazing Grass Chocolate Peanut Butter bar is also pretty nutrient dense with a good balance of nutrients, including lots of potassium.

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Protein Bar Review #23: Pure Bar Ancient Grains Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar

Posted: September 25, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Post 23 - Pure Bar Ancient Grains

Brand: Pure Bar

Product: Ancient Grains Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar

Weight: 1.23oz / 35g

Cost: $2.19/per from manufacturer

Stats

Calories: 160

Total Fat: 9g, Sat. Fat 1.5g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 65mg

Potassium: 135mg

Total Carb: 17g

Fiber: 2g

Sugars: 8g

Protein: 5g

Protein per ounce: 4.06g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.44

Carb to Protein Ratio: 3.4-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 0% DV

Calcium: 2% DV

Iron: 4% DV

Organic, non-GMO, gluten free, soy free, and vegan.

Flavor:

As awesome as the Chocolate Brownie bar was, is about as disappointing as this Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar tasted. I had pretty high hopes for Pure Bar after that protein-dense brownie bar rocked my world to its very core. While the taste and mouth-feel of the last bar were spot-on perfect for being a delicious brownie with some nutrients hidden away in the mix, this bar had a mouth-feel that reminded me of a dry granola bar that they tried to jazz up with some bits of chocolate.

The one major selling point to this bar is that it is physically the lightest weight/smallest bar I have reviewed. I’m not actually sure if that even is a selling point, since it is not the most nutrient dense (not by a long shot) meaning you’d be better off eating a piece of an Organic Food Bar or a 22 Days bar rather than ever trying this disappointment. That being said, the small size of this bar manages to give it a protein-density greater than the Pure Bar Chocolate Brownie, the Kit’s Organic Bar, and all of the Simple Squares. The carb-to-protein ratio is also right in the ideal window. But, the price per gram of protein here is the worst out of every bar I have reviewed, making this the worst buy so far.  This bar did have the lowest amount of sugar out of all the bars I have reviewed, making this ideal for anyone who is diabetic.

Protein Bar Review #22: 22 Days Coconut Chocolate Chip Protein Bar

Posted: September 17, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Hey readers, I am back from the Black Rock Desert and my third trip out to Burning Man. Now I can speak from experience as to which protein bars actually held up best in the intense desert heat (which was significantly less intense than previous years). I’ll be trying to settle back into my groove of 1-2 of these a week now that life has gone back to relative normalcy.

Post 22 - 22 Days Coconut Chocolate Chip

Brand: 22 Days

Product: Coconut & Chocolate Chip Protein Bar

Weight: 2.6oz / 75g

Cost: $2.99/per from manufacturer.

Stats

Calories: 290

Total Fat: 12g, Sat. Fat 4.5g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 5mg

Total Carb: 33g

Fiber: 12g

Sugars: 15g

Protein: 20g

Protein per ounce: 7.69g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.15

Carb to Protein Ratio: 1.8-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 2% DV

Calcium: 8% DV

Iron: 35% DV

Organic, plant based, vegan, non-GMO, soy free, gluten free.

Not made in gluten free facility.

Flavor:

It was faintly coconut tasting, not as strong as I would have liked but probably for the best since coconut can be one of those flavors where either you love it (like I do) or you hate it. The chocolate was definitely more of the central flavor in this bar and the overall flavor was quite pleasant. Like the other 22 Days bar I reviewed, the texture did remind me a bit of a power bar, really chewy but with a pleasant mouth feel. It did not have a shred of the dreaded chalky taste that typifies cheap protein; one of the major reasons I love this brand is they are entirely plant based without and cheap whey, wheat, or soy protein as fillers. The importance of this point cannot be overstated as most protein bars on the market are loaded with cheap filler proteins from China. Outside of the protein, there was a ton of iron, at 35% DV this would be the most iron-rich bar I have reviewed making it good for people who are iron deficient. This coconut protein bar manages to be even more nutrient dense than 22 Days peanut butter protein bar, not by much but by enough to be notable.

As I made note of in my first review on 22 Days Daily Mocha Mantra, 22 Days has some organic protein bars that pack 20 grams of protein into each bar. While they are a bit heftier than other bars by about half an ounce they still pack in more protein per ounce than anything else I have reviewed, even more than the Squarebar. These 22 Days bars still have the cheapest protein per gram cost at 15 cents a gram and the best density of any bar reviewed; at this point I doubt I will find anything better. While I did not bring any of this flavor with me to Burning Man, I did bring three other 22 Days bars and they all held up well (save for my walnut protein bar where it seemed that the factory seal didn’t hold in the heat, the bar still tasted great but it was kind of stale).

