Protein Bars Under 200 Calories

Protein Bars Under 200 Calories

by PaulaVargas 4 months ago3076 viewsNutrition

Looking for protein bars that wont blow out your daily intake? With so many to choose from, you could spend ages browsing the store for the perfect bar. Let us help you save time by showing you some of the top picks for protein bars under 200 calories.

Here youll find something for everyone, whether youre into whey, collagen or plant-based proteins! With smart snacking, you can enjoy a treat every day that still helps you reach your body goals.

Health Warrior Pumpkin Seed Bars

The Ingredients: The protein in these plant-powered bars comes from pumpkin seeds for a magnesium-rich boost. Magnesium plays a key role in energy production and helps to control your bodys stress response. Pumpkin seeds are also excellent sources of iron, zinc and antioxidants.

The Flavor: These bars come in decadent flavors like Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Coconut Almond.

The Nutrition Facts: This healthy protein bar is under 200 calories, has just 6g of sugar, and packs in 2g of fiber and 8g of protein. Plus, they are USDA Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified and Gluten-Free.

$16.49 for a variety pack of 12,

Can A Protein Bar Replace A Meal

While eating balanced meals with protein, fat and carbs is the easiest way to see whats on your plate, a protein bar can replace a meal if needed. As long as protein bars have close to the recommended 25 to 30 grams of protein that healthy adults are advised to consume three times a day, they can suffice as a meal replacement. Still, be wary of protein bars high in carbs or added sugar, since regularly consuming high levels of carbs can raise your blood pressure over time. If your protein bar has less than 25 grams of protein, you may want to consider adding a second small protein source to your meal, such as greek yogurt or a boiled egg, to reach the recommended amount.

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Mens Health Lab Approved

Protein bars stamped with the esteemed Mens Health Lab Approved logo below have been put to the test by our panel of fitness enthusiasts and experts. They tried a variety of protein bars to find those that deliver on both nutrition and flavour.

Following a four-week trial period, testers provided in-depth feedback on taste, aroma, texture, ease of use, ingredients and how the protein bars affected their energy levels and performance in the gym.

The remaining protein bars on our list have been selected by Hope and Hobson, who know what to look for and what to avoid in a pre- or post-workout protein treat.

Here are our top recommendations:

Nutrition per bar: 241kcal, 20g protein, 11g fat, 23g carbs

PHD Smart Bars contains less than 250 calories and are high in protein sourced from milk and soy. The bars are low in sugar but high in saturated fat . Maltitol can cause laxative effect so go easy on these bars.

The Most Filling Protein Bar: Quest Protein Bar

Protein source: Whey

Nutrition info: 180 cal, 20g protein, 7g fat, 24g total carb

Quest Bars remind me of the three-course chewing gum from Willy Wonka because they freakishly taste like whatever food theyre trying to imitate. I have sampled almost every Quest Bar flavor, and though Ive had brief obsessions with the chocolate sprinkled doughnut and mint chocolate chunk varieties, I find the double chocolate chunk the most reliable.

Because theyre both high protein and pretty ubiquitousyoud be hard-pressed not to find at least one flavor of Quest Bar at a grocery or convenience storetheyre also the best option for when youre at the airport and want a snack that has a bit more substance than a bag of Cheez-Its. They have more protein per serving than almost any bar on this list, and because more than half of the total carbs are from fiber, theyll keep you full for a long time. They dont have the purest ingredients , but if your vice in life is artificial sweeteners, then theres a lot to love here.

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Rxbar Banana Chocolate Walnut

The Ingredients: With just eight natural ingredients, this bar is a fan favorite. Some of the star ingredients are dates which provide natural sweetness and help hold the ingredients together, egg whites which provide protein, and cashews and walnuts which provide magnesium, heart healthy fats, and antioxidants.

The Flavor: The dates give this bar a chewy consistency, complementing the crunchiness of the nuts and the sweetness of the banana and chocolate.

The Nutrition Facts: The Banana Chocolate Walnut RXBAR is packed with 12g of protein and healthy unsaturated fats, and provides 3g of fiber per bar all in just 210 calories.

$37.80 for a box of 24,

Looking For The Best Protein Bars

Theres no question that protein is an essential part of a healthy diet: Research suggests that protein keeps you feeling full, helps muscle recovery after a workout, can contribute to weight loss, and may even lower blood pressure. A recent study published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, found that replacing the calories in refined carbs with a daily 40-gram supplement of milk or soy protein lowered blood pressure modestly. All these benefits help explain why protein bars have become a diet staple in the United States.

