As someone who is a total gym rat and constantly on the go, I find that packing one or two protein or snack bars in my bag helps me stay fueled throughout the day if I don’t have time to stop by my dorm and eat something. I have come to rely heavily on protein bars stuffed in my bag to get me through a long day (and a full water bottle, of course, drink yo water). So, as a self-proclaimed protein bar guru, here are my top five protein bars to get you through those busy days.
Barebells
I only recently discovered these bars, but they are absolutely amazing! They are top-ranked in everything I look for in a good protein bar: taste, nutrition, and texture. My favorite flavors of theirs are the Vegan Hazelnut + Nougat (which literally tastes like Nutella PLUS no dairy), the Caramel + Cashew, and the Salty Peanut. They have a crunchy topping and a thin layer of caramel-like goodness, finished off with a chocolatey coating. The consistency is perfect – slightly soft but crunchy too, and the flavors are truly to die for. Additionally, there are 20 grams of protein in the regular bars and 15 grams of protein in the vegan bars (which is pretty high for a vegan protein bar), and get this – NO added sugar. Clocking in at around 200 calories per bar, Barebells bars are a pretty good option as far as I’m concerned.
One Bar
I have been a fan of the One Bar since high school when I discovered them, and this is one protein bar I never get sick of. I only rated them second because their vegan flavors have a strange aftertaste, but their whey-protein flavors are pretty delicious. My personal favorites are the Almond Bliss (a delicious coconut-almond combo), Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Maple Glazed Donut, Birthday Cake (which has rainbow sprinkles), and Peanut Butter Cup. These bars come in around 200 calories and are packed with protein at 20 grams per serving. Additionally, they are named for having only one gram of sugar per bar, which I would say is a pretty good plus.
Perfect Bar
Although I’d heard about these for a while, I never really tried them until the fall semester final exams. When I was studying for hours consecutively, I would always get hungry, but you can only eat Yamas so many times in a row before getting sick of it. Because I’m not a huge fan of Chick Fil A (come at me, IDC) and hadn’t quite ventured into trying Forest Greens’ sandwiches, I decided to give Perfect Bars a go. So far, I’ve only had the Dark Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter flavor, but let me just say they are HEAVENLY. Each bar has about 16 grams of protein and all whole-food ingredients, which makes them less processed than the bars I’ve mentioned above. They’re also a great consistency! While they should be kept refrigerated because of the whole ingredients, you can pretty much dictate the texture of the bar based on how much you let it thaw out before eating. These bars have about 330 calories each, which is a little higher than the others, but they’re delicious nonetheless. I totally recommend them!
Go Macro Bar
When I say that I had one of these for breakfast EVERY SINGLE MORNING of the first semester this year, I’m not exaggerating. These are vegan, gluten-free, and low FODMAP (shoutout to all the girls with stomach issues lol), and so so delicious. They range from about 10 to 12 grams of protein per serving, which is surprising considering that they keep me full for HOURS at a time. Top flavors include Double Chocolate + Peanut Butter Chips, Sunflower Butter + Chocolate, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, and Coconut + Almond Butter + Chocolate Chips (long names I know but bear with me). These bars have a more chewy consistency, and depending on which ones you grab, might even be crunchy (hello vegan chocolate chips). These come in around 300 calories but are super filling.
Pure Protein Bar
This has been my most recent discovery! Although I’ve only tried one flavor (Chocolate Peanut Butter, real shocker there), I am obsessed with them. They pack in 20 grams of protein at around 200 calories and only have one gram of added sugar! I need to try out some more flavors, but I am a huge fan of the Chocolate Peanut Butter.
This is not an exhaustive list of the best protein bars, and as always, take everything I say with a grain of salt, but if you’re looking for some high-quality protein on the go, I got your back.