Opt for whole food snacks like a banana with peanut butter, or an apple with hard-boiled eggs. Want to try making your own energy bars at home? Check out my book, Fuel Your Body , for healthy recipe ideas! How to Choose the Best Protein Bars. Ingredient Labels Food Labels Sports Nutrition Running Wellness Weight Management.

Aug 10 Written By Angie Asche. Navigating The Nutrition Facts Label NUTRITION FACTS - This is where macronutrients protein, carbohydrates, and fat and their amounts are listed on the back of the label.

Look For Whole Food Ingredients What's it mean when I say look for 'whole food' ingredients? Rise The Simplest Protein Bar Perfect Bar GoMacro MacroBars 88 Acres Protein Bar RXBar Kize Bar Skout Organic LaraBar Protein Epic Bar Go Raw Sprouted Protein.

Energy Energy bars Healthy Snacks. Angie Asche. For those looking for a simple, fast-acting workout snack without the artificial flavors, we highly recommend a That's It bar. If you need slower-burning carbs to pair the That's It Fruit Bar with something more dense, take a look at the Bobo's Oat Bar.

Meant to supplement as a meal replacement, the Bobo's bar is equally impressive with simple, organic ingredients ideal for those longer days. Energy Chews are not like a traditional energy bar in that they are only designed to be eaten during the middle of intense exercise for immediate use as fuel by the body.

Skratch Labs Sport Energy Chews offer some nice advantages over the competition. Immediately noticeable is their white sugar coating, evoking memories of gobbling Sour Patch Kids at the movie theater. Besides appealing to the sweet tooth in all of us, the coating makes it so they can use less wax to get the right consistency while also ensuring that they aren't sticky in your hands or the package.

More than one tester said that these were their favorite energy chews and would be using them from now on instead of Clif Shot Bloks or GU Energy Chews. The downside is that they are made of pretty much just sugar.

While sugar is the fastest and easiest carbohydrate for the body to digest and use during exercise, developing a habit of eating them is no different than a candy-eating habit. They also use pure white sugar, which isn't as preferable as a more natural sugar option, like honey, the main sweetener in Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews.

Like their bars, Skratch Labs also doesn't source from organic ingredients, so there is room for improvement when it comes to quality. When it comes to taste, and the ability to eat as many as are needed, though, these chews win out.

Skratch Labs is a Boulder, CO, based company that makes food products specifically for athletes. We like the Skratch Labs Bar because of the great texture — they are both crunchy and nutty while perfectly broken up by chunks of real fruit, such as cherries.

The bar tastes exactly what the ingredients look like, but it also tastes like real food. We like that these bars come in both sweet and savory flavor options because sweet bars can get old after awhile, and especially toward the end of a long effort, all we really crave is salt.

That said, the savory options are a bit out there, and you may want to try one before you go investing in an entire box. The Savory Miso flavor came in our variety pack, and while the taste was certainly interesting, we also found it to be way too intensely spiced to make it appealing when working out.

We were also a bit bummed that the bar wasn't sourced from organic ingredients, coming from Boulder, and considering an effort was made to be vegan, non-GMO, and gluten-free.

While these aren't our favorite energy bars, they aren't bad and are one we would recommend checking out if you need to add some variety to your trail snacking life. Another alternative we love is the Larabar due to its wide variety of flavors and simple ingredient list.

Like the Skratch Labs Bar , the Larabar provides a great flavor profile with real fruit all while being relatively inexpensive. More is not always better. When it comes to energy bars, we often find ourselves struggling to polish off the last few bites of a bar, which can be a challenge if we are craving the energy it provides but aren't thrilled with the taste or texture.

That's what's so great about the Health Warrior Chia Bars — they are so small that you can eat the entire thing in just a few bites while still getting the boost of calories of easily digestible energy.

Because they are so small, they are also super portable, they can fit into the tiniest little pockets that no other bar or packet of chews can. The number of times we carried these little treats in a pocket of our running shorts when we didn't want to lug around a larger bar cannot be counted.

Our blind testers also thought the crunch of the chia seeds was nice and that they are easy to chew up and swallow quickly. The downside is simply the reverse side of the "small" coin. These bars are so small that you really can't expect them to fill you up, so they aren't really such a great snack from a hunger standpoint, only from an energy one.

