Do you have a busy life?
Who doesn’t these days! For those of us who are “go go go” and don’t have time to make a meal from scratch we require something else at times. Introducing… snack bars!
In all reality though any kind of packaged food isn’t going to be nearly as healthy or good for you as food that comes from plants or animals. However, at times when a quick bite is needed the snack bars come in handy.
Buying Guide Paleo Of Snack Bars
In today’s world most of us are overly stressed, don’t have time to enjoy cooking every meal and need something quick when on the go. Whether you’re a young professional busting your butt at work or a mom attempting to manage several children and the hectic schedule that goes along with it we could all use a quick snack that’s easy, convenient and readily available.
My goal on these product reviews is to choose Paleo bars that aren’t very harmful to us in the immediate sense and also decent for our health in the long run. Even if you’re not strictly following the Paleo diet (maybe on whole30, keto or just overall healthy eating) this will still be a good guide for you because the bars chosen have less harmful ingredients, they’re typically gluten-free, soy free, dairy free and grain free and are better options than some protein or snack bars on the market today.
So many of today’s packaged items contain horrific ingredients that are detrimental to our health but advertised as “healthy.”
If we can have whole meals that come from plants or animals that will continue to always be the best choice of nutrition. But let’s be real, a delicious, tasty and easily accessible snack bar can always be a nice treat 🙂
I try to eat these bars sparingly because they’re not whole foods from plants or animals. They are still processed, more difficult to digest than plants and should not be a continuous source of nutrition. It’s useful to balance these with a healthy diet and abundant choices of green, red, yellow, orange and other colorful plants and grass-fed animal meat.
Guide On Choosing Paleo Snack Bars
When looking for different bars to grab when you’re on the go there are a few things to keep in mind to get the best nutritional value for what you’re going to consume.
Is it Paleo?
If you’re following the Paleo diet then this is going to be the best thing to look for by far. Is it Paleo? Does it use milk or other foods that we try to stay away from on the Paleo diet?
What’s the sugar content?
A sub-question to ask on this is “are there natural sugars from fruits or added sugars?” This is an important question because if the bar has natural sugars from fruits that may be a better choice than a bar with low sugar but high “fake” sugar or added sugar because the nutritional content of the natural sugars may be better in the long run.
If the bar doesn’t contain numerous fruits I tend to target ones that are under 10g as to not spike insulin as much.
What are the added ingredients?
This is going to be one of the biggest components to identify with a fine toothed comb because some “healthy” bars out there have numerous added ingredients that are detrimental to our bodies in the long run.
You want to look for ingredients that are as natural as possible. Even “natural flavors” can have negative effects; one of them being an addictive quality.
The FDA defines Natural Flavors as:
The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional. Natural flavors include the natural essence or extractives obtained from plants
Basically this says natural flavoring is extracted from plant or animal sources such as:
- Spice
- Fruit or fruit juice
- Vegetable or vegetable juice
- Edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material
- Meat, seafood, poultry or eggs
- Dairy products
These natural flavors are more for flavor rather than for nutritional value.
whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.
To break it down, natural flavors come from a variety of sources with chemicals in them. These natural flavors are seen as healthy options by consumers but it’s not always true.
When looking at different bars it’s important to keep these things in mind but also not to let them stop you from finding good ones and giving up all together. Snack bars aren’t the perfect choice for nutrition but if you’re going to balance choosing a decently healthy snack bar versus some bagels, donuts or other loaded, sugary, carbs then the bars may be a better option!
Or if you just want a treat once and while like I do by indulging them as a delicacy 🙂
Best Paleo Snack Bar Rankings?
I’ve broken down this list to 5 Paleo snack bars that I’ve come across that are true Paleo (even if you’re not strictly following the Paleo diet this will help you because of less ingredients that may be harmful to your body or that can cause digestive upset) and deliver the best value for their cost with pros and cons on each to help you pick the best one.
Also, under all the “PROS” these bars are going to be all grain free, gluten free, soy free, dairy free and GMO free. I’ll list in the “CONS” if otherwise.
#1 Rx Bar
This should be no surprise to some because these have blown up like wildfire the past several years. Their simple packaging with ingredients listed on the front (except for “natural flavoring” they have listed in the back under all ingredients) makes it easy for people to choose ones that appeal to them.
