Protein bars can be a risky venture. In order to make them taste good but still have a nice-looking nutrition facts table, the list of additives can be a little scary. This trend has caused a lot of people to look for more natural alternatives, like the Pure Power Protein Bar.
I recently tried out a box of these bars, which are produced by Dr. Joseph Mercola. Dr. Mercola is an osteopath probably best known for writing two New York Times bestselling books and for his appearances on many national television and radio shows. He is opposed to biased health care and nutrition information, and an unreported portion of funds for all Mercola products goes to organizations that favor independent, unbiased health, such as Grassroots Health and the Fluoride Action Network.
The Pure Power Protein Bars are peanut butter-flavored, but they actually taste more peanut-y than peanut-buttery. This is because the peanut butter used to make the bars isn’t sweetened, which I actually like. The cane sugar comes through on its own to add sweetness to the bar, along with the delicious organic, non-dairy dark chocolate chips. All in all, I enjoyed the mild flavors, which made the bar pretty good in my opinion. In terms of texture, there is a mild chalkiness that you’ll get from any bar like this, but no one who eats protein bars regularly would mind. The bar is of the chewy variety, rather than crispy, but not at all difficult to chew.
The bar is certified organic, meaning every ingredient in it meets organic qualifications. The bulk of the bar is not composed of mystery ingredients, but rather foods you are familiar with, like tapioca, peanut butter, several kinds of non-soy proteins, and chocolate chips. The only ingredient you may not know is the last one: inulin. Inulin is a kind of fiber often found in plants that are low in starch.
Speaking of fiber, the bars boast four grams of fiber per fifty-gram bar, which is approximately eight percent of the structure of the bar. Compare that to a food like prunes, often eaten for their high-fiber content, in which roughly seven percent is composed of fiber. The bar also has fourteen grams of protein, which is pretty good considering the small size of the bar. Because of the peanuts, the bar also has some healthy fats.
Unfortunately, it has almost as much sugar, with twelve grams of sugar per bar. From a health perspective, that sugar will be buffered a bit by the fiber content of the bar, and at least it’s from organic sources. But all the same, sugar is sugar.
The bar is a bit on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for. With all organic and vegan food sources, the higher price is to be expected and shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone in the market for a product like this. Many consumers may also want to support Dr. Mercola’s mission. Keep in mind that although the bars are full of healthy ingredients, they are produced in a facility that also processes common allergens, so check out the allergy info if you have any extreme sensitivity to ingredients.
Anyone looking for a high quality, organic, and vegan protein bar need look no further. I recommend checking out the Pure Power Protein Bar to see if it’s the one you’ve been after.
Pure Power Protein Bars are available for $32.97 for 12 at Mercola.com.
