Gone are the days when gym-goers would have to eat their way through mountains of chicken in order to meet their protein goal for the day. Gone are the days when the only way you could get enough protein in to fuel your gains is through meat, meat and more meat. Protein has become so much more accessible and convenient to access nowadays and one of the main reasons for this was the introduction of protein bars to the market. This led us on a mission to find the 5 protein bars that contain the most protein.
Since the launching of the 1st protein bars in 1960 to fuel the astronauts involved in the Apollo moon landing, these tasty snacks have come a long way. Where they were once sold as “Space food sticks” and were marketed to customers as balanced energy snacks in stick form that contained balanced amounts of fat, carbs and protein, to now being most gym-goers go-to “pick-me-up” snack. This source of quick-burn fuel for athletes has transformed in such a way that the market is so saturated with variations of a simple protein bar, it makes it very difficult to choose which one is best.
Protein bars are a good source of protein which require zero preparation time, are widely and easily accessible and a lot of them are so tasty, that they are actually considered to be a treat as well as a way of fuelling your muscle growth. Don’t let the packaging fool you, not all protein bars are created equal. There can be a downside to these far-too-easy-to-eat bars, including the artificial flavour and after-taste, the texture, protein content, amount of sugar and calories in general. It’s really important to have all the facts before deciding which protein bar to buy as it may end up hindering rather than helping your goals.
The first thing most people will notice when they pick up a protein bar, other than the graphics and colour, is the gram total of protein contained within the bar, this is usually between 18-25g of protein. Although this is important, you should also be aware of the protein-to-calorie ratio. A good measure, if you are unsure, is 15g of protein in a 200-calorie bar, or 25g of protein in a 250-calorie bar. Yes, remember that even though protein bars are seen as healthy and contain protein, which is really good for you, they do contain a fair amount of calories. Depending on your goals, these extra calories may be the extra boost you need or the tasty treat that trips you up.
5 Protein Bars That Contain The Most Protein
- MyProtein Xtra Protein Bar: Chocolate Orange
- Domyos High Protein Bar Red Fruits
- Weider Protein Bar 60%
- PE Nutrition The Bar
- Foodspring Extra Chocolate Protein Bar
Protein in general provides so many benefits to the human body, amongst those are: helping to build lean muscle and to maintain a healthy weight, helping you stay full for longer and also speeding up recovery after exercise to name a few. With all the good it does, no wonder protein bars have become such a favourite. If you’re after a protein bar that contains as much protein as possible, look no further than here:
- Ranked in 1st place, and from what we can tell, one of the highest amounts of protein in any protein bar we’ve found is MyProtein’s Xtra Protein Bar: Chocolate Orange, containing a whopping 30g of protein. Containing only 259 calories, and 24g of carbs, this protein bar will not just help you build and maintain muscle mass, it’ll fill you up, and it’ll give you a whole lot of energy. Although, if you’re not a chocolate orange lover, this may not be the bar for you as this is the only flavour they offer.
Interestingly, the protein-packed bar cannot be found on the main MyProtein website but can be bought on other sites such as Guiltfree. pl and eBay.
- Tied for 1st place, we have Domyos High Protein Bar Red Fruits which also contains 30g of protein and can be bought from Decathlon. Their motto is, “Say goodbye to high-fat and low-protein snacks”, and with only 1g of fat and 13g of carbs, they’re certainly practising what they preach. Containing a total of 229 calories, this protein bar is a great way to help achieve your athletic goals, coupled with a balanced diet and healthy habits.
- In 3rd place is Weider Protein Bar 60% which contains 27g of protein. Considering the high amount of protein, and the low amount of carbohydrates (7.8g) and sugar (0.4g) in this protein bar means that its overall calories are relatively low compared to its competitors, containing only 168! This is the perfect bar for you if you are calorie conscious but still looking to consume a good amount of protein each day for lean muscle building. This Weider’s protein bar also comes in two tasty flavours: Vanilla Caramel and Salted caramel and can be bought at multiple outlets including Amazon.
- Next up on our protein bar protein countdown, we have PE Nutrition’s THE BAR. Simply named, but anything but simple in composition. This bar contains 21g of protein, and only 1.3g of sugar and comes in 3 delicious flavours: cookies & cream, chocolate orange, and salted caramel. For those of you that have a sweet tooth, standing at 193 calories, this may be the bar for you, which you can buy at your local Holland & Barrett store.
- And finally last, but not least, is Foodspring’s Extra Chocolate Protein Bar. This tasty bar also has 21g of protein in it, is 240 calories and doesn’t contain any palm oil. This bar comes in five mouth-watering flavours: Crunchy peanut, white chocolate almond, double chocolate cashew, soft caramel and crispy coconut. All of these can be purchased on the Foodspring website. Variety is the spice of life, and if you want choice, that’s what they offer.
As most protein bars tend to contain 20g of protein, the above-listed options that are certainly above average and stand out from the crowd for their great protein offering. For those of you who are more visual learners, like me, see below for the nutritional summary of what was spoken about above.
Brand | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Sugar | Fat |
MyProtein Xtra Protein Bar: Chocolate Orange | 259 | 30g | 24g | 3g | 5.9g |
Domyos High Protein Bar Red Fruits | 229 | 30g | 13g | 1g | 8.4g |
Weider Protein Bar 60% | 168 | 27g | 7.8g | 0.4g | 4.4g |
PE Nutrition The Bar | 193 | 21g | 20g | 1.3g | 4.1g |
Foodspring Extra Chocolate Protein Bar | 240 | 21g | 21g | 1.3g | 10g |