Saturday, 2 November 2024

Protein Bars

RXBAR Whole Food Protein Bar Review

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Each RXBAR Whole Food Protein Bar provides your body with 12 g of egg white protein, 22 g of carbohydrates, 9 g of fat, and 200 calories. They’re also gluten free, dairy free, and soy free.

But unlike most protein powders, there’s no creatine, L-glutamine, or BCAAs. So can they still be an effective source of pre-workout and post-workout nutrition?

In this review we’ll compare RXBAR to two other top-rated protein bars; MusclePharm Combat Crunch, and thinkThins.

Comparisons include the levels of protein, carbs, and fats, as well as the cost per serving, flavors, customer feedback, and total calories.

This is to guarantee you only buy the best protein bar for your current diet and fitness goal. Whether that’s weight loss, lean muscle gain, bulking, or simply to boost your daily protein intake.

RXBAR Protein Bar Ingredients

RXBAR Ingredients

When we write our protein bar reviews, the first thing we check is the protein blend. This often includes a combination of whey protein isolates, soy protein, and milk protein.

But that’s where RXBAR Whole Food Protein Bars are different. The protein content is sourced straight from real foods, instead of blending together proteins artificially.

The core ingredients are labelled on the front of every bar, which in this case includes egg whites for protein, dates to bind, and nuts for texture (almonds and cashews). They also have a unique chocolate sea salt flavor.

Unfortunately, the size of the bars (52 g) is a little smaller than other bestselling protein bars, such as MuscleTech Mission1 (60 g) and CLIF Builder’s Protein Bar (68 g). This also means they contain less protein, with just 12 g per bar.

Although this is above the KIND nutrition bars (8-9 g per bar), it’s still well below the 20 g average, or even 30 g if you opted for a MET-Rx Big 100 Meal Replacement Bar.

On the plus side, RXBAR protein bars are low in calories, with 210 per bar. That’s the same as MusclePharm Combat Crunch, which deliver 20 g of protein, 25 g of carbs, and an impressive 12 g of dietary fiber per bar.

What’s in RXBAR Protein Bars?

RXBAR Ingredients Label
Ingredient Amount per Serving % Daily Value
Calories 210
Total Fat 9 g 12%
Saturated Fat 2 g 10%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 240 mg 10%
Total Carbohydrates 24 g 9%
Dietary Fiber 5 g 18%
Sugars 13 g
Protein 12 g 21%

Each RXBAR also contains dates, egg whites, almonds, cashews, cacao, sea salt, and natural chocolate flavor.

RXBAR Whole Food Protein Bar

RXBAR Protein Bar – Product Summary

  • RXBARs are whole food protein bars made with egg whites, dates, nuts and natural ingredients like 100% cacao or blueberries to provide added taste and texture.
  • No added sugar, no gluten, no soy, no dairy, no GMO, no B.S.
  • 12g of egg white protein, 4g of fiber, 200 calories.
  • Perfect as a breakfast bar on-the-go, pre- and post-workout bite, or a convenient and healthy snack between meals.
  • Each box contains 12 Chocolate Sea Salt protein bars.

Weight loss or weight gain?

RXBAR Protein Bars are designed to assist with the support of lean muscle growth and recovery, as part of a regular exercise and nutrition program.

Protein bars for weight loss are difficult to find. Your best option is finding a high protein, low calorie, low carb protein bar that helps put your body in a caloric deficit each day.

RXBAR Protein Bars meet this criteria, but if you need more dietary fiber (16 g vs. 4 g), you may also want to check out Quest Protein Bars. They contain just 6 g of fat, 20 g of protein and as few as 170 calories.

For weight gain, you’ll need to consume sufficient protein and enough calories from healthy foods to put your body in a daily caloric surplus. High carb protein bars like MET-Rx Big 100 (30 g protein, 400 cals) or Promax Protein Bars (20 g protein, 270 cals) would be a better option.

Who are they designed for?

Runners, weightlifters, athletes, or anyone looking for a quick and easy way to increase their protein intake.

When is the best time to take it?

The low carb content of RXBAR Protein Bars means they’re ideal for post-workout nutrition, or as mid-morning/mid-afternoon snacks.

You can also enjoy one as a nutritious snack anytime throughout the day. But as a general guide, whether you’re looking to diet or add lean muscle, carb intake should be drastically reduced after 5-7pm.

