Bar None

The last ten years has seen an explosion of energy bars on the market. It used to be Powerbars had no competition. They weren't popular due to their horrible taste and chewy texture. But America's demand for convenience has forced manufacturers to create a wide array of bars that serves every preference. Some have more protein than others. Some have "super green" foods. Some are organic and pretty simple, others have a few more ingredients. Some are designed to aid in weight loss, some aid in muscle growth. They make remarkable claims, have appetizing packaging, and look tasty. I'm going to make my personal recommendations, and tell you which bars to avoid.

Here's a dirty secret you don't know: gelatin and hydrolzed collagen are crap. They aren't complete proteins. And bars often contain less protein than what is displayed on the label. And don't think glycerin has no carbs; it does. I can't believe bar manufacturers still advertise this and get away with it. So even if it says it has 10 grasm of protein, it probably doens't. If it doesn't have extra protein, that means it's no better than a candy bar. And instead of whey proteins, many bars contain a lot of sugar. Snynonyms include corn syrup, sucrose, brown rice syrup, maltodextrin, and others. One teaspoon of sugar is 4 grams. Sugar free bars have calories too. If it has no sugar, it has sugar alcohols, which aren't as sweet as sugar, so more are used. They can also cause GI distress.

Almost every bar on the market contains one of the following: whey, wheat, soy, or peanuts. And most bars are nothing more than what Marion Nestle calls over-hyped cookie bars. Sometimes these bars are no better than Snickers bars, except with a little more protein. Many have high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, allergens, trans fat, and palm oil. They're convenient, but not necessarily healthy.

There is only bar I know of that has none of these allergens: Enjoy Life bars. They're not that big, but they contain brown rice and other ingredients that won't trigger an alergic reaction. Clif Nectar bars have walnuts, but most people who can't tolerate peanuts can tolerate walnuts, which contain a good amount of ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid. Clif Nectar bars have about 160 calories, and the only other ingredients are vanilla extract, dates, and cocoa. Flavors include dark chocolate (my favorite), apricot, lemon, and pomegranate. Think Thin bars and Weil bars are pretty much the same in terms of ingredients. The only problems with these bars is that they contain too many carbs in relation to the amount of protein. A Weil bar has 27 carbs but only 3 grams of protein.

Kind Bars are also excellent. They are nothing more than a collection of coagulated nuts with some honey holding the bar together. Some bars include a small amount of soy but the amount is minimal and you shouldn't even count it. Kind Bars are fat bars because the majority of the ingredients are nuts. The nuts also have some protein. These bars are perfect for low-carbohydrate diets. Some Kind bars have as much as 7 grams of protein. Protein and fat is a great combination at the end of the day.

Soy is the most ubiquitous ingredient in energy bars. All other forms of Clif bars have soy, in the form of isolates, hydroisolates, or soy lecithin. Atkins bars, Nature's Valley, Powerbars, Zone bars, Steel bars, Protein Crunch, and all other popular protein bars have soy. I guarantee it. Find me one bar that doesn't have soy and I'll buy an entire case for you. I don't want to go into the politics of soy, but soy is cheap, and the soy industry has infiltrated just about every product on the market. Beware of the soy! Too much soy actually has an estrogenic effect. That is, it can enlarge the mammary glands in males. I'm not saying you'll grow boobs when you soy, but I can't see how much too much soy is a good thing.

Also keep in mind that "energy bars" are a misnomer. They should be called food bars. Calories are energy. These bars have plenty of those! But many can raise your blood sugar and make you crash. I think we often confuse "energy" with "alertness." These "energy" bars won't improve your performance.

If you're going to eat a bar, look for one with less than 200 calories. I think bars are poor meal replacements. Five bites of a bar are not going to satisfy you. Avoid bars that have 30 grams of protein. They promise to make you bigger, but you won't gain muscle! If you're going to eat an energy bar, get something small like an Atkins bar, Power Crunch or a Clif Nectar bar. These bars should be snacks, not meals. Good bars will have natural sources of fiber. Look for at least three grams. And no, Fiber One bars are not good sources of fiber.

I'm currently making a table of all energy bars on the market. I'm going to include calories, fat, carbs, protein, and certain ingredients: high fructose corn syrup, added sugar, trans fat, fractionated fats, whey, soy, wheat, nuts. It will be the most comprehensive list, anywhere.

Kevin