We Answered Your Energy Bar Questions

Q. Which Energy Bar is the best?

A. That depends on your taste buds. The best energy bars are the ones you enjoy eating, settle well for a pre-exercise energy booster, and fulfill your dietary needs.

Q. Are Energy Bars better than Fig Newtons or other traditional foods?

A. Like Fig Newtons, they are a carbohydrates source to fuel your body and nutrients to invest in your health. They are pre-wrapped and convenient to toss into a gym bag or backpack without crumbling.

Q. Are Energy Bars just glorified cookies?

A. For the most part, yes. Little is wrong with a few (sugar-containing)

cookies/energy bars when balanced into an overall healthy eating pattern for athletes. Sugar (carbohydrate) in a sports diet fuels muscles. As a fit person, your muscles take up the sugar and use it to power your workouts. Please focus more on what comes with the sugar: whole grains, protein and fiber.

Today’s overwhelming assortment of energy bars offers every dietary niche option, be it vegan, kosher, low FODMAP, nut-free, etc.. Below is a list that categorizes the bars and might help you find ones that suit your dietary preferences. The key is to remember that energy bars are not meal replacements, but rather emergency food that comes pre-wrapped. Be sure there are some banana peels and apple cores in your wastebasket, and not just wrappers.

Additive-Fee Energy Bars

(that is, no added vitamins or minerals):

• Clif Mojo & Nectar
• Epic
• Good Greens
• Gnu
• Honey Stinger Waffle
• Kashi
• KIND
• Larabar
• Optimum
• Peak Energy
• Perfect 10
• PowerBar Nut Naturals
• ProBar
• Pure
• Raw Revolution
• Red Square Power-flax
• RX
• thinkThin
• Trail Mix Honey-bar
• Zing

Budget-Friendly Energy Bars

• Nutri-Grain
• Nature Valley Granola
• Kashi Chewy
• Quaker Chewy

Caffeine-Containing Energy Bars

• Better than Coffee
• Clif CoolMint Chocolate
• Clif Peanut Toffee Razz
• Honey Stinger Caffeinated
• Peak Energy Plus
• Picky Bar Game-Set-Matcha
• Verb

Dairy-Free Energy Bars

(see also Vegan)

• Bonk Breaker
• Bumble Bar
• Clif Builder’s & Nectar
• Enjoy Life, GoMacro, KIND, Larabar, Perfect 10, Picky, RX, thinkThin Crunch, Vega Endurance

Enriched/Fortified With Added Vitamins

• Balance
• ZonePerfect

Hight Fiber Energy Bars

(grams fiber)

• Fiber One Chewy (5-6g)
• Gnu Flavor & Fiber (12g)
• NuGo Fiber d’Lish (12 g)
• Oat-mega (7g)
• Quest (13-14g)
• thinkThin Protein and Fiber Bar (5g)

GUT-Friendly, Low FODMAP Energy Bars

• Fody
• GoMacro Peanut Butter Protein Replenishment
• EnjoyLife Dark Chocolate (and some other flavors)
• GoodBelly
• Happy

Gluten-Free Energy Bars

• Bonk Breaker
• BumbleBar
• Elev8Me
• Enjoy Life
• EnviroKidz Rice Cereal
• Fody, Good Belly
• GoMacro
• Hammer
• KIND
• Lara
• Picky
• PowerBar Protein Plus
• Pure Protein
• ProBar
• RX
• Quest
• Raw Revolution
• That’s It Fruit
• thinkThin
• Truwomen
• Zing
• 88 Acres Seed and Oat

Kosher Energy Bars

• GoMacro
• Extend
• Larabar
• Pure Fit
• ReNew Life Organic Energy
• thinkThin
• Truwomen

Low-Carb Energy Bars

• OhYeah! One
• Pure Protein
• Quest
• Keto

Nut-Free Energy Bars

• Don’t Go Nuts
• Enjoy Life
• Freeyumm
• Go Raw,
• Honey Stinger Waffle
• Jumpstarter Bodyfuel
• Luna Bar Lemon Zest
• That’s It
• 88 Acres Seed & Oat