Protein bars are a type of nutritional supplement that comes in a variety of brands and flavors chocolate, dark chocolate, almond, vanilla, peanut butter and chocolate, oatmeal, and more. Many protein bars have a good balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, making them a nice choice for a snack or postworkout recovery boost. Some protein bars are higher in sugar while others use sugar alcohols.

Similarly, Ericka Stachura, RD, of Boston, recommends dieters watch the sugar, protein, and fiber in protein bars. For a snack, look for protein bars with 200 calories or less, she says. For an on-the-go meal replacement, look for bars that have 200 calories or more. Serious athletes who want a postworkout recovery protein bar should look for bars with about 20 grams of protein. Its also a good idea to look for a short ingredients list to ensure your bar is minimally processed.

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Epic Chicken Sesame Bbq Protein Bar: Protein Bar With The Lowest Calories And Carbs

Epic brand is popular for its meat-based protein bars that have a texture like soft jerky. With simple ingredients that include only meat, dried fruit, and spices, these bars are paleo-friendly and several flavors are suitable for the Whole30 elimination diet. The Chicken Sesame BBQ flavor has only 5g of carbs.

Compared to the Epic bars with beef, bison, or venison, the chicken bars are lower in fat and calories but provide 13g of protein per 120-calorie bar.

The bars are naturally sweetened with raisins, keeping the overall carb count low and eliminating the need for any sugar alcohols or high-intensity sweeteners. These bars are a great choice for anyone who is sensitive to these ingredients or would prefer to avoid them.

These bars are also low in fiber , which means they will digest quickly as part of a pre- or post-workout snack. However, because they are so low in carbs, they should be eaten with an additional source of carbohydrates such as dried or fresh fruit to provide the energy needed to fuel for or recover from training.

Of course, because the bars are meat-based, they are not suitable for vegetarians or vegans.

They are also the highest in sodium, with 600mg per bar, which is 13 times as much sodium as the 45mg in a Built Bar or Nutrativa bar. This makes them hard to include in a low-sodium diet.

Why Are Protein Bars Considered Healthy

Protein bars are considered healthy for a number of reasons. They can help curb your appetite and reduce cravings, which can be helpful for busy people who dont have time to sit down and eat a whole meal. Protein bars also have antioxidant effects, which can help prevent or slow damage to cells. They can lower levels of homocysteine in your body, which is helpful because having too-high homocysteine levels can increase your risk for heart disease increased homocysteine levels can also be a sign of a vitamin deficiency that may require dietary changes or a multivitamin supplement.

Protein bars also allow you to increase your protein intake, which can help reduce your chances of developing diabetes. Thats because higher protein intake helps you lower your blood sugar. However, this is only true of high-protein bars that have high levels of fiber as well. On the contrary, high-fat snack bars that are low in protein do the opposite, and can actually cause your blood sugar to spike. If youre still unsure how protein bars could affect your unique nutritional needs, its always a smart idea to consult with a registered dietitian or nutritionist to discuss your health goals.

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Pure Protein Dark Chocolate Coconut Bar 190 Calories

If strawberry greek yogurt taste isnt your favorite, thats totally fine.

I have added another protein bar from the same brand Pure Protein, yet in another taste. They have many other tastes as well. However, these two are my favorite, and in my opinion, the best ones. However, if you dont like any of them, try checking out the Pure Protein Blueberry Bars.

Other than taste, there are a few small differences between Dark Chocolate Coconut Bar and Strawberry Greek Yogurt Bars.

The amount of protein bars differs. Pure Protein Dark Chocolate Coconut Bar has 19 grams of pure protein. You shouldnt even notice the difference.

They still have 1 gram of sugar per bar, which makes it suitable for workouts, fitness programs, weight loss programs, and any other type of lifestyle.

At first, these protein bars might look just like any other treat, however, theyre a pure combination of protein, and fiber, with a low amount of sugar, and other additional fluff.

They are gluten-free, GMO-free, and soy-free. Only natural ingredients are used for making Pure Protein Bars. Therefore, theyre a great snack for everyones whos working on gaining more lean muscles.

Toning your body shouldnt be a problem either. You can have a cheat day, every day! Except this would be a healthy cheat day that wouldnt ruin your progress.

