These are fabulous; sometimes I only need to eat 1/2 of one. No chocolate coating. May not be low carb enough (whole bar, but 1/2 might be).

Thank you Oly. Where do you get them?

Those are pretty high in carbs and sugar, if you’re watching out for that.

Have you thought about beef jerky? There are some brands that aren’t so salty and I know some people make their own. LynnNM I think makes her own version of an energy bar that is healthy and GF iirc.

OP, on a long car trip once, i made my son put his opened bag of beef jerky in the trunk. Just the smell of it makes me queasy.

RXBars - they are very straightforward about what's in them.

RX

I actually bought them from the place I linked but I don't recall where I first found them. My DIL also orders them, I'd guess from Amazon, maybe I got my first one from her. They are pretty large, so I think you might be fine with 1/2 - half the calories.

I also REALLY like the Think Thin peanut butter bars (crunchy or creamy) that I buy at Trader Joes. They do have a thin layer of chocolate, but have never had it get melty. You might want to try one and leave it in a warm car to see how it does.

I took a cooking class with a nutritionist last winter and I asked her the same question.

Some taste awful, so I am loathe to try them at random.

But when you try to google for recommendations it is nearly impossible to get any consensus.

The reason seems to be that everyone has a different goal with these bars. Some want a lot of protein, and don't care about calories. Some have a caloric limit, and are okay with chemicals. Some want very pure and simple bars. Some want a ton of fiber (iirc the nutritionist said one bar has shellac in it? for fiber???).

Anyway, she recommended Zing bars. Not easy to find, but delicious and not fake. I especially like the small ones as snacks. The coconut one tastes like a Mounds bar to me! They do have several that are not chocolate covered. A PB one, an oatmeal one, almond blueberry and I think a few cashew ones (I don't care for cashews so IDK).

https://zingbars.com/

I tried the ThinkThin bars and liked them, except for the chocolate covering :( I'm going to look for the RXBars, Kind, and Zing bars which (according to their web sites) are sold locally. Tri-o-Plex unfortunately is not and I'm loathe to have to buy on line if I can find something locally.

When I wasn’t watching carbs so closely, I found Kind bars to be the best. I love the GF almond apricot bars, but they are sometimes hard to find. Or any fruit-nut bars for that matter. I found them in a nutrition store. They are not terribly high in protein, but yummy.

Mtn pretty much nailed it. You either get a lot of protein and not a lot of much else, including flavor. Or you get loads of carbs, and possibly a lot of sugars and not much protein. Hard to strike a happy mix.

I asked my DD who is eating keto these days and she said Quest is sorta keto friendly, which means high protein, low carb. Also, iirc Cliff bars used to have a high protein bar but I have not looked at those lately and they always had a lot of chocolate. Ugh! I am with you in the excess chocolate.

I am another Kind bar fan.. I only like the straight fruit and nut version. In fact, I like the original Fruit and Nut delight (though almond and apricot sounds good too). I think they are between 6-8 g of protein and about 200 calories so not especially high protein but they are full of nutrients. I usually have them as a breakfast or lunch replacement.

The kind nut bars are sold pretty widely in my area: Trader Joe’s, Albertsons, and Costco all have them. I have even seen them in gas station markets.

You could just carry a ziplock bag in your purse with a mix of unsalted almonds, cashews, pumpkin seed and dried unsweetened cherries. A serving = Four almonds, four cashews mixed with 1/4 to half a cup of cherries (or berries) and pumpkin seed mix. You wouldn't have to worry about "filler" crap.

Kind were my favorite taste-wise, hands down. I think I like Zing equally. The nutritionist who recommended them preferred them over Kind for their protein.

If you use Myfitnesspal (I think it is free), you can enter all the bars you are thinking of and easily compare them, which allows you to choose the one that maximizes/minimizes the aspects that you personally are looking for.

EG, a screenshot of a few random bars:

Delilah, I used to think the same about jerky too. Could not stand the smell, much less the cardboard taste and texture. Until someone offered me some homemade beef jerky. I was hooked. It was like smoked bacon that was a little chewy.

There are some brands out there now that aren’t so bad. I think they mostly are sold at places like Cabela’s or Bass Pro. But if you know someone who makes it, try it.

FWIW, I travel w/ cheese sticks and raw almonds. They don't seem to expand in my stomach the way 'energy' bars do. Perhaps because they don't have added sugars/carbs?

Agree about a bag of raw almonds. That's what I travel with. A small handful is surprisingly filling, and they travel well! Very good for you.

I agree that the "cleanest" thing to travel with is raw nuts. Pref unsalted so your hands stay clean and you don't get thirsty.

Just be sure to put a few things in the mix for post workout food.

Think like a car. After a long trip the car needs a repair/tuneup (protein) and gas/fuel (carbs). You need both plus some good fat. The ratio of protein vs carbs depends on if the car is doing competitive racing or a leisurely road trip.