Organic Energy Bars

• Cascadian Farm
• Clif
• Pure
• GoMacro
• Red Square Powerflax

Peanut-Free Energy Bars

• Clif
• Truwomen (some flavors)
• Enjoy Life

Protein Bars

(Your choice of soy, whey, egg, or blended protein source) (grams protein)

• Clif Builder (20g)
• Gatorade Whey Protein Bar (20g)
• GoMacro Protein Replenishment (10-12g)
• Honey Stinger Protein (10g)
• Lenny & Larry’s Muscle Brownie (20g)
• NuGo (10-12g)
• Oatmega (14g)
• PowerBar ProteinPlus (30g)
• PowerCrunch (13g)
• Pure Protein (20g)
• Quest (21g)
• RX (12g)
• thinkThin Protein (20g)

Raw Energy Bars

• Good Greens
• Pure
• Raw Revolution
• Vega Whole Food Raw Energy Bar

Recovery Bars

(3-4 g carb to 1 g protein ratio)

• Clif
• KIND Breakfast Protein
• PowerBar Performance
• Picky, RX

Soy-Free Energy Bars

• BumbleBar
• Clif Nectar
• Enjoy Life Chewy
• GoRaw
• KIND
• Larabar
• NuGo Fiber d’Lish
• Oat-mega
• Picky
• ProBar
• Pure
• Quest
• Raw Revolution
• Vega Endurance
• Zing

Vegan Energy Bars

(grams protein)

• Clif (most flavors; 11g)
• Clif Builder’s (20g)
• Go Macro (11g)
• Good Greens (10g)
• Hammer Vegan (15g)
• Larabar (5g)
• Picky (7g)
• Pure Organic (4g)
• ProBar (8-11g)
• thinkThin High Protein (some flavors are vegan; 13g)
• Truwomen (12g)
• Vega (10g)
• 88 Acres Seed & Oat (6g)

Women’s Energy Bars

(fewer calories; added calcium, iron, and folic acid)

• Healthwarrior Chia
• Iron Girl Energy
• Larabar
• Luna
• PowerBar Pria
• True women

40-30-30 Bars

• Balance
• ZonePerfect

The Best Energy Bars

Google homemade energy bars, and you will see many yummy, healthy, cook-free and simple-to-make options. These are likely the best bars, in terms of taste, positive ingredients, and lack of litter. Enjoy!

Homemade Energy Bar Recipe

From Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 5th Edition

Sweet and Crispy Nut Bars

These bars can be made with almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, or other chopped nut or seed of your choice. Whether eating them for breakfast on the run, a preexercise snack, or an afternoon treat, you’ll enjoy these crispy bars.

When measuring the honey, add a little more than the 1/2 cup, so the mixture sticks together better. You’ll need to pack the ingredients firmly into the pan; otherwise, the bars will fall apart (but the crumbs are tasty—especially in yogurt or sprinkled on top of your morning bowl of cereal).

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked oats
• 2 cups Rice Crispies or puffed brown rice cereal
• 1 cup peanuts ((preferably chopped briefly in a food processor)) or slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup (heaping) honey
• 1/2 cup peanut or almond butter
• Optional: 1/2 teaspoon salt

Putting Your Energy Bar Together

1. Lightly coat a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, Rice Crispies, and peanuts or slivered almonds.
3. In a medium microwavable bowl, combine the honey and nut butter. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Slowly pour the nut butter mixture over the cereal, stirring until all the ingredients are well coated.
5. Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly while still warm. (Butter your fingers so the mixture does not stick to them.) Cool to room temperature.
6. Cut into 20 bars and store them in an airtight container. (If you keep the bars in the refrigerator, they will be sturdier because the nut butter hardens.)

Yield: 20 servings

Nutrition information: 3,400 total calories; 170 calories per serving; 24 g carbohydrate; 5 g protein; 6 g fat