What does the RX in RXBAR stand for? (1 – from the RXBAR FAQ page)
RXBAR was born in the world of CrossFit, where good nutrition is key to success and achieving your goals. In CrossFit terms, RX means performing a workout exactly as prescribed – a high standard. We don’t cut corners at RXBAR and set high standards for ourselves. That’s why we’re RXBAR.
They have a variety of flavor options and each one has a unique taste that allow consumers to pick ones that work best with their palate. For example, I’m a big fan of the blueberry flavor but I know a lot of people aren’t into that one as much.
The downside of RXBARs and complaints are focused on people saying the taste is not as good as other bars out there. They say it can taste bland, gets stuck in their teeth and the date flavored ones can overpower anything else.
Overall, these bars taste great, they have a variety of flavors and the ingredients are minimal (besides “natural flavors”); putting them in 1st place!
| PROS | CONS |
| +Variety of flavors | -Complaints about “bland” flavor |
| +Chewy texture | -Sticks in the teeth |
| +Minimal ingredients | -Too salty |
| +Clean protein (egg whites) | -Hidden ingredients with “natural flavoring” |
| +No added processed sugar |
#2 Caveman
These bars are meant for the Paleo group with their branding and marketing. For their logo they have a character that resembles a caveman about to throw a spear, they know their audience!
We are going to be reviewing specifically the chocolate salted caramel flavor. It has great taste and is a good combination of chewy but hard at the same time. Also when you open the package you can see a bar that resembles real foods unlike some that are all processed together, giving it a more natural and “Paleo” feel.
Product Description (listed from Amazon)
Why not try a delicious and healthy protein bar packed with nutrient-rich ingredients like egg whites, creamy almond nut butter, and protein rich nuts and seeds? Taste the primal difference with Caveman Chocolate Salted Caramel Protein Bar, a Certified Paleo-Friendly snack.
They do use more ingredients than some bars ranked here. However, they’re ingredients are still better than other snack bars on the market.
Where people are not as much of a fan of these bars is in the sugar portion. They have almost as much sugar content as the protein in this bar and there have been complaints about it tasting like a candy bar rather than a healthy snack alternative. You’ll see tapioca syrup listed as one of the ingredients which means there’s a bit of added in sugars beyond just natural fruits.
Overall, they taste really good and are healthier than most bars on the market but aren’t that filling and have some added ingredients more than just whole food; putting them in 2nd place!
| PROS | CONS |
| +Great taste with a good balance of sweet & salty | -Small and not as filling as some bars |
| +Nice texture that’s smooth and chewy | -Added ingredients beyond just whole foods |
| +Good price | -Contain ample sugars |
| +Fresh tasting nuts | -Added in tapioca syrup |
#3 Paleo Thin Bar
These bars have a variety of interesting flavors and definitely fill you up unlike some other bars listed here. The name is Paleo so they’re obviously targeting the Paleo community. For this review we’re specifically evaluating the Paleo Protein Bar (Blueberry Tart).
Where these bars are good is in their protein to sugar ratio. They have 20g of protein and only 2g of sugars! Which is great for Paleo and low-carb eating not to spike insulin too much.
Product Description (listed from Amazon)
Paleo Protein Bars made with the most bio-available proteins (Egg White), combined with carefully selected fibers, carbohydrates, and sweeteners, these bars are remarkably low in sugar, net carbs and total calories.
However, where people are not a fan of these is in the texture and difficulty biting and chewing the bar. It’s quite hard and difficult to chew compared to some of the easier bars to eat listed here.
Overall, these bars are definitely filling and have a good sugar to protein ratio; putting them in 3rd place!
| PROS | CONS |
| +Variety of flavors | -Hard and not easy to bite into |
| +Filling | -Feels very processed |
| +Good protein to sugar ratio | -Need to microwave for a few seconds to give a good chewy texture |
| +Low sugars | |
| +Great fiber count |
#4 Larabar
The pure taste of whole foods with no other added ingredients! It’s refreshing eating something that doesn’t have unpronounceable additives. These have a ton of flavors and choosing the Larabar best flavor can be difficult. However, for this review we’ll look at the Larabar recipe cashew cookie.
