Pros: tasty - may cause cravings for more - good on the go
Cons: too sweet, high glycemic index
The Bottom Line: Definitely has a lot of flavors and more than one consistency. Will provide you with a temporary power boost - but won't last too long. Nutritious.
djork's Full Review: Power Bar Powerbar Performance Bar
I was first introduced to the Power Bar 3 years back, hiking up a mountain at about 10,000 ft level. Those things surely tasted great up there. Now, no longer having to climb mountains, I take them with me on long trips where I know I don't want to buy local food (i.e. trips involving airports for instance). I cannot complain too much - these bars did save me from hungry times lots of instances but there are just a couple things I do not like about them.
My main complaint is their sweetness. The bar contains 45g of sugars: 3g fiber, 20g sugar, 22g other sugars. Now I do not know what those "other sugars" are, they probably digest somehow as well, but 20g of sugar is quite enough for me. The bar tastes very sweet - I cannot not feel guilty that instead of replacing a meal I'm consuming a sugar treat. Like eating candy. For someone usually on a diet that does not compute. But the Power Bar is designed to provide and energy boost, so I am really using it not to its purposes.
Glycemic index: these bars have been determined to have a GI of 75 (give or take 20) on glucose scale. Anything above 55 is considered to be a bit high. The bar would digest as fast as a cup of rice - not something I would like it to do. Packing snacks, you'd want them to stop hunger and proceed doing that for as long a time as possible. Power Bars just digest too quickly, leaving me craving for more food.
(For those of you who might wonder - glycemic index is a measure of the rate your body will absorb carbs from the food you eat. There are two scales - the white bread and the glucose scale. On glucose scale, glucose has GI of 100. It has the highest GI possible because eating glucose means it's instant absorption and immediate blood-sugar high.)
Varieties:
Power Bar company makes 10 different bars. They also make Power Bites which are sweet pieces, like chips in a bag. And a Power Gel used by those engaged in endurance sports.
*Most common is their Performance Bar -
~10 flavors.
Averages about 230 cal/bar with 10g protein, 45g carbs.
Contains 3 essential amino acids, about 15 kinds of vitamins and minerals, and electrolytes.
*Harvest -
~ 10 flavors. Comes in dipped and regular varieties that also have various flavors.
Averages 250 cal/bar with 7g protein, 45g carbs.
Over 15 vitamins + minerals included, electrolytes present.
*Energy Bites -
~3 flavors
About 200 cal/bag, with 8g protein, 33g carbs.
Over 15 vitamins + minerals included, electrolytes and 3 essential amino acids present.
*Pria - (smaller bars, 28g only)
~7 flavors
Averages 110 cal/bar, 5g protein, 16g carbs
Over 15 vitamins + minerals included, electrolytes present.
They also have Protein Plus bars that contain more protein and Carb Select bars that have LOW impact carbs. Also listed are Sugar Free bars, that are also Protein Plus combined. No way of just getting Sugar Free bars(
Prices ranges from $1.00 to $2.25 dollars per bar. The cheapest I found them was at local Costco where they sold a great big box of 3 flavors of Performance bar. While peanut butter was ok, chocolate was so-so, and vanilla was the worst of the three. But that's to my taste.
Performance bars are moist in consistency. They were designed to be taken in in small bites - otherwise you'll have your jaws dislocated trying to open them up after chewing up half a bar. Other bars have crispy varieties - so chewy is not all they offer, which is a plus)
For more info you might want to visit their site:
http://www.powerbar.com/
Or this one, with power bars compared:
http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/protein/power-bar-compared.htm
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