the ultimate guide to choosing the protein bar that’s right for you
Protein is a hot topic these days and with good reason.
I’m always being asked “how much protein per day for weight loss” do I need? What’s a high protein meal plan?
But it’s really about so much more than that. Protein is the most filling of the 3 macros, helps reduce cravings and snacking, is essential for building and maintaining muscle and is a key component to successful long term fat loss.
And, most people aren’t eating anywhere close to enough.
(If you’re looking for a good resource on all of this, I did an entire podcast episode about how much you need, where to get it and why it matters that you can listen to here).
Enter protein bars. Power Bar started the trend all the way back in 1986, but lucky for us, bars have come a long way since then (have you ever actually tried a Power Bar? They are TERRIBLE.)
Now there are practically entire aisles of grocery and convenience stores filled with bars. Energy bars, protein bars, keto bars, plant based bars, protein for weight loss bars.
So how do you know which ones to get? What’s the difference between all of them? When do you even use these things? Let’s dive in.
Choose a protein bar that actually has protein
The number one thing you want to look for when choosing a protein bar is, you guessed it, how many grams of protein it has.
A good minimum is 18-20 grams. There are a couple in my recommendations below that have a little less because they offer other benefits, but generally speaking if a bar has less than 18-20 grams of protein, its not really a protein bar. It’s a carb or a fat bar—which isn’t bad (as you know and can read more about here), but it’s not going to give you the nutrition, satisfaction or satiety you need.
When we talk about protein sources, it’s always about efficiency—which means that most of the calories and nutrition in the food are coming from protein, rather than fat and/or carbs.
If you’re working on fat loss, your protein goal for weight loss needs to be at least 100g/day—so incorporating efficient sources of protein will play a big role in getting to that number. When the bar has more carbs and/or fat than protein, you will likely end up still feeling hungry and maybe even craving more snacks as a result.
The protein in bars can come from a variety of sources. Most are coming from whey and sometimes collagen. The plant based ones will often use pea protein and the “Whole Foods” bars like Rx will use egg whites. Obviously this has a huge impact on taste and a lot of your choices will be driven by personal preference.
So now that you know how to choose a protein bar, let’s chat about when to use them
Here’s the thing, friends. Protein bars are not meal replacements. They do not have enough calories nor enough nutrition to be a meal on a regular basis (once in a while, sure). They are best used as back up protein, on the go protein and convenience protein. Or alongside other food to create a complete meal.
Let’s break that down a little more:
Back up protein: Protein bars are great to have around when your usual protein sources aren’t available. Because maybe you haven’t gotten to the store, you ran out of something unexpectedly, or you just didn’t get to plan ahead. You’ve always got something on hand to fill the gap.
On the go: Let’s be honest. There are MANY times when we can’t sit down at a table for a meal or need a snack when we have a bigger gap between meals. Traveling, commuting, vacation, crazy work day. You need to be able to eat on the go—and you don’t want to end up starving an hour later after a bag of chips. Protein bars are a great option for these situations.
Convenience: Sometimes you just don’t want to make a meal. You’re out of time, you’re not feeling well, you’ve got a ton of stuff to get done. Grabbing a protein bar is EASY and fast and you can add it alongside one or two other convenience foods (like a single serve greek yogurt and piece of fruit) to make a more well rounded meal.
Convenience matters a lot for consistency and if its between eating nothing and ending up starving, grabbing a muffin that will leave you craving more snacks an hour later or eating a protein bar, the choice is pretty clear.
How often should I use protein bars?
Above we talked about the three main situations where protein bars work—but again, they are not meant to be something you have everyday. Prioritizing meals still matters, even when its inconvenient sometimes—bars are for when life is lifey and you want to make choices that are connected to your goals and values.
Given all this, we need a protein bar to be filling. Eating a bar and feeling hungry 90 minutes later kind of defeats the purpose. But we know it’s not a meal, so it’s not meant to fill you for the usual 4-6 hours (which is how often you should eat for weight loss), but 2-3 hours is a pretty realistic goal.
Which means in addition to that 18-20 grams of protein, fiber can really help. Some bars have zero fiber (like One bars) and some bars have up to 13g (like Quest bars). Definitely something you want to be paying attention to when choosing (my recommendations are below!)
Why can’t I use protein bars as a meal?
I mentioned above that protein bars don’t have enough nutrition (or calories) to be considered a complete meal. But there’s another big reason why using them as a meal becomes problematic and that is calorie density.
Calorie density is simply the amount of calories in a given volume of food. For instance, peanut butter is very calorie dense because 1 tablespoon has almost 100 calories. That’s a lot of calories in a VERY small amount of food. Strawberries are not calorie dense because two cups has the same 100 calories—so you get a much larger quantity of food for those 100 calories.
The point here is that one tablespoon of peanut butter isn’t going to fill you up. But 2 cups of strawberries? It’ll get a lot closer.
Why does this matter? Because protein bars are VERY calorie dense. They have lot of calories (relatively speaking) in a very small amount of food. This is a big reason why eating them daily or trying to use them as meal replacements doesn’t work—because they just can’t provide the satiety of a meal that includes less calorie dense, high volume foods (like veggies and some fruits).
What about using protein bars as dessert?
One last paint! I’ve talked to a lot of folks who will use protein bars as an alternative to dessert—because some of them can be sweet, have dessert like ingredients and kind of feel like a candy bar. Truthfully this is a slippery slope. If you truly and honestly love it as much as a “regular” dessert and don’t feel like you’re missing out, go for it.
But if you’re using them as dessert because its a “healthier” option and/or you feel out of control around desserts—its not actually healthier. Yes, it’s more nutritious, but not healthier for your overall well being if you are sacrificing desserts that you love and bring you joy out of fear. This is a short term band aid, at best.
Learning how to have the dessert you actually want in a portion that lines up with your needs and goals is a skill for long term success and ease around food.
Protein bar recommendations
Given all of this here are my recommendations along with the pros/cons of each (your personal preference matters just as much, just sharing what has worked for me!)
My number one reco are Quest bars.
20g of protein
12-13g fiber per bar
Whey protein based
Huge variety of flavors and great texture
Available everywhere
Barebells bars would be my second whey option.
20g protein
3 g fiber
Smaller variety of flavors but taste amazing
A little harder to find
Aloha bars would be my top plant based recommendation
14g protein
10g fiber
Pea protein
Smaller variety of flavors, texture is a little dry
TL;DR: Protein bars can be a super simple and convenient way to get protein in your diet when you don’t have the time, energy or attention for meal prepping and planning, but they shouldn’t be used as a consistent meal replacement. Look for 20g protein per bar plus fiber as a bonus.