This is a VERY simple Larabar recipe they created for the cashew cookie resulting in only 2 ingredients. Yup! 2 ingredients, you read it correctly. You can probably make this at home as a Larabar DIY if you were to test it.
The Larabar calories for the cashew cookie are: 220 overall with 12g of fat, 25g of carbs and 5g of protein.
Product Description (listed from Amazon)
The foundation of a sound mind, body, and spirit is derived from what you eat – and what you eat is most delicious and satisfying when it’s in a whole, natural state. That’s why Larabar’s Nut Lovers bars only include simple, real ingredients. Larabar believes that it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and, with only a few ingredients each, their bars are beautifully simple and delightfully delicious. They’re kosher, dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan. Minimally processed Nut Lovers bars are a wholesome, on-the-go indulgence you can feel good about eating.
Even if you’re not strictly on the Paleo diet these bars are still overall healthy and work for different diets (for example, some of the Larabars are Whole30 compliant but not all).
Larabars taste great, are soft and easy to chew but their weakness is in their sugar to protein ratio. Most of the Larabars have ridiculously high sugar for the amount of protein that’s in them. Sure, they’re not really a protein bar but at the same time you can get a better bang for your buck with other bars that balance macros better that may not jack up your insulin as much.
Also, where I see a lot of people complain about these bars is in their quality being inconsistent. There are always going to be bad batches of any products but these seem to be more rampant than others.
Overall, the Larabar does seem good for you in terms of basic ingredients with no extra additives. They are soft, chewy and have a good texture for delicious flavors but very high sugar to protein ratio; putting them in 4th place!
| PROS | CONS |
| +Natural ingredients – no additives | -Small, not as filling |
| +Taste great, pure and natural | -High sugar content |
| +Soft, chewy texture | -Low protein |
| +Great price | -Inconsistent quality |
| +Multiple flavor options |
#5 Thunderbird Paleo and Vegan Snack Bars
Another one that takes it home with the pure ingredients! You’ll notice that the list of ingredients are things you can pronounce and know what they look like.
These are similar to the Larabars with their ingredient list of simplicity and they don’t get stuck in your teeth as much as the RXBARs do.
Product Description (listed from Amazon)
You shouldn’t have to compromise on great taste when it comes to healthy food. Our real food bars are made from natural ingredients and taste amazing. They’re not stick-to-your-teeth chewy or sickly sweet, because there is zero added sugar! Plus they’re vegan and Paleo, so feel free to share with all your friends.
However, where they are weak is that they have high sugar content and not the best protein. Again, I get it, they aren’t protein bars but at the same time I am a fitness enthusiast and always look to get protein with bars that I eat. I typically don’t eat more than 1 bar a day (if that, I try to stick to whole foods) and if I’m going to grab a bar I’m going to target one with higher protein, it’s just more bang for my buck.
Overall, they are pure ingredients of whole foods, have plenty of flavors and don’t get stuck in teeth as much as some. But they aren’t packing a lot of protein and contain higher sugars (on some of the bars); putting them in last place for the 5 Paleo snack bars listed here.
| PROS | CONS |
| +Natural ingredients – no additives | -High sugar content |
| +Taste great, pure and natural | -Low protein |
| +Soft, chewy texture | |
| +Multiple flavor options |
In Conclusion
All of these bars are good choices and you’re far better off choosing one of these than some other choices on the market. However, keep in mind that any processed, snack or protein, bar will not be as healthy as going for plants, vegetables, fruits, grass-fed meat or other healthy alternatives. But if you live a busy life and just need a snack to grab versus throwing donuts back, then these bars are the way to go.
The clear winner here is RXBARÂ because they have very clear ingredients that most people understand where they comes from rather than additives. Also, they have such an array of flavors that you’re bound to eventually find one you like. They contain good protein to sugar ratio and the only real downside is the “natural flavors” part but at least they’re trying and not listing out 5 to 10 other ingredients.
I’ll be expanding more on the individual Paleo bar brands and the best flavors in each so keep a lookout for those articles coming soon!
For now, I appreciate you taking the time to read through this blog post and hope it helped guide you to pick the right Paleo bars for you.
As always, have fun wrangling in your fitness, share this on social if you got value from it and please leave a comment if you have questions or something to say.
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