My initial reaction was, “Oh wow, this is a tasty Barebells Protein Bar.”
It definitely ranks high on my list of best-tasting protein bars. This plant-based protein, salty peanut protein bar contains 15 grams of protein and no added sugar.
Some might consider it borderline too rich. It reminds me of a Payday, you know, all the nuts and sort of caramel filling, but I don’t think this has caramel in it. I’m not sure what the center is made of, to be honest,
The rich flavor instinctively made me curious about what was actually in the bar.
And so I looked at the ingredients, and it does have a protein blend which is, you know, expected, right? The primary protein is soy protein. It also has isolated pea protein and then some rice protein. Then it has a bunch of sugars. For example, vegetable glycerin and stuff with names with fructose in them. It also has sucralose, which is an artificial sweetener. If you stay away from artificial sweeteners, then I recommend you get off the bus now with this one.
After looking at the ingredients, I would say that if you are one that likes your snacks not to have so many ingredients, this is probably not one that you want to try. It also contains sunflower oil, so if you’re on the anti-plant oil bandwagon because of the inflammation they may cause, again, you may want to steer clear of this protein bar.
It does have some artificial flavors, a total of 17 sugar alcohols, but zero added sugars. I guess the sweetness comes from the sugar alcohol. Without the sugar alcohols, this bar would only contain one gram of sugar which I’d be curious to try. I’ve had plenty of bars with no added sugars, and not all are that bad. For example, the Kachava bar is pretty tasty and nutritious and does not contain added sugar.
This protein bar really had me question whether it was all plant protein or maybe a blend with whey in it because it just tasted so good. No, not a hint of any plant protein in it. But I guess they hide it with the sweetness and strong peanut taste, which is great too. Nevertheless, it is all plant-based.
Given all the overly processed ingredients, I wouldn’t have this bar on a regular basis. I consider this one of the bars I have when I’m really craving a candy bar but something a little bit on the healthier side. This is not a traditional candy bar with very little nutritious value and a ton of sugar in it.
Overall this is a pretty tasty protein bar. I’m really impressed with the flavor, but I wish they didn’t have so many ingredients in it and maybe cut back on the sugar alcohols.
Next on my list is the Cookies & Cream Protein bar, also by Barebells.
