As a college student, I am very busy (shocker, I know). Between classes, homework, going to the gym and room for sanity, who has time to think about eating and keeping your body properly fueled—no, you can’t survive on RedBull.
Nutritious meals and wholesome snacks sound like a great idea when you think about them, but they can also be hard eating habits to achieve. You start with good intentions and then before you know it you feel like No-Face from Spirited Away.
So, a couple of weeks ago, whilst gallivanting around Trader Joe’s on the hunt for snacks, the usual suspects found their way into my cart: dark chocolate and cherry trail mix, sweet and salty popcorn chips, my all-time favorite dried mangos…But I was on the search for something more.
Being someone who has probably tried every protein bar on the market, I know that despite their health claims a lot of them are overly processed and extremely unhealthy. I was hesitant to walk down the isle of protein bars because last time I checked, “whey isolate protein,” “chicory root fiber” and “sucralose” don’t exactly scream healthy and fulfilling.
I just wanted a bar with an ingredient list that wasn’t as long as the Mississippi River, didn’t have sugar as the first ingredient and actually had a decent amount of protein in it. As I neared the end of the isle with low hopes, I spotted the Rx Bar. I had seen this bar on Instagram and in stores but never actually looked into it.
As I picked one up expecting to see a long ingredient list or lack of protein, I was amazed to find the exact opposite. Printed in bold white lettering on the packaging of the chocolate sea salt flavor read “3 Egg Whites, 6 Almonds, 4 Cashews, 2 Dates, No B.S.”
I was floored. Four ingredients, all of which I could pronounce, not to mention it was free from dairy, gluten, soy, added sugars and GMO’s. There had to be a caveat; I was positive this bar was lacking in the nutritional department. I quickly flipped the packaging over to read that the bar had 12, yes 12 grams of protein.
I was sold, grabbed a couple of flavors and was on my way. From what the package promised, I really hoped they tasted as good as I thought they would. The next day I chose the sea salt chocolate as my flavor of choice and ate it on my way to class.
Mind blown.
Imagine a Larabar revamped with a stronger flavor and more actual volume. With the initial bite, I could taste the perfect mix of salty and sweet from the sea salt mixing with the chocolate. The sweetness comes from dates and is subtle but just the right amount for a protein bar with none of that this artificial sweetness I was used to.
The texture is smooth but the added crunch from the broken pieces of almonds and cashews adds such a body to the bar. I savored every last bite until I looked down at the empty aluminum wrapper.
I have since tried their peanut butter, blueberry, coconut chocolate and pumpkin spice (fall lovers rejoice!) flavors and each one of them hits the flavor profile it claims almost perfectly. This bar is able to remain true to what the packing says with no tastes of synthetically made flavorings.
The best part? The bar contains all the protein from the egg whites without there actually being a taste of egg white. There is no chalky, gritty texture most bars have from whey or casien protein because the egg whites are the only protein source.
I don’t talk highly of most processed convenience foods, but Rx Bar is an exception. When’s the last time you can say you’ve found a protein bar with high quality ingredients free of fillers and B.S., no false health claims, a guaranteed 100% refund if you are unhappy (which you won’t be), that’s american-made and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg? Thats right, you haven’t until now.
This bar will change your life. I’m sure.
They can be found on their site, in most health food stores and Amazon, but Rx Bar currently offers 15% off and free shipping on your first order placed through their site.