For a busy college student, it’s often much easier to grab a slice or two of cheese pizza from the dining hall than it is to put together a balanced meal. Believe me - I’ve been there! I’m not here to tell you that every single meal has to be a gourmet experience. But by limiting yourself to your most convenient quickest, easiest favorites (like pizza, veggie sushi, and PB&Js), you might actually be skimping on your protein intake.
Protein, one of the three macronutrients (next to carbs and fats), functions as the building block for your muscles, bones, cartilage, skin, blood, hormones, enzymes, and much more. Basically, you need enough of it to function every day (0.36 grams per pound of your bodyweight, so around 50 grams for an average sedentary woman). Plus, including protein in each meal will keep you satiated so you’re not starving in class. And let’s face it: that mouthwatering slice, your usual order of a cucumber avocado roll, and a PB&J each only have a few grams of protein.
While it’s always best to get nutrients, including protein, from whole foods (lean meats or soy, whole grains, nuts, etc.), sometimes you just need a little in a pinch! You don’t necessarily need to supplement your diet with a bar, but if you’re looking for an extra protein boost after a workout or when that mid-afternoon hunger strikes, you’ve come to the right place. If you’ve struggled to pick one type of bar from the myriad of options on the market, here’s a quick guide to help you figure out which kinds are best for you. These bars can all be found on their respective websites, Amazon, or your local grocery store.
If you’re looking for….a lot of protein:
Each flavor of this popular low-carb bar packs 20-21 grams of protein, making it a classic choice if you’re really trying hard to build muscle using a ton of extra protein per day. Some of my favorite flavors include chocolate chip cookie dough, cookies and cream, peanut butter, and apple pie. Clocking in at 180-200 calories per bar with about only 2 grams of sugar (thanks to artificial sweeteners like Sucralose, Stevia, and Erythritol), each tastes great warmed up in the microwave, and in my opinion, slathered in an extra protein boost of peanut butter.
These are your classic, old-school protein bar. Like Quest bars, these come in a wide variety of flavors, each containing 20 grams of protein. The nutrition facts for Pure Protein bars are almost exactly the same as those for Quest, making them a great choice for a post-workout snack. I personally like birthday cake, chewy chocolate chip, and chocolate peanut caramel.
If you’re looking for...natural ingredients:
These delicious little bars pack a whole lot of flavor. The ingredients are listed right on the front of each package, and they’re quite minimal, including egg whites, nuts, and dates. Their slogan, ‘No B.S.,’ sums it up pretty well: you won’t find artificial sweeteners or flavors here. Even though they don’t contain whey protein, you’ll still get 12 grams per bar, each of which has about 200 calories - not too shabby! My favorites are chocolate sea salt, chocolate peanut butter, peanut butter & berries, and chocolate coconut - but to be honest, I’ve never met an RxBar I didn’t like.
If I could only eat one protein bar for the rest of my life, it would probably be the peanut butter Perfect Bar. Like RxBars, these have minimal processed ingredients and no artificial sweeteners. The highest-protein flavors are peanut butter (17 grams), coconut peanut butter (16 grams), fruit & nut (16 grams), and dark chocolate chip peanut butter with sea salt (15 grams). Depending on the flavor you choose, you’ll be getting 280-330 calories worth of high-quality ingredients. Each flavor that I’ve tried is more delicious than the previous one, so head to the refrigerator aisle and get your hands on some!
By limiting yourself to your most convenient quickest, easiest favorites, you might actually be skimping on your protein intake.
If you’re looking for...an exclusively vegan option:
Clif bars don’t extensively market themselves as being vegan, but good news, vegans - they are! The company uses soy as its protein source, giving each of these bars 20 grams of quality protein. My favorite flavor is probably chocolate peanut butter (have you caught on to how predictable I am yet?), which clocks in at 280 calories and 21 grams of sugar. The main sweetener is brown rice syrup and cane syrup, so no artificial sugars here. If you’re vegan, you can still reap the benefits of a hearty protein bar.
With 18 flavors to choose from, you won’t get bored with this brand. What I like about GoMacro bars is that even though they have the classic flavors like peanut butter, banana, and chocolate, they also offer cool-but-lesser-known options like sunflower butter, carob, and apples and walnuts. The ingredients are all plant-based and cold-pressed together. A typical bar has 200-300 calories and 6-12 grams of protein. This company is also super dedicated to its environmental mission, which you’ll be proud to support when you try a flavor or two. I personally recommend peanut butter, cashew caramel, and mocha chocolate chip.
I’m always looking to up my protein intake a little, especially during the school year when I’m constantly running around, unsure of what time my next actual meal will be. No matter what kind of college student you are (and no matter if you like peanut butter and chocolate as much as I do or prefer to branch out with your flavor choices), you can definitely find a protein bar that suits your goals!
Hannah is a student studying sociology at Hamilton College. You can usually find her powerlifting at the gym, enjoying picnics in Central Park with her friends, or doing an excessive amount of online shopping.
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