They also cost around the same as you would expect from a bar, but since they are so small, you may not feel like they are a great value. A final minor complaint is that they are made almost entirely of chia seeds, which just love to get stuck between your teeth, so maybe aren't the best snack for a first date out on the trails.

If you need a slow-burning boost in energy on your outdoor adventures and don't want to lug around much larger and harder-to-eat bars, the Health Warrior Chia Bars are a great bet. Take one bite of a ProBar Meal and you will likely have the immediate reaction that this is a bar that seems designed to be healthy.

You will likely be overwhelmed with the mish-mash of natural ingredients, one moment tasting a sunflower seed, while the next getting a distinct hint of peanuts or cashews. The texture is both crunchy and gooey at the same time, offering something that you can both bite into with authority and that also dissolves in the mouth with little extra work.

Check out the package, and you will notice that it is made with organic ingredients that are all-natural, vegan, and non-GMO, and you can feel good that you are treating yourself well. Take more than a couple of bites, and you will notice something else — that you are getting full!

The only reason you might not want to eat these all the time is that they include a lot of added sugar g per bar , and the first ingredient on the list is Brown Rice Syrup sugar. Easily digestible sugars can be beneficial when you are seriously active, but eating these instead of a normal meal should be limited to those crusher days filled with adventures or training where sugar can and will be burned up quickly and not made a habit of while sitting at a desk.

If you like getting the best value out of your bars and want to finish one feeling full, the ProBar is one of the best and healthiest choices you can make. A clean and tasty combo makes this bar a great alternative for those looking for their next backpack staple.

Bobo's Oat Bars are a simple meal replacement bar made mostly of organic rolled oats and brown rice syrup to act as a sweet binder. Most of our testers were split on whether they preferred them over ProBar Meal bars, with some loving the cookie-like flavor and simple ingredient list, while others wished there was more in the way of fruit and nuts.

A single bar is delineated into two servings, but we found it best to eat the whole thing at once, as they quickly get stale once the package is opened. One thing is for certain; you won't wolf down an entire one of these bars and still claim to be hungry!

Packing an incredible calories in a dense, little bar, these snacks are ideal for those who really need to make their stomach shut up right now! Of course, they also have a few downsides. Some of our testers found them to be a bit too dry and chewy, needing a lot of water to wash them down.

Others complained that they didn't have much flavor. Those who crave a balance of protein in their energy bars should choose something else, as this bar is largely slow-burning carbs with a hint of fat. While they aren't quite the slam dunk favorite that Kate's Real Food has proven to be, if you are looking for a quick answer to breakfast or love you some oats, you should certainly check out a Bobo's Bar.

The theory goes that if you eat roughly this proportion of foods, your body becomes far more efficient at burning fat, helping you lose weight, and also possibly having positive benefits for chronic diseases such as diabetes.

It has not been proven to offer tangible performance benefits for healthy, fit athletes. When it comes to eating Keto and still wanting to eat a bar that is not simply a stick of meat, we like the GoodTo Go Snack Bar best.

They are made of almond flour combined with inulin fiber and are tastily sweet thanks to the addition of erythritol, a sugar alcohol that your body doesn't absorb, so doesn't count against the carb total. The result is a cake-like bar that dissolves easily in the mouth, offers good caloric density, and is far more palatable than the other Keto-friendly bars that we compared it against.

By no means do we think this bar is perfect; however, we simply found it more edible than others in our search for a tasty, meatless Keto bar. If eating a stick of meat sounds right up your alley, check out either Epic or Tanka bars. We apologize for hiring a vegetarian head tester.

It comes in various flavors, such as Cinnamon Pecan, Vanilla Almond, and Raspberry Lemon our favorite , but each of these flavors is very subdued and left us begging for more. We also aren't thrilled about the many artificial ingredients and derivatives, including inulin a fiber extract that some people have a hard time digesting and erythritol, a sugar alcohol added for sweetness.

To top it off, these bars are pricey, among the most expensive in our test group, and certainly don't knock our socks off. We find many bars more enjoyable and satisfying to eat, but unfortunately, these don't meet the Keto-friendly designation.

But if you are on a strict Keto diet and still love the convenience of a quick-hitting energy bar, check out GoodTo Go. Epic Snack Strips have taken the meat stick world by storm and are appealing for their wide variety of interesting flavor blends.

