Issue #103

A Protein Bar Review

By: IronFist

Background
With so many protein bars on the market it can be hard trying to find the right one. Hopefully this article will make your choice a little bit easier. Here is how this article will be laid out. I'll list the name, price, flavor, nutrient profile, cost-per-gram of protein (after all, it is a "protein bar"), and then my review which will include things like taste, consistency, and anything else I feel is noteworthy, such as "did it give me a stomach ache?" and finally, my recommendation.

Let me start with a little bit of background info that you might find relevant. Taste is always subjective so it's hard to describe the taste of something to someone else. That being said, I am not a picky eater at all, so I have no prejudices when it comes to taste (except for lima beans, but if you ever come across a lima bean flavored protein bar… well… you're on your own on that one).

Quick Notes About Protein Bars
There are a few things you want to watch out for when selecting protein bars. First of all, look at the fat content. Try to avoid protein bars that have more saturated fat than a cheeseburger. We're trying to be somewhat healthy, right? Second, if you are male, be weary of protein bars with high iron content. Men don't need extra iron in their diet (unless they like being constipated), and if you look at high quality men's multivitamins you will see that they contain no iron. Some protein bars have 100% of the recommended daily allowance of iron, and there is no reason for that, so avoid those bars at all costs (women can disregard this advice). You may also have noticed that iron has a funky smell and can completely ruin the taste of a protein bar. Finally, those of you who are carb-conscious may want to check the carb levels to make sure they fit within your acceptable limits. I recommend having a glass of water with your protein bar as it can help get chunks off of your teeth, and also help to settle your stomach because protein bars are notorious for causing upset stomachs.

Note: Some of the bars gave a percentage of daily value amount for the protein content. Since this is based off of the 50g per day that is recommended for sedentary adults and not bodybuilders, it goes without saying that we ignore this percentage. For this reason I didn't even bother to list it in this article. Do you care that someone thinks that 21g of protein is 41% of your recommended daily allowance? I didn't think so. On the tables, the percentage in the rightmost column is the percentage of the recommended daily allowance for that particular nutrient.

Worldwide Pure Protein - $1.89
Flavor: Strawberry Cheesecake



I always see chocolate protein bars, so when I came across such a different flavor I thought I'd give it a try. After all, strawberry cheesecake is pretty good, right? Well, this protein bar was not. The consistency was good; it was solid and not mushy. There was a little hint of strawberry, but I didn't taste any cheesecake. I did taste cardboard, however, and it had a sawdust-like quality that kept drying my mouth out and forced me to follow each bite with a drink of water. At least there's very little iron in this one; we all know how nasty iron tastes. I should also include that this bar gave me an upset stomach shortly after finishing it.

Recommendation: Bad taste. Bad stomach ache. Avoid.

Premier Nutrition - Odyssey - $2.29
Flavor: Chocolate Coconut Almond



Chocolate Coconut Almond sounds like an Almond Joy bar, right? Well, let me start with taste. This bar was one of the better tasting protein bars I've had. None of the flavors were too pronounced - in fact, it was very mild as far as flavor goes. There was none of the obvious "protein" taste that many bars have, and the iron content was low enough to keep it from being nasty. However, as I sat in my air-conditioned apartment eating it, I could have sworn I was outside on a 100 degree day. The chocolate coating melted everywhere I touched it, and I was holding it in the wrapper! I can't imagine the mess it would create if someone tried to take it completely out of the wrapper. This bar was also a nightmare for my teeth. Each bite was thick and chewy and stuck to my teeth like glue as I tried to pry the pieces off with my tongue. At least the taste was good. I am happy to report zero stomach discomfort from this bar. But as I read the label I can't help but wonder what happened to the vitamins?

Recommendation: I will not be buying this bar again. Too much saturated fat, too messy, and too hard to eat. Avoid.

Met-Rx Protein Plus - $2.69
Chocolate Roasted Peanut



I was expecting big things from this bar. After all, Met-Rx is a well known company and you see their logo all over Worlds Strongest Man competitions, bodybuilding ads, etc. Well, as far as big things go, how about the bar itself? Weighing in at 85g this is the biggest bar in this review! I've actually see a 100g Met-Rx bar, too! While we're on the subject of big things, how about taste? This bar tastes awesome! I'm about halfway done with it as I write this and I'm sad because I only have half of it left. You can taste a little protein, but oh, it's so chocolatey and peanuty! It's not too hard. It's not too soft. It doesn't crumble, and it only melts a little (hold it in the wrapper and you'll be fine). Unfortunately, however, there is one other thing that is also big about this bar, and that is the price. At $2.69, I could buy almost 3 Steel Bars instead. Price aside, Met-Rx has done a nice job with this bar.

Recommendation: if you can afford it, then absolutely, yes.

MLO Bio Protein - $1.16
Chocolate Peanut Butter



I'd never heard of this company before, so I thought I'd give it a try. The front of the package reads "contains only naturally occurring amino acids." At 320 calories and 21g of protein, it's a pretty big bar. Chocolate peanut butter is generally a hit or miss flavor. I figured this would either be really good or really bad. As I bite into it, with its peanut butter in the middle and chocolate coating on the outside, I find it tastes almost like a Reces peanut butter cup, except a little less peanut buttery and a little more proteiny. This is definitely not a bad tasting bar, in fact, as I take a few more bites, I'd even say it's pretty good! The only thing I really don't like is the high amount of iron, but at least you can't taste it. It's a bit hard, but no more so than any other protein bar. There are no flakes, and it breaks off nicely when you take a bite. It's a bit melty, however. It's weird; I don't remember touching it at all but somehow it got on my fingers. Oh well. Just hold it in the wrapper and you should be fine.

Recommendation: Good taste, lots of calories, stealthily melty; it's worth a try.

American Bodybuilding - Steel Bar - $0.99
Satisfying Cookies and Cream



"Steel Bar," oooooh, that sounds hardcore. Haha. Seriously though, this is a good bar. The center is made of rice crispies/chocolate chips and some soft protein stuff, and all of that is covered with chocolate. It has a slight crunch to it, which is nice, and biting through it is very satisfying. It doesn't chunk off, it's not hard, and it's not mushy. In fact, I would say that its consistency is just about perfect for a protein bar. The taste is chocolate and crunchy rice crispies with a little bit of protein thrown in. Of all the bars I reviewed, this one is my favorite. It doesn't have the absolute best taste, but it tastes pretty good and something about the crispness of it makes it satisfying to eat. No stomach discomfort.

Recommendation: Good tasting and inexpensive; a big yes. If it's not big enough for you, you can just buy another one.