Paleo protein bars to fuel your body

Paleo Protein Bars: When Taste Meets Health Benefits

Have you ever wanted to chew something delicious that would not make your hours of exercising a waste of time? Something that combines nutritional and healthy aspects? A snack that does not bring that “oh-why-I-ate-that” feeling? Your quest is finally over – meet paleo protein bars which are great for all who want to stay healthy and use a tasty energy source.

 Paleo what?

Paleo protein bars, as the name suggests, are paleo. For those of you who have no clue what is means, here is the explanation: paleo dieting implies eating only natural food instead of processed and man-made. The ‘protein’ part of the name tells us such bars are rich in proteins, thus providing the eater with a lot of energy.

There are plenty of paleo protein bars on the market to choose from. In this article, we will try to cover some of their peculiarities, pros and cons, and take a look at what a typical paleo protein bars recipe looks like.

What about ingredients?

A good paleo diet bar contains no less than six grams of proteins (in one serving). Besides, it must be made of paleo ingredients, which means they are natural, neither artificial nor processed. If you are interested in what criteria a product must meet to be called ‘paleo’, look through paleo guides posted on the Internet.

A typical paleo bars recipe implies using such ingredients as nuts, seeds, berries, spices and cocoa. Some bars even taste like meat (for instance, the EPIC beef habanero bar), so the products may vary. It is easier to say what paleo bars are not supposed to contain. These include the following:

• Dairy
• Gluten
• Soy
• Grain
• GMO

Nuts are optional and found in some of such snacks, so be careful when choosing paleo bars if you want to avoid eating nuts. There are nut free protein bars you may be interested in. The key goal of eating such snacks is to replace a meal with a single bar without craving for something else to eat after having consumed the paleo product. So, a good bar is a bar full of proteins, as they provide energy and help the body build cells and produce the substances it needs, so keep it in mind when choosing a snack the next time you feel hungry! Fibers and healthy fats (the ones like those extracted from coconuts, for examples) are among commonly used paleo bar constituents. Natural coconut or olive oils are also widely used.

What about the flavors?

If the kind of ingredients needed to make a paleo bar is clear, the flavour spectrum is not that strictly defined. They can be spicy or sweet, taste like meat or like a candy. As to the texture, bars can be easy or hard to chew and contain seeds or other small elements that make it possible to call such a bar a granola. Natural bars cannot be very sweet, otherwise it would mean they contain a lot of sugar. Paleo bar makers try to use cinnamon, ginger and other spices to make this kind of food more appealing and let it have a rich aroma. Some even add spirulina – a great source of chlorophyll which provides a wide range of nutrients!

We are not going to review brands in this article, so this aspect will be covered in the upcoming guide.

What to assess when choosing a paleo power bar?

It’s a difficult question that needs elaboration, if you really want to take this matter very seriously. Yet here are the simple rules of choosing power bars that are natural and (presumably!) delicious.

• Look at the ‘free’ claims. As it has been stated above, paleo bars do not include dairy, soy, gluten, and grain.
• Check the protein/carb/fat ratio. In normal bars, the product must be low in fats and carbs, and high in proteins; one more thing to note – good fats are not something paleo diet adepts are afraid of!
• Look though the ingredient list. There must not be long unpronounceable names. Besides, it’s always good when the list is short and clear.
• Check the expiration date. Just in case.

What about the protein?

The two types generally used in production of such energy bars are egg white proteins and grass-fed beef protein. Both are considered to be paleo, so it’s up to you to decide which one to choose – it depends on whether you want something which feels more like a traditional full-scale meal or a rather sweet snack to chew while waiting for a tram.

What about the health benefits?

The first thing that must be stated in this section is that the answer to this question really depends on what bar you buy. There are ones rich in proteins and others characterized by high sugar content – these are definitely not the best option. So it is better to consider each bar in particular (which we are going to do in the upcoming articles), so here we can make the following conclusions:

• Paleo power bars are a good way to have a snack because they are healthier than common snacks (e.g. chips, crackers, etc.), because they contain berries, seeds and other food that provide nutrients for the body and stimulates its processes.
• Despite the benefits of paleo bars, do not think you can a dozen of them at once – try to mind the calorie limits and do not forget that no products are good if consumed in large amounts.
• The best paleo protein bars provide nutrition and help you satisfy your hunger without feeding your body with too must fats.

Can I make a DIY paleo power bar?

Sure you can! Homemade paleo protein bars are no worse than ‘professional’ ones, and can even be much better. It is no challenge – most ingredients can be found in an average fridge or cupboard.

The Internet provides an abundance of recipes to stick to, but you can make your own.

No-bake protein bars are easy to make, just mix some nuts, seeds and berries with honey or syrup – and here you go! More sophisticated recipes are available online and include cocoa, cashews, nut butter, vanilla and other food! Just find a low carb protein bars recipe and test it!

We hope you enjoyed our guide and will stay in touch to take a look at out paleo protein bars review. Share your thoughts with us and tell us about your experience of giving another paleo bar a try!