Battle of the Bars!: Low Carb Protein Bars

Protein bars are extremely popular in the sports nutrition world, and here at CSN we cannot get enough! The protein bar market is packed full of competition and it might be a bit confusing for those new to the industry. Do you know what to look for in a bar? Do you know what you want from a bar? Sometimes it is easy to get distracted by the flavour or the price; however this can lead you astray. Low Carb Protein Bars are currently leading the way; the following is a Battle of the Bars! comparison of 3 of the major players in the Low Carb protein bars market. Carbohydrates in this day and age have been given a bit of a flogging in the media, and this has led to an awful lot of confusion. As a consumer you are bombarded with information slating carbs, telling you to cut them out completely, add them in, and telling you that they are your best friend. Confused? Yeah, I’m not surprised. If you want to read a bit more about carbohydrates then check out our dedicated blog. In conclusion, we recommend that carbs (both high and low GI) can play a huge part in your daily nutrition plan. It is important to know how your body reacts to different carb sources, as we are all different, and this can massively help us in deciding what foods/or protein bars to have. If you are after a low carb protein bar then you need not look further than Quest Bars, MusclePharm Combat Crunch, or the OhYeah! Low Carb Bars. Each of the bars boasts a low carbohydrate content due to the high amounts of fibre. Whilst fibre is ultimately a carbohydrate, your body deals with it in a different way and doesn’t contribute as much to energy production. Fibre is important for digestive health, and allows your body the time it needs to absorb the nutrients from the food you consume. Quest Bars Quest Bars, a name synonymous with a great tasting protein bar. Available in 16 delicious flavours, including: White Chocolate Raspberry, Double Chocolate Chunk, Cinnamon Roll and Cookies and Cream. For the purpose of this blog we are going to focus on the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavour, the ‘People’s Champ’ of Quest Bars. Each bar is packed full of chocolate chips and has an extremely authentic cookie dough taste, and a chewy texture. Now, onto the important bit; the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Quest Bar weighs in at 60g, with 190 calories and 70 of these coming from fat, you get 8g of fat per bar, 21g of whey protein isolate and milk protein isolate, and each bar has 21g of carbs...BUT only 1g of sugar and 17g of fibre! This means you only get 3g of net carbs.

Now you might be wondering what net carb means, to put it simply net carbs is the carbohydrate content that your body will use for energy, and if you are unsure 3g is LOW. The Quest Bar is a very complete protein bar, and is a perfect post workout treat or snack throughout the day. At Cardiff Sports Nutrition you can buy a single Quest Bar or by the box. Taste: 10/10 Texture: 9/10 Total: 19/20 MusclePharm Combat Crunch Bars Relatively new to the protein bar market, and looking for a share of the low carb sector we have MusclePharm. MusclePharm are one of the fastest growing and most popular supplement companies in the world and you are guaranteed quality.

The MusclePharm Combat Crunch protein bar does not disappoint. An integral part of the NEW MusclePharm Combat range, building on the popularity of the MusclePharm Combat protein, the Combat Crunch bars are taking the protein bar market by storm. The MusclePharmCombat Crunch Bars are available at CSN in two flavours, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. In the interest of fairness for this little comparison we will delve deeper into the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavour. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Combat Crunch bar is laced with chocolate chips has an innovative layer of crunch and all coated in a rich, decadent chocolate. MusclePharm has baked the bars using their proprietary baking method that results in a soft texture that tastes just like cookie dough. The Combat Crunch Cookie bar weighs in at 63g, delivers 210 calories with 63 coming from fat, has a total fat content of 7g, 20g of whey protein isolate and milk protein isolate, with 28g of carbs...with 12g of fibre and 5g of sugar. This results in 15g net carbs. The MusclePharm Combat Crunch bars, whilst slightly higher in net carbs, deliver something a little bit different. You have a combination of different textures competing for your attention and it creates a taste sensation. Taste: 10/10 Texture: 10/10 Total: 20/20 OhYeah! Low Carb Bars If you are a seasoned veteran of the sports nutrition world then I am sure you have heard of the infamous OhYeah! Bars from ISS Research. Now, let me introduce to you the OhYeah! Low Carb Protein bars! ISS Research are a force to be reckoned with in the protein bar world, and now with a low carb alternative they have surely cemented their status as one of the dominant protein bars in the world market. The OhYeah! Low Carb Protein Bars are available at CSN in two delicious flavours: Peanut Butter Pie, and yep, you guessed it Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. The OhYeah! Low Carb Bars other you a great taste, much like their predecessor, with lower carbs and calories. Each bar weighs in at 60g at an expenditure of 210 calories, with 70 coming from fat, a total fat content of 8g, a protein count of 21g from whey and milk protein isolates, and a total carb content of 24g...with 9g of fibre, 1g of sugar but only 1g of net carbs. Making the OhYeah! Low Carb bar the lowest carb bar in our little comparison. The OhYeah! Low Carb bar offers a similar taste experience to Quest, with a slightly softer texture. You are guaranteed a bar that has chocolate chips running straight through the core. Taste: 10/10 Texture: 9/10 Total: 19/10   As you can see, we love all of these bars, but for us the winner is the MusclePharm Combat Crunch Bar. The Quest Bars and Oh!Yeah Low Carb Bars are pretty similar in taste and texture, and whilst they offer a lower net carb content, we simply cannot get enough of the Combat Crunch bars. The Combat Crunch bars are still by no means high in carbs, so don’t let that put you off. All of these bars are gluten free, and make a great snack as they can easily be put in a bag to carry around with you. We recommend them all, but if you are after something a little different check out the MusclePharm Combat Crunch Bars, you won’t regret it!