Protein Bar Review #21: Simple Squares Coffee Nuts and Honey Snack Bar

Posted: August 13, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Post 21 - Simple Squares Coffee

Brand: Simple Squares

Product: Coffee Nuts & Honey Organic Snack Bar

Weight: 1.6oz / 45g

Cost: $2.49/per from manufacturer

Stats

Calories: 230

Total Fat: 17g, Sat. Fat 5g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 95mg

Total Carb: 16g

Fiber: 3g

Sugars: 10g

Protein: 6g

Protein per ounce: 3.75g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.41

Carb to Protein Ratio: 2.6-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 0% DV

Calcium: 4% DV

Iron: 10% DV

Organic, gluten free, wheat free, kosher, no refined sugars, soy and dairy free.

Not made in a gluten free facility.

Flavor:

It would seem I spoke too soon when I said the Daily Mocha Mantra bar, from my first post, was the only one made with real organic coffee; now that I have had the coffee Simple Square I know my error. It would seem there are two made with coffee (if any of you readers know of another one let me know). The flavor was similar to the ginger Simple Square, but with hints of coffee instead of ginger. It was not nearly as tasty as the coconut Simple Square I started with, but hey, it had coffee in it so that’s pretty cool, right? The mouth feel of all of these Simple Squares is the same, as the ingredients are virtually identical in all of their products. Simple Square created one template to rule them all, and then made a bunch of flavors to apply to that template. The nutrient content is not very good and the protein ratio is also lacking, the major win for this bar is that it is made with coffee and is still kosher.

Another win for the entire Simple Square family of products is that they have nothing in them to melt in high heat situations, making them all great for Burning Man. I picked up a few Simple Squares and other bars that seem Burn-friendly to bring out with me this year to test them first-hand in the desert heat.

Protein Bar Review #20: Squarebar Cocoa Crunch

Posted: August 3, 2015 in Bike Culture, Cooking, Science
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Post 20 - Squarebar Cocoa Almond

 

Brand: Squarebar

Product: Cocoa Almond Organic Protein Bar

Weight: 1.7oz / 48g

Cost: $2.49/per from manufacturer

Stats

Calories: 210

Total Fat: 10g, Sat. Fat 7g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 40mg

Potassium: 230mg

Total Carb: 21g

Fiber: 2g

Sugars: 14g

Protein: 12g

Protein per ounce: 7.06g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.21

Carb to Protein Ratio: 1.83-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 2% DV

Calcium: 4% DV

Iron: 15% DV

Phosphorous: 4% DV

Magnesium: 6% DV

Zinc: 2% DV

Organic, gluten free, non-GMO, soy free, vegan.

Not made in a gluten-free facility, but good manufacturing practices are used.

Flavor:

The last Squarebar I reviewed in post 8 is still one of the best I have had up to this point, in terms of overall nutritional value and taste; it kicked ass in both categories. I had very high hopes for this Squarebar, perhaps too high, as it was definitely not as good on the flavor-side. Despite that, it was still a big winner in terms of nutrients. Just like the other Squarebar, the protein is all plant based with no whey or soy as filler. The mouth feel of this bar was also not as good as the Cocoa Crunch, but it was still pleasant. All things considered, I would opt for the Cocoa Crunch over the Cocoa Almond Squarebar, but if I wanted some variety I would still eat the Almond one. Speaking of variety, I have two more Squarebar reviews to come (new flavors I found more recently). Like the last Squarebar, I left the Burning Man tag off this post for obvious chocolatey reasons, this is another example of the type of bar that will melt into a gooey mess in high heat.

One extra plus for Bay Area residents like me is that they are local, made in Alameda. If I wanted to I could bike to them and pick up the bars in person creating no greenhouse gas emissions in shipping; this is the processed food equivalent to going to the farmers market. I just made a run to Whole Foods to get some more protein bars for review, up until now they all came from my local Pharmaca here in Oakland. The Squarebar is the first out of the Whole Foods bars I am reviewing.

Protein Bar Review #18: NuGo Organic Dark Chocolate Pomegranate

Posted: July 12, 2015 in Bike Culture, Cooking, Science
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Post 18 - Nugo Organic Dark Chocolate Pomegranate

Brand: NuGo Organic

Product: Dark Chocolate Pomegranate

Weight: 1.76oz / 50g

Cost: $1.83/per  from manufacturer

Stats

Calories: 190

Total Fat: 5g, Sat. Fat 3g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 60mg

Total Carb: 26g

Fiber: 2g

Sugars: 16g

Protein: 10g

Protein per ounce: 5.68g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.18

Carb to Protein Ratio: 2.6-1

Calcium: 2% DV

Iron: 4% DV

Organic, low fat, non-GMO, and vegan.

Not made in a gluten-free facility.

Flavor:

It tasted better than the last NuGo Organic bar I reviewed, but that really isn’t saying much. It was also better tasting than the last Amazing Grass bar I reviewed that tasted like spirulina disappointment. The flavor itself wasn’t terrible, but the mouth feel was atrocious, it felt like chewing on dried, kind of stale granola bar dipped in chocolate. It didn’t have the smoothness or depth of feel and flavor that the other bars I have been reviewing have had. it was better than your average non-organic bar but that really isn’t saying much. The saving grace of this brand is that that bars are cheap; mediocre, but cheap to fit that mediocrity. Nutritionally this bar brought next to nothing to the table other than protein, but the protein per ounce was pretty decent and better than many of the bars I have reviewed. From that perspective this bar might be worth buying, if you can handle the mediocre taste and mouth feel. Every one of those bars it out-proteined tasted *far* better than this bar, but still, this wasn’t the worst tasting of the bunch so it definitely is a better buy than some options. It would be a terrible choice for Burning Man as it was covered in chocolate and would melt into a liquid mess in the wrapper.

Protein Bar Review #17: Organic Food Bar – Protein

Posted: July 9, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Post 17 - Organic Food Bar Protein

 

Brand: Organic Food Bar

Product: Protein

Weight: 2.65z / 60g

Cost: $3.29/per, online

Stats

Calories: 330

Total Fat: 9g, Sat. Fat 1.4g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 5mg

Potassium: 364mg

Total Carb: 33g

Fiber: 8g

Sugars: 18g

Protein: 22g

Protein per ounce: 8.3g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.15

Carb to Protein Ratio: 1.5-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 0% DV

Calcium: 10% DV

Iron: 9% DV

Organic, 100% raw, gluten free, cold processed, alkaline forming, non-GMO, vegan, and produced with solar power.

Not made in a gluten-free facility.

Flavor:

I was a little skeptical when I saw the package, the package kind of reminds me of a Power Bar or some other generic protein bar full of fake garbage. Upon closer inspection I saw a really simple ingredient list and none of it was a chemical or something synthetic. This bar was 100% raw and 100% deliciously awesome. While it was the most expensive bar I have reviewed in terms of total cost, the protein per gram cost was one of the lowest and this bar had the highest amount of protein out of any bar I have reviewed so far. This was a very solid protein bar with lots of potassium, but it really didn’t have any other nutrients worth noting. I am intrigued to check out other bars by this company to see if they have something comparable on the protein but with more other nutrients as well. The flavor was pleasant but also kind of bland, it tasted strongly of the dates and nut butter that make it up. You could see the sesame seeds in it and occasionally get a small crunch from them. It had a mouth feel similar to a Power Bar, but softer. The complete lack of chocolate would make this a great bar for Burning Man

 

Protein Bar Review #16: Amazing Grass Green Superfood Chocolate Cherry Almond

Posted: July 7, 2015 in Bike Culture, Cooking, Science
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Post 16 - Amazing Grass Chocolate Cherry

Brand: Amazing Grass (Yup, they still don’t have a website)

Product: Green Superfood Chocolate Cherry Almond

Weight: 2.1oz / 60g

Cost: $2.49/per, online (not from manufacturer)

Stats

Calories: 240

Total Fat: 8g, Sat. Fat 3g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 50mg

Potassium: 190mg

Total Carb: 33g

Fiber: 4g

Sugars: 20g

Protein: 10g

Protein per ounce: 4.76g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.25

Carb to Protein Ratio: 3.3-1

Vit A: 30% DV

Vit B12: 6% DV

Vit C: 10% DV

Vit K: 10% DV

Calcium: 4% DV

Iron: 10% DV

Organic, alkaline, gluten free, fair trade, non-GMO, and vegan.

Not made in a gluten-free facility.

