Effective exercise is hard WORK, and the last thing you want to do after a sunny outdoor workout is to undo all of your efforts to become healthier by scarfing a snack that’s not as good for you as its snappy packaging promises. Having fallen victim too many times before ourselves to food pretending to be healthy, we decided to search for some bars that will actually give you the protein your muscles need without processed ingredients and extra sugars. Scroll on to read more about 10 of our tasty, tried and true faves.
1. Coffee Chocolate RX Bar ($26, box of 12): No morning cup of joe? No problem! Get a latte lover’s fix with this great bar, which packs an impressive 12 grams of protein from seven ingredients — including real coffee beans.
2. Julian Bakery Glazed Donut Paleo Protein Bar: This isn’t exactly the same as the donut you’ve been craving, but it should help to take the edge off! Bonus: You definitely don’t need to follow the Paleo diet to indulge in this after-exercise meal replacement.
3. Wild Blueberry Pure Bar ($22, box of 12): The generous portion of blueberries packed into this bar gives it a major boost of antioxidants, which are ultra-healthy for your cells. Berry bliss!
4. Health Warrior Chocolate Peanut Butter Health Warrior Chia Bar ($22, box of 15): This 100-calorie chia bar is light enough to actually serve as a snack, rather than a meal replacement. Don’t be fooled though — it’s still chock full of beneficial ingredients, like 1000mg of Omega 3.
5. Tumeric, Ginger and Beet Lara Bar ($34, box of 15): Tumeric is one of the best things a gal can give her body, with benefits that include an ability to ease PMS pain and act as an anti-inflammatory. Paired with ginger and beets, this raw food bar promises you 200 calories worth of superfoods.
6. Chocolate Coconut Zing Bar ($32, box of 12): Coconut lovers will adore this chocolate-covered bar, which tastes like a decadent dessert. Coated with REAL dark chocolate, this bar also has a mighty 10 grams of protein, which makes it so much better than giving into a candy bar craving.
7. KIND Cashew and Ginger Spice Bar ($100, box of 72): Kind Bars can be high in sugar, but this version has only 4 grams — in addition to cashew and ginger, two ingredients with a ton of health benefits. Though the protein content is lower in this treat than others on our list, the calorie count is too. Have this one with a piece of fruit and you’ll be good to go.
8. Quest Nutrition Cookies and Cream QuestBar ($25, box of 12): We scream for cookies and cream! If you can get over the aftertaste that some find strange, you’ll love this bar, which is incredibly low in sugar and net carbs. Made for athletes and fitness pros, the bar has a whopping 21 grams of protein and is high in fiber too.
9. YAWP! Naked Bar ($34, box of 12): The “Naked” bar is exactly what it sounds like, a nutritious source of post-workout fuel — without much else! Grain-free, this bar’s base is created with just organic dates, sunflower seeds and almonds. It’s also low in sugar and under 200 calories, just like the four other flavors which include our all-time fave, cinnamon.
10. Gutsey Bar New Hampshire — Eat Clean, Live Free or Die — Cashew, Quinoa and Cherry ($35, box of 12): Baked with love on the East Coast, Gutsey Bars are vegan, gluten and GMO free. Repping a few northern states, the healthy bars come in unique flavors like this cashew/quinoa/cherry mix. We love the dark chocolate “Boston” flavor too!
Which of these bars do you think sounds the best? Tweet us about it @BritandCo!