protein bars

what is the best protein bar, in terms of healthiness?

The honest answer is none.

A lot are loaded with sugar and saturated fat. Some use sugar alcohols instead of sugar. None of them are really that healthy, and should be used in emergencies only.

My favorite though are the MetRX Protein Plus bars. They have 32g of protein but are 330 calories. 

I keep checking them in stores and haven't bought any and don't intend to.  Way too high in calories.  No way am I eating a 300 cal bar, when I only eat 1,200 a day.

I found some online, but was afraid to order a food item, from someplace I'd never heard of before.  It was an ad on some nutrition site I was viewing.  It had a low GI, so looked interesting.  I emailed to ask if it was available in stores and didn't hear back.

The bars are not meant for people on a 1,200 calorie diet.

Ive had the met-rx 320cal bars as a meal replacement.  It works very well when i dont have time to eat.  I usually dont get hungry for about 4 hours after eating one. 

I might eat it once a week if i am having a busy day. 

If it is convenience you are looking for, I understand.

Alton Brown did a "Good Eats" show on how to make some...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recip e/0,,FOOD_9936_31336,00.html?rsrc =search

They were pretty good, and you could avoid some of that fake chemical stuff...

I really wish I had the time to make my own bars.

i've spent alot of time reading nutrition labels in grocery stores and in my opinion south beach high protein cereal bars are the best- 140 cals, 10 g protein, and only 12 net carbs

There are some recipes out there that don't require any cooking.  Basically you just mix together oatmeal, protein, and pb, and just stick them in the freezer....I think.  But this could be an option considering it would probably take less than 10 min to prepare.

All the no-bake bar recipies I've seen call for the bars to be kept refrigerated, which would totally defeat the purpose for me.

i recently purchased the south beach protein bars. I really like them. 140 calories and 10 g of protein. Not that much compared to the other ones people were talking about on here. They really only keep me full for about 2 hours - but i have 5 1/2 hours between breakfast and lunch, so they help. They taste really good - i have tried the cinnamon/raisin and maple nut.

I had some kashi go-lean bars. They are 120 cal I think? They have extra protein and fiber. Filling, for a breakfast before a run!

In a local health food store (not a chain), I found a bar called "Elev8Me!" (<-- click for the link).

The cocoa coffee flavour had, for ingredients: whey protein isolate, dates, organic raisins, apples, cranberries, apple juice, sunflower oil, almonds, organic fair trade cocoa, organic fair coffee beans.

No added sugar or unhealthy fats, gluten-free, wheat-free, soy-free, and all natural ingredients.  Nothing artifical.  I recognize everything on that list! It was 200 cal, and 18 g protein.  That's the best I've ever found, and it tasted good too. 

For healthiness, I'd say this tops the list.

Of course, you could make something like this on your own, I'd think.  It's just fruit for the body, nut/sunflower oil to bind it, cocoa and coffee beans for flavour, and whey protein for the protein.  Experiment!

the elev8 me sounds pretty interesting.

thanks for the opinion guys.

i was thinking of just adding them to my diet a couple times a week.

I make this one: http://www.calorie-count.com/recipe/49370.htm l

I love them. They keep me full for hours and I use them for snacks or when camping, breakfast.

I love Pure Protein bars.  They have no sugar, 20g of protein and are also low in carbs.  I also like detour bars and Pria low carb bars, which have less protein, but are also low in sugar.  Those are the ones Ive found which seem to be the healthiest.

I love think thin protein bars that i found at trader joes. They are not all crusty, actually chewy. taste good too. my fave is the peanutbutter one and the chocolate brownie one.

20 grams of protein, 240 calories. i eat them as a meal replacement on super busy nights when i have a lot of errands to run.