Anyone in the health and fitness world has heard of Quest Bars. If you haven't, it's a protein bar. Earlier this month, Quest announced the launch of a new flavour—the Birthday Cake Quest Bar. Since Quest Bars are hella pricey (I'm talking $4 per bar on average), I wanted to give y'all my honest review before anyone else has to shell out the cash.
What's With the Hype?
All foods can be broken down into 3 categories of macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and protein. In the body building world, "tracking macros" is a common method to help build lean muscle while reducing fat. The macros in Quest Bars are almost too good to be true: 20-21 g of protein per bar, 5 g of net carbs, and varying amounts of fat. At around 200 calories, I agree—they are pretty epic.
One of the cool things about the Quest Company is that they encourage people to incorporate their bars as ingredients into other recipes. Muffins, cookies, pancakes, energy bites, you name it. The company also offers protein powders, protein chips, and Hero Bars.
Do They Actually Taste Good?
This really depends on who you ask. The hard-core fans will shamelessly defend the Quest company in the name of protein.
Other people argue that the bars taste like cardboard and are too chewy. With questionable ingredients (wtf are Isomalto-oligosaccharides??), it's understandable why whole food advocates choose to boycott Quest Bars.
In my opinion, I like them every once in a while. They are great to snack on between classes and labs or to take on trips. Some flavours do taste significantly better than others. Some of my favs include Cinnamon Roll, Mocha Chip, Chocolate Chip and Double Chocolate. Flavours like Cashew Coconut and PB & J the world could do without.
Birthday Cake Review
When I heard the bar was coated, I was skeptical. The last coated bar, Pumpkin Pie, had received so much hype but I personally found it disgusting and artificial tasting. Honestly, I just wanted to try Birthday Cake flavour to say I had tried it.
However, I was pleasantly surprised. Blown away actually. The bar was so cute, with a kind of delicate and classy vibe. I found the bar to be significantly thinner than the other Quest Bar flavours and the coating was a lot thicker than pictured. It was more like frosting with cake as opposed to cake with frosting.
The coloured sections in the coating were actually derived from natural sources like Spirulina, turmeric, radish, and red cabbage. As an advocate for plant-based food sources, this made me very happy.
The bar was incredibly sweet, almost too sweet for my liking. This bar did a great job of masking any after taste flavours. I felt a bit sick to my stomach afterwards, but I think that had more to do with the sucralose. Artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame are one of the main reasons why I try to limit my Quest Bar consumption. I'd prefer to get my sugar from natural sources like maple syrup, agave, or coconut sugar. But for diabetics or those looking to limit their processed and added sugar intake, the Birthday Cake Quest Bar would definitely satisfy any cravings.
Fans have been requesting a Birthday Cake Quest Bar for years, and the new flavour did not disappoint. If you're looking for a snack or ways to incorporate more protein into your diet, this is great option. However, the bars are expensive and highly processed. Buy them in moderation or consider making your own!