We like most of the flavors, but the taste can be artificial at times due to the highly creative concoctions. The texture is appealing and crumbly, making these jerky strips easy to eat and wash down, but they are also a far cry from the texture of fresh meat.

They are packed with protein and usually advertise how low-carb they are, so this product could be tempted by those seeking a more Keto-centric option.

On the downside, these strips don't provide the caloric density necessary for long-duration activity and are more useful for those on low-intensity outings and those who crave a meat snack in a small and portable package. They also don't provide a good mix of macronutrients that would provide long-lasting energy.

And finally, it is hard to get a read on where the meat comes from, though the packaging often advertises "grass-fed" and "wild-caught" animal treatments. If the flavors appeal to you, give these sticks a try, but don't expect them to boost your athletic performance.

If you're looking for a meat stick with a friendlier price tag, we recommend taking another look at the Vermont Smoke and Cure Jerky Sticks. GU Energy Gel is engineered to provide glucose, amino acids, and in some cases, caffeine to athletes during long-duration performances where the body requires glucose at regular intervals to continue functioning.

GU has long been a favorite of long-distance runners, cyclists, and alpine climbers, with strict protocol to eat one packet every 45 minutes to an hour with water.

This provides enough glucose to keep the brain and body functioning while body fat is consumed as the main energy source. This esoteric user group does not describe most users, many of whom will gag at the gel's fruity, sugary, and slightly chemically taste and gooey texture.

Others will want a product that provides a well-rounded macronutrient profile for more casual activity. But for elite endurance athletes, GU has its place. We don't recommend GU Energy Gel to the casual user since it doesn't taste that good and doesn't feel like real food, we recommend that endurance athletes give it a try.

The packets are small, easy to pack, and easy to open, making them a great tool for elite athletes looking for that extra edge. They won't provide enough energy to last more than an hour of exercise, so make sure to pack enough to keep you fueled up and to prevent bonking.

Our expert tester leading this review is Andy Wellman , a senior review editor for OutdoorGearLab since Andy is an avid climber, runner, skier, and backpacker who has spent the last 25 years chasing adventure all around the globe, from running ultras and sport climbing in Europe to tackling multi-day stage races and months-long treks in the Himalayas, as well as ski touring through the Canadian and Colorado Rockies.

Whether he's humping a large pack up to an alpine basecamp or simply logging miles on his weekly long run, he's popping energy gels and staving off hunger and energy crashes with his favorite bars.

Andy went vegetarian about five years ago as a psychological experiment and was surprised at how much better he felt physically.

While he isn't a nutritionist, he has spent most of his life striving for improvement in outdoor sports and understands the outsized role that nutrition plays in that quest. He is joined by Jeff Dobronyi , an IFMGA certified Mountain Guide based in Jackson, WY.

From long winter days on the skin track to hour pushes in the alpine, Jeff knows what the body needs to keep moving and has tested hundreds of nutrition strategies over his career. Besides combing the aisles of natural food stores and outdoor gear shops for new and interesting bars, we also researched over different varieties to select the bars we tested for this review.

Then, we handed the products off to friends and colleagues to get their input, including blind taste tests and thoroughly researching the sources of each product's ingredients. We put all the bars to the ultimate test, eating them daily on outdoor adventures while climbing, skiing, and running in the Rockies and the tropics.

We bought and tested each energy bar or snack and rated them based upon four different criteria: taste, texture, caloric density, and quality of ingredients.

When possible, we purchased variety packs to get the widest possible picture of how different flavors stack up. Opinions were gathered from multiple people, and blind tests were conducted to assess for taste and texture. Energy bars have long held the reputation of tasting poor compared to real food, but that doesn't stop us from looking for great taste.

We set up blind taste tests with friends to ensure that this highly subjective distinction was not made based on too narrow of a foundation. Testers ranked each item in the order from their favorites all the way down to the options that tasted so bad they weren't suitable for inclusion on our favorites list.

The sweet Honey Stinger Waffle is the unanimous winner when it comes to taste, but Kate's Real Food , Larabars , and Taos Bakes were all close seconds.

Among the energy chews, people liked the Skratch Labs Energy Chews pretty much the same as the Honey Stinger Energy Chews , and didn't like other brands nearly as much. As for meat sticks, the Vermont Smoke and Cure sticks were preferred over Epic Snack Strips. While texture is linked to taste, the texture of an energy bar can have a huge impact on its tolerability during endurance activities.

