Some thoughts and discussions from me.
Good Bars for Fat Loss (and Blood Sugar)
When it comes to daily eats, I always follow (and coach my clients to follow) the mentality to choose whole foods whenever possible. For this reason, you’ll rarely see me eating a protein bar at home (unless it’s a homemade protein bar!)
However, lately I also try to eat a small meal every 3-4 hours. So this means when I’m on a hike that takes longer than that, or stuck in my car and my tummy grumbles, there might not be real food available for a snack. This is where bars come in – as emergency snacks.
I’m kinda pretty picky when it comes to bars – for both myself and recommending to my clients. I like them to meet the following criteria:
- Higher in protein
- Tasty
- Mostly natural ingredients
- Lower in sugar
- Filling
The bars below meet these criteria, and if you’re looking to lose body fat, their macronutrient ratio also supports fat loss (I recommend these to my clients who are looking to lose weight and are looking for tasty bars!)*
Disclaimer: I am not a registered dietician. Please consult your physician before making any changes to your dietary program.
Think Thin Bars in Chunky or Creamy Peanut Butter
Think thin bars are a chewy/crunchy bar with a layer of chocolate on top. I like them because they’re tasty, without tasting fake. Here’s the nutritional stats:
And the ingredients: PROTEIN BLEND (WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CASEIN), COATING (MALTITOL, COCOA BUTTER, CHOCOLATE, SODIUM CASEINATE, MILK FAT, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVORS, SALT), GLYCERIN, MALTITOL, PEANUTS, WATER, COCOA BUTTER, PEANUT FLOUR, NATURAL FLAVORS, SOY LECITHIN, SEA SALT.
Quest Nutrition Bars
Of all the natural flavors, I like coconut cashew flavor the best by far. QuestBars are more chewy, and are known for their excellent macro profile and clean-ish ingredients.
Cookie dough also tastes amazing (seriously, like a candy bar!) although it’s not completely natural. And I hear that these bars are great heated up in the microwave a little bit.
VPX Zero Impact Bars in Pumpkin:
These bars are made with keeping insulin levels maintained in mind. I like the pumpkin supreme flavor the best. I don’t often recommend these to clients who are looking to lose weight, just because they clock in at a heft 415 calories per bar. However, I think they’re delicious, and for my energy needs, I like to eat one for a snack or small meal when I’m on the go.
Ingredients: Proprietary protein matrix [milk protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, hydrolyzed collagen (full spectrum amino acids),whey protein isolate, calcium caseinate, Micellean™ micellar casein protein], proprietary fat burning & healthy fat matrix [almond butter, sunflower butter, SesaTrim™ (sesame oil extract)], semisweet chocolate, low DE (dextrose equivalent) corn syrup, purified water, 99.7 USP glycerin, inulin, honey, erythritol, rolled oats, pumpkin powder, brown rice syrup, cinnamon ground, natural and artificial flavors, potassium sorbate, xanthan gum, lecithin, salt, sweet potato powder, diacetyl tartaric acid ester and monoglycerides, mixed tocopherols and citric acid.
KIND Bars
KIND bars are probably the best tasting bar out there. My favorites are the ones with higher protein or lower sugar. The three above are three of my favorites – peanut butter dark chocolate, dark chocolate sea salt, and almond walnut macadamia.
Homemade protein bars
If you have the time, make your own protein bars! All of the protein bars above are fine, but they still contain some ingredients that aren’t quite in my regular vocabulary. Making your own protein bars ensures you know exactly what’s going into them.
My favorite are these no bake chocolate covered protein bars, but here are some other tasty varieties:
Pumpkin primal protein bars (probably my 2nd favorite)
Coconut blueberry protein bars
*Please note that I bought all of these bars with my own money – except the KIND bars. My friend, Lauren is a KIND girl and hooked me up, but all of the statements are my honest opinion! 
What’s your favorite bar?
Love this list! Think thin, quest bars, and kind bars are some of my favorites! I do try to stay away from them on the regular but every now and then they really do make a great quick and easy option!
Danielle recently posted…Are you cutting back on food and still gaining weight? You’re probably making this mistake.
The chocolate chip cookie dough quest bars are my favorite! I also like clif mojos. Great post. I need to bake another batch of bars today!!
Great list! I’m trying to minimize protein bars for the sake of natural ingredients, but once in a while you just need something quick. I definitely recommend heating up Quest bars, literally every flavour tastes better that way.
And I adore the peanut butter and dark chocolate KIND bar – it tastes a lot like Snickers to me, so it’s awesome for chocolate bar cravings.
Sam @ Better With Sprinkles recently posted…Please Don’t Do This At The Gym.
Yes! And the dark chocolate cherry is TDF – but stats aren’t as healthy 🙂
I LOVE the Quest bars too! I would say the Coconut Cashew and Cookie Dough are also my two favorite flavors. KIND bars are also another one I really like. Some of my other favorites are: Larabar ALT bars and Clif bars!
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries recently posted…08/08/13: Thursday Thoughts
Yes! Love LARABAR ALT, too 🙂
Hooked on KIND and Quest bars too! So yum!
I’ve always wanted to try Quest bars and I love KIND bars, but I’ve only tried a couple flavors. I also want to try making homemade energy bars soon!
Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves recently posted…Morning Ritual
Great comparisons on the bars! I need to keep these facts in mind especially since I suffer from hypoglycemia. So it’s always important to me to keep my blood sugar regular. Which is usually why I always almost end up making my own protein bars! I just love knowing what I put into the bars and that it’s truly healthy.
Lisa recently posted…The Little Things
Ok, so I really thought, from your title, that it was about bars (that serve alcohol) that could help with fat loss. I got really excited! Haha.
But these bars look delicious too! Especially your homemade protein bars. 🙂
Alaina recently posted…Brewfest and Brunch
LOL!! Now that’s a good post idea… 😉
I have found that Kashi Chewy Granola bars especially Peanut are best Pre/Post run fuel!
I’ve tried Quest, just cannot do it. 🙂 I love KIND, ThinkThin and making my own.
Pamela Hernandez recently posted…4 Easy Recipes with Dates
i loved the quest bars warmed up! and kind bars are nice and crunchy – makes them more satisfying. i unfortunately experienced stomach pain after eating the think thin bars – i think because of the sugar alcohols!
Caitlin recently posted…My Very Own Burger
I’m a fan of all of those- except I’ve never had the Zero Impact bars. I’d probably steer clear of them for the calorie content, but they’d be great for Greg!
Hmm… I’ll have to check out the Quest bar flavor again- I only had it once a while ago. If it’s even better than the cookie dough one, I am game!
Lauren @ Oatmeal after Spinning recently posted…WIAW 52: Colorful Fiesta
I need to try those kind bars! I’m loving the Vega bars, but they aren’t low in sugar. I need a GF and dairy free bar low in sugar!
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables recently posted…How Much Is Enough?
I too try to stay away from processed bars and snack foods and love making them at home. If I choose any purchased protein bars it’s usually Quest, LARABAR, RAW Revolution, and OU81 (these are so good and very clean!).
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Do you recommend it if im just doing the insanity program/ HIIT workouts?