Every time my brother, Gian,听and I travel to Europe, we follow a singular tradition:听instead of buying each other souvenirs, we scour international grocery听and convenience stores for protein bars. Gian is a weightlifter and has practiced martial arts since he was a kid, so he鈥檚 always searching for recovery food听that doesn鈥檛 taste like it was developed in a lab.听I eat protein bars mainly to stave off the guilt that comes from eating candy when I鈥檓 craving something sweet. (Yes, my logic here is flawed.) Our preferences are based almost exclusively on taste, with very little consideration for nutritional quality. And in that category, European protein bars are just, well, better鈥攎ore chocolatey, not so chewy.
After at least a dozen international trips and rigorous testing, these are our favorite bars, and they鈥檙e all available online. Admittedly: they are all closer to dessert than performance fuel. Some of them do provide a good chunk of protein and are low in听carbs, but听others are literally candy injected with protein. Since we鈥檙e all about the taste, we听rated the bars听on a scale from one to ten, with one being a generic American protein bar听and ten being indistinguishable from candy.
PhD Smart Bar
At 238 calories, the Smart Bar is packed with 20 grams of protein and less than two grams of sugar. It鈥檚 our go-to whenever we can find it outside Ireland, where we first discovered it. Our favorite flavor is caramel crunch:听the soft center is delicious, and听as a whole听it鈥檚 not overly sweet. PhD claims on its site: 鈥淪mart Bar is perfect for those who crave confectionary however still want to pursue a leaner lifestyle.鈥 I think that describes my brother and me perfectly.
Rating: 8/10
Grenade Carb Killa Bar
We discovered the Carb Killa in an Icelandic grocery store. Each bar contains 23-plus grams of protein, 16 grams of carbs, and two grams of sugar for听215 calories. If you want a more filling alternative听to dessert, try our favorite flavor: dark chocolate orange. It tastes exactly like the classic听Terry鈥檚 confection.
Rating: 7/10
Boost Protein Bar
The Boost Protein听contains 12 grams of protein and is made by Cadbury, so you can expect it to be delicious. The downside: 249 calories, 17 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of fat per bar. Guilty pleasure? Absolutely. 鈥淭his chocolate is the richest. It tastes like a full-on Cadbury bar,鈥 Gian says.
鈥嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌嬧赌Rating: 9/10
Barebells Protein Bar
Barebells tastes the most like a generic American bar in terms of chewiness and chocolate profile. It does have some crunchy pieces of puffed rice in the outer layer that provide a nice texture, but we don鈥檛 think the chocolate is exceptional. Where it stands out is the nutritional breakdown: 197 calories, 20 grams of protein, 16 grams of carbs, and no added sugar (it鈥檚 sweetened with cocoa butter, whole milk powder, and other ingredients.)
Rating: 5/10
Nutramino Sweet Coconut Protein Bar
If you couldn鈥檛 tell by now, we prefer candy bars masquerading as protein bars. This is our favorite in terms of flavor, because it鈥檚 basically indistinguishable from one of our favorite childhood candies. 鈥淚f you blindfolded me and had me bite into this, I would say this is an Almond Joy,鈥 Gian says. At 215 calories per bar, you鈥檒l get 15 grams of protein and 16 grams of carbs, 11 of which come from sugar.
Rating: 10/10