Healthier alternatives to Clif Bars?

June 2, 2017 7:11 PM

What are some non-perishable lightweight bars that 1) have less sugar and more protein and 2) are still made with relatively good ingredients and 3) that have the texture of food, rather than fondant?

I travel a lot for work and for pleasure, and the two Clif bars I always pack always come in handy: late night arrival to middle-of-no-where with no breakfast in sight? