Snickers Marathon Energy

Chewy Peanut Butter.

Quite literally, this tastes like a snickers bar wedged between two protein bars-- pretty tasty! I find it funny that Mars (owner of Snickers) is expanding their market to the more health conscious crowd. If the sugar was a bit lower and they nixed the HFCS, I'd count myself as a Snickers Marathon groupie. Pros: High protein, high fiber, low carbs. Cons: High sugar, contains high fructose corn syrup.

Ingredients: (I forgot to grab the ingredients info before I left work. I do remember the HFCS part, but interestingly enough I could not find the rest of the ingredients list anywhere on the internets... hmmm).

Nutritional Info:
Calories                            210 (from fat 70)
Total fat                             7 g         11 %
Saturated fat                    3 g         15 %
Cholesterol                       5 mg      2 %
Sodium                            240 mg   10 %

Total Carbohydrate        25 g         8 %
Dietary Fiber                   4 g          16 %
Sugars                               15 g          
Protein                             14 g        25 %       
Vitamin A 30%   Vitamin C 30%   Calcium 30%   Iron 30%

EAS AdvantEDGE

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter.

Pretty decent taste. There's better tasting bars out there, but this one as done well to keep me full! Pros: High protein, high fiber, low carbs, low sugar. Cons: High in saturated fat, high in sodium.

Ingredients: Protein Blend (Soy Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Concentrate, Calcium Caseinate, Whey Protein Concentrate), Maltitol Syrup, Maltitol, Dextrin, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Tapioca Starch, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Glycerine, Unsweetened Chocolate, Water, Cocoa. Less than 2% of the Following: Natural & Artificial Flavors, Calcium Carbonate, High Oleic Sunflower with Tocopherols, Salt, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Nonfat Milk, Guar Gum, Vitamin & Mineral Blend (Magnesium Oxide, Ferric Orthophosphate, Sodium Ascorbate, dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Niacinamide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Gluconate, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Beta-Carotene, Thiamin Mononitrate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Chromium Chloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Molybdate, Sodium Selenite, Phytonadione, Cyanocobalamin), Mono- & Diglycerides, Partially Hydrogenated Soy Oil, Cream, Corn Maltodextrin, Sucralose, Butter (Cream, Salt), Sodium Phosphate, and Carrageenan.

Nutritional Info:
Calories                            230 (from fat 70)
Total fat                             8 g         12 %
Saturated fat                    5 g         25 %
Cholesterol                       5 mg      2 %
Sodium                            230 mg   21 %

Total Carbohydrate        26 g         9 %
Dietary Fiber                   5 g          20 %
Sugars                               2 g          
Protein                             17 g        34 %       
Vitamin A 30%   Vitamin C 30%   Calcium 30%   Iron 30%

GNC Pro Performance, Lean Muscle Meal

Cookie Dough. $1.99 at GNC.

Cookie dough flavored bars are great because you expect that denseness with regular cookie dough, so the added protein does not effect the taste too much! Pros: Great price for the caloric punch, high protein, low-ish carbs, low sugar. Cons: High in saturated fat, high in sodium.

Ingredients: Protein blend (whey isolate, whey concentrate, soy isolate, wheat isolate), chocolate coating (why isolate, maltitol, palm kernel and palm oil, sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, soy lecithin, natural & artificial flavors, sucralose), vegetable glycerin, margarine, inulin, soy crisps (soy isolate, tapioca starch, cocoa, calcium carbonate), gelatin, sorbitol, maltitol, inverted sugar.

Nutritional Info:
Calories                            340 (from fat 80)
Total fat                             9 g         14 %
Saturated fat                    4 g         20 %
Cholesterol                      20 mg     7 %
Sodium                            500 mg   21 %

Total Carbohydrate        31 g        10 %
Dietary Fiber                   6 g          24 %
Sugars                               4 g          
Protein                             25 g        
Vitamin A 25%   Vitamin C 25%   Calcium 50%   Iron 28%

Whey Crisp Bar - Optimum Nutrition

Double Rich Chocolate. $2.69 at the Vitamin Shoppe.

Combine a rice crispy bar with a Quaker oats granola bar, the chocolate chip variety of course, and you get this bar! Pretty good, a bit of a workout for the ole' jaw. Pros: Natural ingredients, high protein, low fat, relatively low carb, low sugar. Cons: This is the kind of bar that you have to commit to. It'll take a while to finish.

Ingredients: Whey Protein Crisps (Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Tapioca Starch, Calcium Carbonate, Soy Lecithin), Maltitol, Glycerin, Toasted Oats (Rolled Oats, Sugar, Soybean Oil, Honey, Brown Sugar Molasses), Brown Rice Syrup, Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate, Chocolate Liquor, Chocolate Flavored Chips (Maltitol, Chocolate Liquor (Processed with Alkali), Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla Extract), Natural Flavor, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Lecithin, Vanilla Extract), Natural Flavor, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Lecithin, Cocoa Butter, Salt, Sucralose, Almond Meal, Wheat Germ, Peanut Flour. 

Nutritional Info:
Calories                            260 (from fat 40)
Total fat                            4.5 g        7 %
Saturated fat                    2 g         10 %
Cholesterol                      30 mg    10 %
Sodium                            100 mg    4 %

Total Carbohydrate        34 g        11 %
Dietary Fiber                   1 g           4 %
Sugars                               6 g          
Protein                             25 g        
Vitamin A 0%   Vitamin C 0%   Calcium 25%   Iron 8%

Resveratrol Wine Time Bar

Chocolate, dates, and almonds. $2.89 at the Vitamin Shoppe.

For those of you that have a liking for raw foods bars (Lärabar, Raw Revolution, etc), this is a bar that you may like as well. The most prominent flavors were dark chocolate, dates, and the almonds, although I could definitely taste some of the funky flavors associated with superfood powders, which would be why I would not recommend this bar if you are more into protein bars. At the end of the day though, instead of having this bar with "more resveratrol than 50 glasses of wine," I'd rather have one glass of wine and some dates, almonds, and chocolate to nibble on. Pros: All natural ingredients, superfoods, dairy and gluten free. Cons: A bit high in sugar.

Ingredients: Dates, almonds, dark chocolate parve coating (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soya lecithin, vanilla extract), semi-sweet chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), brown rice syrup, chicory root extract, chicory fiber, apple pectin, cocoa soy crisps (isolated soy protein, cocoa, tapioca starch), natural flavors, cranberries (cranberries, pineapple syrup, sunflower oil), cocoa powder, BioVin advanced French red wine extract (containing 5% red wine trans-Resvertrol and 30-35% red wine polyphenols), noni powder, pomegranate fruit powder, goji powder, acai powder, mangosteen powder, blueberry powder, resVida trans-Resvertrol. 

Nutritional Info:
Calories                            190 (from fat 80)
Total fat                            9 g          14 %
Saturated fat                   2.5 g       13 %
Cholesterol                      0 mg
Sodium                            20 mg      1 %
Potassium                      270 mg     8 %
Total Carbohydrate       30 g         10 %
Dietary Fiber                   7 g          13 %
Sugars                              19 g          
Protein                             4 g        
Vitamin A 0%   Vitamin C 0%   Calcium 4%   Iron 8%

Quest Bar

(What I wish this bar had tasted like)

Quest Bar, Cinnamon Roll. $2.49 at the Vitamin Shoppe.

This was one of the most disgusting things I've ever had in my life. Sorry Quest Bar, you're no bueno. Imagine eating expired Playdough. I couldn't eat more than one bite. Pros: No sugar or artificial sweeteners, high fiber, gluten free, decent protein content. Cons: Taste. Ew. Seriously.

Ingredients: Protein Blend (whey protein isolate, milk protein isolate), isomalto-oligosaccharides (100% natural prebiotic fiber), almonds, water, erythritol, sea salt, natural flavors, cinnamon, lo han guo, stevia

Nutritional Info:

Calories                            170 (from fat 50)

Total fat                            6 g        9 %

Saturated fat                     0 g        0 %

Cholesterol                       5 mg      1 %

Sodium                            300 g     12 %

Total Carbohydrate            24 g       8 %

Dietary Fiber                     17 g       68 %

Sugars                              1g          

Protein                             20 g            

Vitamin A 0%   Vitamin C 0%   Calcium 4%   Iron 4%

Dymatize Nutrition

Elite Gourmet, Fudge Brownie. $2.79 at the Vitamin Shoppe.

Really good tasting bar. The 6 layers were interesting, a bit of caramel here, chocolate there, only a few crumbs on my desk and/or face. I'm not quite sure why, but under the nutrition facts Dymatize Nutrition adds on, "For those watching their carbs, count 15g towards your daily allowance. The remaining carbs have a lesser and minimal effect on blood sugar." <-- I'll high-five you if you can tell me what that means... Pros: When Googling this product, you can find a labeled cross section image of the bar's many features! Low in carbs, relatively low in sugar, high protein. Cons: Holy saturated fat!

Ingredients: Elite protein blend (hydrolyzed whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, milk protein isolate, soy protein isolate), chocolate coating (why protein concentrate, palm kernel oil, maltitol, cocoa powder, sugar, soy lecithin, vanilin), fudge layer (corn syrup, sugar, cream, cocoa, fructose, palm oil, soy lecithin, salt, natural flavor), collagen peptides, glycerine, water, soy protein crisps (isolated soy protein, cocoa, tapioca starch), coconut oil, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavors, salt

Nutritional Info:

Calories                            350 (from fat 110)

Total fat                            12 g      18 %

Saturated fat                     9 g        45 %

Cholesterol                       15 mg     5 %

Sodium                            180 g      7 %

Total Carbohydrate            22 g       7 %

Dietary Fiber                     1 g         5 %

Sugars                             11 g          

Protein                             30 g       30 %      

Vitamin A 2%   Vitamin C 0%   Calcium 10%   Iron 15%