Flavor:

I’m not sure if ‘Amazing Grass’ is meant to be a punny play-on-words for Amazing Grace, but there is absolutely nothing amazing or graceful about this bar. This thing tasted like stale spirulina covered in chocolate; at least it was covered in chocolate but that’s like putting a new paint job on the Titanic and calling it good. That is not going to cut when much better options exist for the same cost, or even lower cost per gram of protein, and when there are bars with a much better flavor. On that note, this bar had the most sugar out of any of the bars I have reviewed and still managed to taste awful; a lose-lose. If you’re going to have lots of sugar at least taste decent. Seriously, this bar is 7 grams of sugar away from a Snickers bar (Fun Fact: Snickers is the “protein bar” of candy bars, clocking in at 4 grams and 2.16g of protein per ounce). At least the last Amazing Grass bar I reviewed was merely “nothing spectacular or memorable,” if this one came even close to that I would be happy, instead I just want the bad taste out of my mouth.

This bar doesn’t even have the saving grace of being good for Burning Man; by being covered in chocolate it is the enemy in those kind of high-heat environments. By all measures, this bar is an utter failure. Save yourself $2.49 and pass on this one.

Protein Bar Review #15: Pure Bar Chocolate Brownie Bar

Posted: July 6, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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Post 15 - Pure Bar Chocolate Brownie

Brand: Pure Bar

Product: Chocolate Brownie Bar

Weight: 1.7oz / 48g

Cost: $2.19/per from manufacturer

Stats

Calories: 190

Total Fat: 8g, Sat. Fat 1g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 5mg

Potassium: 250mg

Total Carb: 26g

Fiber: 4g

Sugars: 18g

Protein: 6g

Protein per ounce: 3.53g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.37

Carb to Protein Ratio: 4.33-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 0% DV

Calcium: 2% DV

Iron: 8% DV

Organic, non-GMO, gluten free, soy free, and vegan.

Not made in a gluten free facility.

Flavor:

Sometimes labels can be deceiving, not the case here. I read chocolate brownie bar and I was worried it might taste like failure, but I could feel a brownie-like texture through the package and those fears dissipated. Honestly, it was so delicious I totally forgot to take a photo of it until after eating it. It tasted like a brownie and had the mouth feel of a brownie, but it had more nutrients than a brownie which was awesome. Like the Simple Squares, the Pure Bar has very few ingredients, clocking in at only 7. The ingredients were similar to the Kit’s Organic Bar I reviewed the other day, but with a much, much better taste.

The complete lack of meltable chocolate makes this an ideal bar for bringing along to Burning Man, especially since it manages to really taste like a chocolatey brownie. The protein ratio isn’t amzing, the price per protein isn’t amazing, but it has a good amount of potassium and besides, the flavor is AMAZING. I wouldn’t hesitate to say this might be the most delicious bar I have reviewed.

[100th Post] Hey everyone, this is my 100th post on this blog. Just wanted to thank you all for reading my blog! Here is looking at 100 more posts!

Protein Bar Review #13: GoMacro Protein Paradise Cashew Caramel

Posted: July 3, 2015 in Bike Culture, Burning Man, Cooking, Science
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 Post 13 - GoMacro Caramel Cashew

Brand: GoMacro

Product: Protein Paradise Cashew Caramel

Weight: 2.1oz / 60g

Cost: $2.89/per from manufacturer

Stats

Calories: 260

Total Fat: 12g, Sat. Fat 3.5g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 10mg

Total Carb: 37g

Fiber: 2g

Sugars: 10g

Protein: 12g

Protein per ounce: 5.71g

Protein, Cost per gram: $0.24

Carb to Protein Ratio: 3.08-1

Vit A: 0% DV

Vit C: 2% DV

Calcium: 2% DV

Iron: 15% DV

Organic, gluten free, non-GMO, sustainably sourced, macrobiotic, and vegan.

Not made in a gluten free facility.

Flavor:

Very similar mouth feel to the other GoMacro bar I reviewed, kind of like the texture of a Clif bar but a bit chewier. This did not have the chocolate chips that the last GoMacro bar did, which makes it kind of mediocre by comparison. I had expected more out of the caramel flavor which was barely noticeable. The whole bar tasted rather bland, nothing to write home about on the flavor front but nutritionally this bar was pretty decent. Like the other GoMacro bar, this one had a significant amount of iron making it good for people who are iron deficient. Past the iron and protein there really wasn’t much going on. The protein to gram ratio and the cost were middle of the road, neither particularly bad but neither exceptional either. I would sooner pay the extra 10 cents a bar to get a 22 Days Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Bar, which is better in all ways compared to both GoMacro bars I reviewed.

This would be a great protein bar to bring to Burning Man because it has no chocolate in it or anything to get melty (no liquid caramel).

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