OP - I don't mind the hi protein low flavor. Nasty flavor - no thanks. I do know someone who makes jerky of all types, but he's half a continent away. My son gave me a variety of Cliff bars awhile back. None of which had chocolate (he's like me - the chocolate on bars isn't the same as REAL chocolate), but IIRC they were meh and not the highest in protein. Going to look at Quest.

I can deal with calories, but I want good carbs (for energy), low or no sugar alcohols, and protein for substance. The bars I take will have to do double duty (quick energy and endurance).

mtn - myfitnesspal is a great idea! I'll do my taste test, then enter winners for final selection.

mdln - All I can say about those photos is I'm glad I've eaten dinner or they would make me drool! Yummy dried fruit and nuts, caramel, sea salt, oh my!

carol, emory and mtn - I ignored nuts because so many countries do not allow entry with them, but I'm not seeing a prohibition for Peru. They are really my best option if indeed they're allowed.

JTL - I usually do what my trainer recommends: carbs before workout (energy); protein after (muscle building/repair). You're right, we are complex machines!

Your trainer is suggesting only protein after a workout?

I find the KIND bars to be too sweet, in a sticky sweet way. I dont eat a many bars, a one that I do eat is Luna Bar. I like the Lemon Zest, S'mores, Chocolate Cupcake Peppermint Stick and Dark Chocolate Coconut flavors only. Lemon Zest is my most favorite. A Luna Bar and an apple works for me as a portable meal.

I do use Quest Protein powder, it has a great consistency. Its great added to pancake batter, and it makes a great smoothie. My type 1 diabetic son uses it for low carb, hi protein breakfast shakes. I should try their bars.

Not as a meal JTL. Carbs within 30 minutes prior to exercise and protein 30 minutes post.

I find them ALL too sweet

There’s also a texture issue. Most of the protein bars I have tried have a dreadful texture for me—like eating chalk or something. I freely admit that I am more sensitive to texture than most people though. Anyway, that’s why I gravitate to the kind nut bars, they don’t have that mouth feel issue for me.

I agree local, I would prefer that the kind bars were just the dried fruit and nuts mashed together. They have a glaze.. still, I prefer them to most. I do like the luna bars but they feel too much like a treat.

I, too, find all those bars too sweet, so I just take small bags with mixed unsalted nuts.

However, DD, a top athlete, swears by RXBars.

I was a Kind bar fan until recently. I did not eat them as a meal replacement though. More of a somewhat healthy snack in the afternoon. Love the apricot/coconut ones! They are very sticky!

For the past few months, I'm eating Keto and the Kind bars don't fit within the Keto woe. I try not to snack anymore. But if I'm out and about and need to eat something, I eat a Quest bar. Their ingredients are Keto approved.

I used to love KIND bars but they have added chicory root fiber to what used to be the lower sugar ones so I can't eat them anymore. Keep that in mind if you are inulin sensitive (bloating, pain etc) . The use of chicory root/inulin in so many foods is so annoying. A dietician acquaintance said a ton of her clients with stomach issues are finding their symptoms resolve after cutting that ingredient out of their diet.

I also agree a bag of nuts is the best. Maybe make your own trail mix with nuts, low sugar dried fruit and other seeds. There are also homemade nut bar recipes online that you make in a sheet pan and cut up into bars.

I have also ordered pemmican bars online which are a caveman inspired jerky/dried fruit bars.

I’ve done Medifast and their protein bars were acceptable to me in terms of sweetness and variety (nuts, choc, choc mint, lemon bar, and others.) While I felt well eating them, I never knew how wholesome they were or weren’t. Add to it that franchise up and left TX b/c not enough $$ here, and they’ve lost credibility to me. You can still get them online, $18 for 7. Ouch!

I want to find something without tree nuts, and without loads o sugars. I'm not really a fan of dried fruit either... the texture, the sweetness both turn me off. I can't eat the tree nuts without serious GI distress. (Coconut is okay.)

There are loads of pumpkin seed, oats with shredded coconut bar recipes online.

ETA:

This sounds yummy! The recipe is flexible so one could add substitutes. Think I'll get the goods for this on my next shopping trip.

https://nirvanacakery.com/pumpkin-and-oat-breakfast-bars/

Mtn, thank you so much for the Zing bar rec. Just ordered several boxes for DS1 who is at school and a picky eater who is not in love with dining hall options. Great supplement.

quest bars,,,, double chocolate chunk and chocolate peanut butter are good!! no chocolate coating and low carb/low sugar

I like Luna bars, and have tried many of the others mentioned here. A few weeks ago, while in Paris (rental apartment), I took enough Luna protein bars to eat for breakfast because I don't like to go out until I've had my coffee, showered and dressed. (I've been to Paris enough that baguettes and croissants for breakfast have lost their appeal!)

My latest try in a search for a protein bar is the No Cow Protein Bar based on a recommendation from a guy in the Vitamin Shoppe. The Zing brand sounds good and one I'd like to try next (thx, Mtn!)

My “try this” list is getting longer!

mdln - I no longer think of them as anything more than nutrients and close my eyes.