protein powders and protein/nutritional energy bars

I bought a few different protein/nutritional bars today (they were on sale 3/$5.00).

I got:

• a ZonePerfect bar (fudge graham flavour)
• a PowerBar Pria (chocolate peanut butter crisp flavour)
• and a Slim Down protein bar by Jamieson laboratories (almond coconut triple layer) - I ate this one this afternoon and didn't like it so much.. it kinda made me feel sick after.

I haven't tried either of the first two. I've had one zone bar in my life and I don't remember what it was like (that was probably 4 years ago). I was also considering some sort of protein powder. I would want one that would go well in smoothies.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Favourite bars/powders?

I have a protien powder that i love. It is called Spiru-tien and it comes in an enourmous jar at most health food stores. I get the chocolate type, which is slightly icky in water, much better in low-fat milk, and when you add 10 calories worth of hershies chocolate powder (about a tablespoon), it is delicious. I usually add a bannana in, which makes it around 250 calories, but it keeps me full for about 4-5 hours. ONe downside to it though is that once my blood sugar starts dropping, it drops pretty fast. But other than that, I love it! So quick to make too.

i HIGHLY reccoment Kashi GoLean roll  bars. they're great if you're watching the glycemic index of your foods. (i.e. they've got slow release carbs, 12 g protein and 6 g fiber) 190 cals, so they're great if you're doing "mini meals" like i am. plus, they keep me satisfied for HOURS... perfect before a workout.

I've been experimenting with protein bars too.  I was surprised to find that my favorites so far are the President's Choice Fastrack bars.  They also happen to be the cheapest.  I notice you are from Ontario, so you probably have a Zehrs?  It's Super Store here.  I've also tried a Hemp Protein Powder (Manitoba Harvest) which is good too.  I'm still getting used to it in my smoothies.

yeah.. I have Zehrs here.. and SuperStore... and ValuMart.. so I've got lots of access to the President's Choice stuff. Maybe pick some of those up.

Deb: I like the Life brand (Shopper's Drug Mart) Shapers bar, too. They were on sale for $1 each a while ago and I picked up a bunch, but I'm looking to expand on some variety.

allirenee: I'll definitely look for the Kashi bars, too. I love Kashi GoLean crunch, so I'm up for trying those.

arisena: I'll look in the health food store tomorrow. Is Spiru-tien very expensive?

I had a kashi go lean carmle nut bar, not too bad, a bit hard, but not too bad. Cost me .75 at big lots.

I love my vanilla protein powder! Mix one scoop with one cup of milk in a blender for 30 seconds, add a banana, mix for 30 seconds, add in 5 ice cubes, mix until the ice is pretty well chopped, poor in cup and enjoy!!!

I so look forward to my protein smoothie EVERY day. It is like a desert to me. I do it with chocolate protein too, but vanilla is the best!

I also had the south beach protein bars, they were pretty good, but kinda high in saturated fat.

Luna Bars (by Cliff Bar) are my favorite!

Anyone tried the new Snickers Marathon Bars?

I find the bars that have some sort of crispy base are better than the ones that have that smooth, creamy filling...does that make sense???! My favorites are Clif and Luna...so good and so filling, and CarbWise Bars-I think they're discontinued but you can still find them at Target.  Also Zone bars are awesome...I think Balance Bars are too small and Kashi bars taste like gnawing on tree trunks!  LOL!

I find the protein powders vile, so I mixed it with skim milk and yogurt and some strawberries. Made a nice smoothie...with 20g of protein in it. ^_^

I could go for a 20g protein smoothie. I LOVE smoothies.. mmm.. strawberries.

I am in love with the luna Bar Nutz over chocolate....so good!!

Amie17: Tried new snicker marathon bar and I thought it was gross!!

Do these suggestions have artificial sweeteners or natural sweeteners in them? I'm not a big fan of artificial sweeteners.. I can always taste them and they sometimes make me feel like crap.

well i got a power bar and it had like 20% saturated fat in it. idk if it's still good [it tastes exactly like chocolate] but i had it anyways X_X made me less hungry but i still feel guilty about it.

I had a chocolate caramel crunch snack size Balance Bar today. It's 100 calories, lots of vitamins and tasted like a candy bar.  It really did me some good because I wanted chocolate.

I have a protein bar almost every day.  I love the PowerBar Prias.  They were on sale at Safeway yesterday 10/$10.  So I bought 10 :)  My favorite is the chocolate mint crisp, but the chocolate peanut butter crisp is good too.  I only buy them when they are on sale, and use them as my "sweet food" for the day.  The smaller prias are only 110 calories each.  Much better (calorie wise) than a candy bar!

Does anyone know if LUNA bars are available in Canada? Ontario? Southwestern Ontario? Kitchener/Waterloo? :)

Sorry to hi-jack the thread.....but how often should I eat a protein bar, or drink a protein shake?  Daily?  Weekly? 

I tried a Zone Perfect bar the other day and it totally blew my taste for Luna bars out of the water! They are sooo good! I like the chocolate raspberry and the chocolate mint. The store that carries my Luna bars just doesn't have enough flavor variety.

I just picked up 6 more Zone bars today.. 'cause they were on sale.

And I got an email from the Luna bar supplier person with a list of stores that carries them in town. I'm going to pick up a few, I think.

now I got my first 4 luna bars. I'll try one this afternoon. I'm actually excited about this. haha.

I gotta say... that Nutz Over Chocolate Luna bar was yummy!