Foods that are smooth, easy to eat, and that wash down easily with water are preferable to foods that take lots of chewing to break up and that stick to your teeth and tongue.

Furthermore, our testers preferred products with a texture similar to "real" food and that don't feel synthetic. Dry and powdery bars were the least favorite, while grainy, nutty, and fruity bars were the most coveted. Take bars per hour of exercise, depending on exercise duration and intensity, and the combination with other energy bars, -gels or drinks.

Due to the high concentration of carbohydrates sugars and sodium salty peanut , it is recommended to always use the 6d ENERGY BAR in combination with water. This to ensure good absorption and to minimize the risk of gastrointestinal complaints during exercise.

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Energy Bar 6x46g. Soft bite , derived from its base of oats and dates. In stock. Add to Cart.

NUTRITION FACTS - This is where macronutrients protein, carbohydrates, and fat and their amounts are listed on the back of the label. While all three of these macronutrients are important, the necessary amounts vary from person to person depending on health status, lifestyle, and activity level.

Certain micronutrients vitamins and minerals are also listed on the food label. Look for bars with at least 10 grams of protein and if you plan to use it as a pre or post-workout snack, at least 20 grams of carbohydrates. This will tell you where those grams are coming from. For example, are the grams of sugar coming from whole food sources like dates?

Or from refined sugar and corn syrup? And are the fats coming from whole food sources like nuts and seeds? Or hydrogenated oils? I recommend avoiding bars marketed as being 'low carb' or 'low sugar' before workouts as they often contain artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols maltitol, erythritol, xylitol , and synthetic fibers that can cause GI issues bloating, gas, diarrhea mid-workout.

Tolerance level of artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols will vary depending on the athlete. Ingredients are listed in order by weight. Heavier, denser ingredients will be listed first followed by lighter ingredients. For example, ½ cup of brown rice syrup or honey weighs the same as 2 cups of oats, so even if a product uses more oats than honey, the honey will be listed first due to weight.

What's it mean when I say look for 'whole food' ingredients? Here are some examples:. Made with vegan, gluten-free, kosher, and non-GMO ingredients that you can pronounce, these bars are the perfect post-workout option. They have the optimal carbs to protein ratio to kickstart recovery, and these nutrients come from a combination of dates, nuts, seeds, and pea protein.

If you're looking for a tasty protein bar with ingredients you can feel good about, we highly recommend Trailnuggets Pro! Looking for a bar with no added sugar? These bars are made with a few simple ingredients to give you a well-balanced snack wherever you are.

Made using egg whites, nuts, dates for sweetness, and other natural flavors, RXBAR's supply a healthy amount of fats, carbohydrates, fiber, and natural sugars to keep you fueled. Each bar contains 12 grams of high-quality protein, making them great for a post-workout treat or mid-day boost. These tasty Honey Stinger bars contain nut butter and honey sandwiched between two multigrain crackers and covered in chocolate.

Made with all organic ingredients, true source honey, and no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, these snack bars are a sweet treat you can feel good about.

Anytime you get a sweet craving, these bars a great option! Not to mention, they make a great pre-workout option because they have some carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats to keep you feeling fueled without sitting like a brick in your stomach.

These bars were created by a trio of pro athletes, one of which has celiac disease and requires a strict gluten-free diet. Picky Bars , made with ingredients like nuts and seeds, spices, whole fruits, and nut butter, these bars have an optimal ratio of carbs to protein to give you the fuel you need without sitting like a brick in your stomach.

These whole food energy bars were made with athletes in mind! Meet Clif Nut Filled Bars. Clif has elevated the bar on bars when they filled their classic Clif Bar with a yummy nut filling.

It not only makes the bar taste better, but it also adds the extra moisture you need to make these bar perfect when you are at rest or during a workout. Take these with you on any adventure for some clean-burning, sustained energy!

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Running Triathlon Athlete Stories Training Tips New Products Cycling How to Fuel. New Products. Products Mentioned PROBAR Meal Bar Bearded Brothers Bar RXBAR Skratch Labs Energy Bar Sport Fuel Combo Pack Clif Bar Nut Butter Filled Bars.

Skratch Labs Energy Bar Sport Fuel Combo Pack.