Pros

• Suitable for lean muscle building
• Great for weight loss programs
• Can be used any time of the day
• Price is very well priced

Cons

The Nutritional Criteria For The Best Protein Bars

Not just any protein bar landed a spot on our list of best protein bars. We compiled a list of over 100 protein bars so we could compare their nutrition and ingredient information. With the help of dietitians, we came up with specifical nutritional and ingredient criteria we had to follow to select the best protein bars:

• 8 grams protein minimum: To qualify as a “protein bar,” each bar had to have no less than 8 grams of protein. Hillary Cecere, RDN of Eat Clean Bro, a meal delivery service, recommends aiming for 15-20 grams of protein if you’re looking to gain muscle and 7-12 grams of protein for a satiating snack.
• 13 grams sugar maximum: The best protein bars have no more than 13 grams of sugar.
• 3 grams fiber minimum: When it comes to fiber, Fine recommends opting for a protein bar with 3 or more grams per bar or serving. “However, caution with those boasting more than 10 grams of fiber as these are likely loaded with isolated fibers that can cause stomach discomfort,” says Fine.

Also Check: What Does Proteins Do For The Body

Best For Weight Loss: Primal Kitchen Almond Spice

If you want to lose weight, you’ll want to keep your blood sugar balanced to remove thos dreaded spikes in blood sugar that can leave you hungry. “This bar has 8 grams of protein and minimal sugar, which helps keep blood sugar balanced by preventing a blood sugar spike ,” says King. “This flavor, specially, contains cinnamon. Cinnamon has been shown to improve fasting blood sugar levels, making it a great addition for people with diabetes, pre-diabetes, insulin sensitivity, and those with PCOS experiencing blood sugar irregularities.”

Julian Bakery Paleo Thins Sunflower Butter Protein Bar: Protein Bar With The Highest Protein Per Calorie

Paleo Thins Sunflower Butter Protein Bars provide the highest protein per calorie out of all the bars on this list. Each bar has 150 calories and 20g of protein , which is higher than my recommendation of 0.1g.

Im also really impressed with the short list of just four recognizable ingredients in these bars: egg whites, sunflower seed butter, fiber from tapioca starch, and monk fruit extract as the only sweetener.

This means the bars are naturally grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and nut-free, making them perfect for anyone who follows the paleo diet or has allergies or intolerances to these foods. The only allergen is eggs.

However, these bars are extremely high in fiber , which means they could result in a daily fiber intake that is too high when combined with other whole food sources of fiber. This is especially true for women, who have a recommended daily fiber intake of 25-28g.

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Is Protein Powder Or A Protein Bar Better

Protein bars are often fortified with more nutrients, fiber and carbohydrates than protein powder, so theyre better as meal replacements or snacks. Protein powders can be used in a meal replacement shake if theyre blended with foods high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats, but theyre more typically used to increase protein intake before or after workouts with the goal of muscle gain.

Prices are accurate and items in stock as of publish time.

Tips To Help You Pick The Healthiest Protein Bar

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What Should People Look For When Choosing A Protein Bar

The main factors for choosing a protein bar would be taste, macronutrient composition how many carbs, proteins and fats there are and price, says Frank.

Most protein bars will deliver somewhere between 15g and 25g of protein. Beyond that, you want to look at how much protein you are getting per calorie.

For macronutrient composition, most bars are either just under 200 calories while giving 15g of protein or are around 250 calories for 25g of protein, says Frank.

Both these options are good for overall health and performance since, at the end of the day, they should only be making up a small percentage of your total calories.

Also make sure you are actually buying a protein bar, not a general energy bar thats aimed at endurance activities where loads of carbs are required.

There are quite a few performance bars out there, such as Clif bars, that are meant for snacks during athletics such as biking or hiking, says Frank.

They’re pretty much all carbs so they dont work as a protein bar to eat at work or between meals.

The price of protein bars can vary hugely, and there will be monstrously bad ones at the cheaper end of things. However, if you can find a cheap bar you like, it will obviously help you save money and there are bargains available, especially if you shop online.

When it comes to price, a premium protein bar can easily be one of the most expensive things in your diet on a per-calorie basis, says Frank.

Tester: Sally Kaplan Insider Picks Editor

Flavors: Smother Fudger Peanut Butter, Zamn Good Zesty Lemon, and I Scream for Orange Cream

Review: I love these bars so much I’ve bought more since first testing them. After I ate one, I was convinced they’d be filled with dairy and processed ingredients , but it turns out they’re vegan and full of ingredients I recognize. Cassava flour, brown rice protein, and pea protein are just some of the base ingredients I’m happy to be eating every time I open a bar.

I’ve tried the chocolate peanut butter, lemon, and orange creamsicle ones so far, and they were all delicious. The texture isn’t gritty the way a lot of vegan protein bars are instead they’re chewy and thin, kind of like a flatter Larabar with a thin layer of icing.

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