RXBAR Protein Bars vs. Combat Crunch

RXBAR Protein Bar
MusclePharm Combat Crunch
Protein: 12 g
Protein: 20 g
Carbohydrates: 22 g
Carbohydrates: 25 g
Fat: 9 g
Fat: 7 g
Dietary fiber: 4 g
Dietary fiber: 12 g
Calories: 210
Calories: 210
Bars per box: 12
Bars per box: 12
Bar weight: 52 g
Bar weight: 63 g
Protein density: 23%
Protein density: 32%
Cost per serving*: $2.17
Cost per serving*: $1.50

*Based on buying a 12-bar box. Price accurate at time of writing.

RXBAR Protein Bars vs. thinkThins

RXBAR Protein Bar
thinkThins
Protein: 12 g
Protein: 20 g
Carbohydrates: 22 g
Carbohydrates: 25 g
Fat: 9 g
Fat: 8 g
Dietary fiber: 4 g
Dietary fiber: 2 g
Calories: 210
Calories: 230
Bars per box: 12
Bars per box: 12
Bar weight: 52 g
Bar weight: 60 g
Protein density: 23%
Protein density: 33%
Cost per serving*: $2.17
Cost per serving*: $1.50

*Based on buying a 12-bar box. Price accurate at time of writing.

What flavors and sizes are available?

RXBAR Protein Bars each have a serving size of 52 g per bar, available in 5 different box sizes; 4, 8, 12, 24, and 30 bars (30-bar box is only available with their bestseller variety pack).

At the time of writing this review, the best value for money actually comes from the box of 12. Each bar was priced at $2.17 per serving, compared to $2.35 for the box of 4, and $2.18 per bar for a box of 30. That’s why we always recommend calculating the average cost per serving, across all flavors and sizes, before making a final buying decision.

Flavors


  • Apple Cinnamon
  • Chocolate Sea Salt
  • Blueberry
  • Chocolate Coconut
  • Coffee Chocolate


  • Maple Sea Salt
  • Mint Chocolate
  • Peanut Butter
  • Pumpkin Spice

Save money with Amazon

If you’re looking to save money on your monthly supplement order, you might want to consider the Amazon Subscribe & Save program.

Subscribe & Save allows you to unlock savings of up to 15% on a wide range of sports nutrition products, including RXBAR Whole Food Protein Bars (selected flavors only).

You can save 5% with a subscription to 1 product, or save the full 15% by subscribing to 5 products, provided they’re all delivered to the same address. The delivery schedule can be set from monthly, up to once every 6 months.

Although 5 products might sound a lot, if you already supplement with a protein powder, multivitamin, creatine, BCAA, and glutamine, the savings can soon add up. But it’s best to order before you run out of your current supplements, because Amazon set the day of the month each order is sent (same day each month e.g. 14th.).

Who are RXBAR?

Founded in 2013, RXBAR is a company with a passion for delivering clean, simple protein bars, made from high quality whole food ingredients.

The base of each bar is formed with a combination of egg whites, fruit, and nuts, with no added sugar and containing less than 210 calories.

The current RXBAR product line includes the original RXBAR, RXBAR Kids, and RX Nut Butter.

RXBAR Kids are healthy nutrition bars that follow the same list of whole food ingredients as RXBAR, but scaled down. So instead of 3 egg whites per bar, you’re getting 2. The overall calories and protein is also reduced, from 12g protein to 7g, and 210 calories to 140 calories.

RXBAR is owned by Kellogg, but has a headquarters based in Chicago.

Protein Bar Buying Guide

Review Overview

Overall Review Rating

4 / 5

So, should you buy RXBAR Protein Bars?

They're not the best option if you want a bar that's high in protein. Out of all the protein bars we reviewed, they were second only to KIND bars for having the lowest amount of protein per bar.

But the fact is, they're also one of the only bars that uses whole foods as a source of the protein, instead of blending protein concentrates and isolates.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing this review, RXBAR also had some of the most expensive protein bars on the market. A box of 12 was retailing for $25.99 ($2.17 per bar), compared to $2 per bar for Quest Bars, or $1.33 for each CLIF Builder's Protein bar.

If you're dieting, the fact that each bar is 210 calories or less could be significant. But Quest Bars are just 170 calories, because they're one of the best low carb protein bars (5g net carbs per bar).

Overall, RXBAR Protein Bars are an excellent choice if you're looking for a variety of flavors, or only want your protein from whole foods.

But if you're simply looking to increase your protein intake and limit the sugar intake, Quest Bars are a cheaper option with more protein, lower carbs, less fat, and more fiber per bar. They also have an excellent range of flavors.

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