We chronicled earlier this week our new eating plan, which is all about eliminating sugars and processed foods from our diet. Like I said in the last post, it takes more planning than eating whatever you want and one of the pitfalls people fall into is not having healthy snacks on you to grab, causing you to pick up something unhealthy to satiate a sugar craving. So, I’ve stocked up on some protein-packed snacks that taste delicious, have very little sugar and are very filling. When I started planning my meal plan, I noticed that not every protein bar is created equal. So many are pretty much sugar-filled candy bars disguised as protein bars, so we’ve done the research to find ones that are really healthy. Here’s what we’ve been picking on.
Buff Bake: Their protein cookies and almond butters are almost too good to be healthy (but they are, we promise). Their cookies make a great snack or meal replacement and come in delicious flavors such as white chocolate peanut butter (my personal favorite flavor), frosted oatmeal raisin, snickerdoodle and birthday cake. Are you sold yet? A whole cookie is around 300 calories and has 16 grams of protein. They have around 16 grams of sugar in each cookie. Super filling, colorful and the packaging is bright and fun. Whenever I whip one out, people just assume I’m cheating on my diet, and sometimes it tastes like I am, without the guilt. They also have a line of fun, flavorful protein almond butters in flavors such as birthday cake (so yummy), snickerdoodle and rocky road. One of my favorite snacks is putting some of the almond butter on a banana or apple.
D’s Naturals: This plant-based wellness company has an amazing line of protein bars and “fluff butters” that are unlike most on the market. Their No Cow Bars are dairy free and made with organic brown rice, pea proteins and other natural ingredients. Their flavors are great, such as raspberry truffle, lemon meringue and peanut butter chocolate chip. What I also like is the consistency of the bars. They aren’t chocolate coated and have a chewy nature to them. At around 170 calories a bar, they pack a lot of protein, with 21 grams and just 1 gram of sugar. Their fluff butters are protein-infused nut butters in flavors such as chocolate s’mores and brownie batter. They’re also dairy free and very low in sugar.
RXBar: I first noticed these bars at Starbucks and liked that it prominently listed every ingredient in them, boldly on the front of its packaging. When you read the label, it’s all natural ingredients and no fillers. They typically have more than 10 grams of protein and contain ingredients such as egg whites, dates, cashews, almonds, and other power foods. Added bonus: it’s Whole30 approved. They are gluten free and dairy free, too, which is an added benefit for those trying to eliminate both from their diets.
Zing Bars: These great snacks come in a variety of flavors and types — chocolate covered, soft cookie and nut butter and fruit. At around 200 calories, the have around 10 grams of protein and around 10 grams of sugar. The flavors are super yummy — my favorite is almond blueberry, but the dark chocolate-dipped bars are great when you need a 3pm pick me up. I keep them in my desk next to me at work so when the craving strikes, I have something healthy to reach for.