Now I am in maintenance phase, and my only “industry modified” food is protein bars. Protein bars, together with chaffles, are my “candy”, those pleasures in life that allow me to sustain a low carb diet without suffering, and on the contrary, to enjoy it.
I am based in the EU. I have seen low carb protein bars are very different in the US and in the EU (by looking at amazon most sold items).
I have tried to google for analysis on these protein bars, to see which are better than the others, under different circumstances. But unfortunately, the US culture of analyzing everything is not so well implemented here in the EU.
I have tried to do my best, and for example, I try to avoid “palm oil” and “vegetable oils”. And I try to look at the lowest sugar content possible (there are huge variations!). But I am sure there are many other items that a person with more knowledge than me would know what to look at the ingredients list, in order to find out the quality of such food. I assume that some proteins (whey, soy, …) are better than others, but I do not know which. I also assume that many other components (sweeteners …) may affect the quality, but again, I do not know which ones I should prefer.
Might I ask if somebody with knowledge could take a look at the ingredients (and composition) list of the following bars (which are the ones that rank better in availability / perceived quality / price for me):
https://www.weiderworld.com/products/catid/44/eid/1931/60-protein-bar
The Weider 60% seem to be the “best”: they have very few sugar (and not many carbs, including polyols), high protein, no palm oil …
https://www.weiderworld.com/products/catid/20/eid/3382/low-carb-high-protein-bar-40
Weider 40% are not as good as the 60% in quality terms, but they have a better taste, and they continue having not too much sugar or carbs, they are reasonably high in protein, they have no palm oil but coconut oil …
https://www.optimumnutrition.com/en-gb/product/optimum-bar
The Optimum ones are by far the best in taste and texture. They are relatively high in protein (a bit less than the Weider 40%; I always compare by 100g of product), and they do not have much sugar. But the amount of carbs is significantly higher than the Weider 40% (not only polyols).
Finally, https://www.premier-protein.com/en_GB/products/protein-bar-50-chocolate-caramel
I will receive today these ones, so I still do not know the taste. But from the composition, they seem pretty good, with high protein content (50%), lowish sugar … The only inconvenient is the amount of polyols is high, but I do not know how bad is this. They are pretty cheap, also. And they do not have palm oil.
May I ask opinions on these bars? (and please, do not argue that I should not eat any bars to start with; I agree in theory, but in practice, perfection is the enemy of the well-done job, and I know I need some food pleasure on a daily basis, and these bars give this to me).