jo.com's Full Review: Power Bar Powerbar Proteinplus
I have reviewed many bars at this point including the traditional PowerBar. It is quite difficult to compare them because many truly are made for different reasons. Some supply more carbohydrates to be eaten after a workout or, in my case during a difficult workout if I feel light-headed, and some offer more protein as a meal replacement. I bought PowerBar Protein Plus because, except for the amount of sugar in it, it has a lot of carbohydrates and protein…perhaps best of both worlds?
About the bar:
PowerBar® ProteinPlus™ according to the website: www. powerbar.com is considered an energy bar. They claim that the bar “is a high-quality, low fat protein bar developed by the athletes at PowerBar.”
“A PowerBar® ProteinPlus™ bar provides 24 grams of the highest quality protein from our proprietary TriSource™ blend, a blend of high quality whey, calcium caseinate and soy proteins, plus:
There are now 2 sugar-free Protein Plus bars: Caramel Apple
Mocha and Almond Fudge. I may be trying these because the amount of sugar is what often keeps me away from bars. I am reviewing the chocolate peanut butter flavor whose ingredients are as follows:
PowerBar Trisource™ Protein Blend (Whey Protein Isolate, Calcium Caseinate, Soy Protein Isolate), Brown Rice Syrup, Chocolatey Coating (Sugar, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa Powder, Whey Powder, Nonfat Dry Milk Powder, Lecithin And Natural Vanilla Flavor), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Glycerine, Maltitol, Peanut Flour, Natural Flavors, Fructose, Peanut Butter, Oat Fiber, Salt, Lecithin, MINERALS: Calcium Phosphate, Magnesium Oxide, Iron (Ferrous Fumarate), Zinc Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Chromium Aspartate, VITAMINS: Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin E Acetate, Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Pantothenic Acid (Calcium Pantothenate), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Hydrochloride), Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12. May Contain Traces Of Other Tree Nuts.*
It is suggested as with many bars that you drink 8-16 ounces of water or sports drink with each PowerBar® ProteinPlus™ to “aid in the absorption of nutrients and help maintain hydration. “ I am not sure I agree with eating this bar with a sports drink – I would choose water and I would suggest water whether or not you eat this bar!
About the product:
In this bar you will find the following:
Carbohydrates: PowerBar® ProteinPlus™ bars have 22-23 grams of simple and 14-15 grams of complex carbohydrates. Carbohydrates help replenish muscle glycogen stores and help provide energy for protein synthesis after exercise.
Fat: Each PowerBar® ProteinPlus™ bar has 5 grams of fat per 78 gram serving.
Antioxidant Vitamins C & E: Each bar has 100% RDI of vitamins C & E, which help to combat free radicals during exercise.
B Complex Vitamins: Each bar has 100% RDI of eight energy-related B-complex vitamins, which help the body convert food into energy and utilize protein.
Minerals: Each bar has 30-40% RDI of seven key minerals, including Calcium, which is important for strong bones, and Magnesium, which helps the body produce energy.
Branch Chain Amino Acids: Each bar has 5200 mg of leucine, valine and isoleucine, which are essential amino acids.
L-Glutamine: Each bar has 4600mg of l-glutamine, the most abundant amino acid in muscles.
Again, this is from the website, but I am impressed with the product and wanted to share my findings. I didn’t think I would be impressed not being a huge fan of the traditional PowerBar.
In addition there are 290 calories in a 2 3/4 ounce bar; (6 points on the Weight Watchers scale but 1/2 of this bar is enough for me); 180 mg of sodium, 23 grams of sugar and 5 mg of cholesterol. There are also 2 grams of fiber.
If you are truly interested in what goes in a bar and why I will suggest you go to this page: http://www.powerbar.com/products/proteinPlus/faq.asp It has a lot of very helpful information that I wouldn’t put in the review, but you may want to read if you would like to know about glycerin or the differences between a protein isolate and a protein concentrate, for example.
What I think of the bar:
I will only recommend protein/energy/meal replacement bars to adults. They are not for children. Although some may taste like candy and be more like candy than anything else some are not. This is one bar that is not like candy. It is a high quality bar, in my opinion, and I am shocked to think so. I am used to the GNC bars or bars made by EAS so I am surprised I am impressed with a Power Bar!
But I am. I think it has a good combination of ingredients –carbs, proteins, vitamins and minerals to make a great after-workout bar. That is its intention and from everything I can see it does its job. As far as how I react to it, it works for me. It gives me the energy I need to move from the gym to my car when I am exhausted and from my car to whatever errand I then have to do.
The taste is another matter. I do love the chocolate that this bar is covered in – just don’t leave it in the sun! You can see a layer of peanut butter in it but you can’t see any peanuts. Everything is ground up. It is a bit chewy because of the peanut butter but it is not chewy like the traditional PowerBars that are actually sticky. This looks more like a Balance Bar if I can give you a picture of a product you may know. There is a slight aftertaste, which I am not surprised by. When whey and soy are added to products you usually do find an aftertaste. It isn’t horrible. I have had worse but it is there. That is the price, in my opinion, you pay for some nice ingredients. Even with a lot of sugar that tastes comes through so I am not really running out to buy the sugar-free product, although that might surprise me also!
In addition it has an easy-to-open wrapper. Where it says "tear here to open" you really can easily just tear there and it will open!
Where to buy them:
These bars can be bought in CVS for $1.95. That is a lot for a PowerBar but I do consider this a step up from the original ones. That is still a steep price, but from my research, the bars you buy for $.99 are really just candy bars.. well one step above a candy bar.
My final thoughts:
I am going to recommend PowerBar Protein Plus much to my amazement. You probably won’t like the taste if you aren’t used to bars that are steps above Balance Bars. If you don’t work out but are looking for a bar that has vitamins and minerals in it, that is on the healthy side, this is not the one you want. You don’t need to spend $1.95 and not get something tasty. In my opinion, this bar is for someone working out who needs the extra boost. I think it is perfect for women because it is large and as I said 1/2 of it does the trick for me. That means I am actually spending $.99. Perhaps I am only getting 1/2 of the benefits, but it works. Will this be the one bar I will buy from now on? Of course not. I am a bar hopper and whatever catches my eye, usually not in CVS, I will buy after reading the ingredients or just to check out the taste. At one time I would never have bought a bar with 23 grams of sugar in it, but I have calmed down a bit on that since I eat so little sugar any other time.
If you have any questions about this bar, please feel free to leave me a comment or e-mail me.
By the way, if you are looking for a low carbohydrate (2 grams); low sugar (1 gram) bar with 23 grams of protein and 7 grams of fat I recommend Biochem’s Ultimate Lo Carb Bar, which you can buy in super markets and vitamin stores for $1.99.
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