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Evamarie's Favorite Protein Bars
(Hint: They actually
taste good!)
©2003 Evamarie Pilipuf
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Naturally, when it comes to choosing what you eat, you want to choose a variety
of healthy foods whenever possible. But sometimes, when you're on the go
especially, a protein bar can be a useful stand-in. Unfortunately, most
protein bars leave much to be desired in both taste and texture. Happily,
I have tried just about all of them; here, a list of my favorites:
Detour Bars
Funny, I'm generally not crazy about most Designer
Whey protein bars. All of that changed with the Detour bar! This is
quite possibly the best tasting protein bar I have ever tasted! Eat this
and you'll never need another Snickers bar. Their only down side is a higher
saturated/ hydrogenated fat content. So I wouldn't label these heart healthy.
U-Turn Bars
Another
one by the Designer Whey company. If Detour bars are the closest thing to
a protein-packed Snickers bar, then U-Turn bars are Designer Protein's Milky
Way counterpart.....seriously. Caramel, nougat, and chocolate. 30
grams of protein. You can't beat it.
Iron-Tek
Triple Decker Bars
With a
name like that, these have to be good! Actually, they're more than good,
they're delicious, just like a candy bar. Not the best in terms of "bad"
fat content, so go easy on these, but it sure is nice to know there's an
alternate to chalky protein bars with a bad aftertaste.
Pure
De-Lite Chocolate Bars
Okay,
these are most decidedly NOT nutrition bars, nor are they healthy ("bad" fat,
again). But...if you want a low-carb bar that's just like eating a
Hershey's (better actually, really smooth and creamy) chocolate bar, this is
it.
Myoplex Deluxe Bars
These
are not only tasty, they're very filling. Probably too many carbohydrates
for most high-protein/low-carb eating plans, but each bar offers 24 grams of
protein. Not bad. Both flavors -- peanut butter and fudge -- are
excellent.
Myoplex Lite Bars
Very,
very tasty, and I like all of their flavors. Probably my favorite is the
raspberry, though the apple cinnamon is pretty good, too. What's nice is that
they're not too high in calories--under 200, yet they have a fairly decent
protein count.
Myoplex Carb Sense Bars
High in
protein and extremely low on carbs. I used to LOVE these bars, but I eventually
grew sick of their very slight "bite." Still, if I had to do low-carb, I'd put
these on the list. My favorite: Lemon, but then, I love lemon flavor in
just about anything.
Zone
Perfect Bars
These
are very good, a different shape and texture from most protein bars (good
heavens, I need a life). I especially like the lemon, the peaches-n-cream, and
mint-chocolate flavors. The downside: these are proportionately less Atkins,
more Zone diet. I say, the compromise on carbs is worth it, but you'll have to
decide for yourself.
Promax Bars
Another
one whose lemon flavor I love! The texture of these is pretty good, too. Again,
you'd have to check for carb content. Admittedly, I have not tried all of the
flavors, but I can at least recommend the lemon, the cookies-n-cream and the
double fudge brownie.
Balance Bars
Check
the carbs, as these are formulated more for Zone diet folks. Still, a great
light snack if you don't want a heavy protein bar in your stomach. And
yes, my favorite is lemon. They also have an excellent mint chocolate
flavor. Heading out on the trails and don't want a bar that will melt?
Try the Balance Bar Outdoor....the almond butter flavor is particularly tasty.
Balance Gold Bars
Until I
tried a Detour bar (see above), I used to refer to these as a great Snickers
bar stand-in. While the Detour bar takes the cake in this category, the
advantage to these bars is that they are a mere 210 calories each, versus the
Detour which weighs in at 310 calories.
That's it! My list of favorite protein bars.
Take this with you the next time you're at the health food store, and you'll
never have to sing the protein bar blues again! –ep
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