Protein Bars

I am adding a mid-morning snack to my diet. Right now it is an Atkins protein bar.  Do you guys have any suggestions on some other kinds or flavors? I want it to be under 200 calories and have 5-10 g of protein.  I am not a big carb counter so I'm not too worried about those. 

My favorites are Luna Bars and Zone Perfect Bars, but they have something like 12 to 14 grams of sugar.  They are around 200 calories have something like 12 to 15 grams protein.

If you want less sugar, I suggest Quest bars.  They are really dense so you might only want half of one for a snack.  I like them best nuked for about 10 or 15 second, which makes them softer and more like a fresh baked cookie - otherwise, they seem sort of hard and heavy.  Nutritionally, they are better than the Luna or Zone Perfect, I think.  I just don't like the taste quite as much, and they cost more.

I'm not to the point where I can eat protein bars again yet, but pre-surgery I was eating (and really liked) the Detour lower sugar protein bars that you can get at Costco.  They are only < 5 grams of sugar (I think they were 3 grams) and if I recall are around 15 grams of protein.  

I dig the Quest bars.The only caveat is they are a bit spendy.

Our Target just started carrying a bar called "THINK THIN."  I tried Brownie Crunch 20 grams of protein 230 calories. ..I give it a B+  in comparison to others I've tried.  True story:  I had a Quest bar taste like fish, yes fish, so guess what grade that got? (I have read others tasting fish, too)   I like the advice to limit protein bar use.  I use them for travel or for emergency.   

I bought some Life Choice bars at Walmart yesterday. They have about 7 grams of sugar and are around 190 calories. Different flavors are different. I liked the flavor about the same as the Quest bar, but the price and consistency better. I think they were $4 for 5 as opposed to the $2.50/ea I was paying at the vitamin store for the Quest bar. And they have chocolate!

I love quest bars. My 2 fav flavors are white chocolate raspberry and cookie dough. They only have 190 calories and 1 gram of sugar. So yummy

To me, that is a lot of calories for not a lot of protein. For 200 calories, I am wanting at least 20 g of protein to make it worth my while. That said--I have migrated to the Quest bars and I don't just eat them because they are good for me, I freaking LOVE several of the flavors. To the point I would choose them over other food items. Apple pie, peanut butter and jelly and white chocolate raspberry are all soooooo good. There are others I like, too, but I buy cases of each of those and have one a day on average. 

I once left an apple pie one in the car and ran an errand. I came back and it was warm and melted (over 110 in my car) and I was needing to eat so I decided to get a few bites in and be done with it. MAN ALIVE was it ever good. It was like hot apple pie!!! Now I will sometimes warm them, but not always. 

:)

For 200 calories, it should have MUCH more than 5-10g of protein.

A you planning to continue eating protein bars as a snack daily for the long term?  If so, I would suggest the Quest bars because they aren't as chemical laden as most protein bars.  Protein bars may be a quick protein snack, but most of them are nothing but chemicals, so (IMO) not very healthy.  If you want a snack that is only 5-10g of protein, why not just have an ounce of cheese or half a serving of nuts (both about 8g of protein and much was than 200 calories).

Lora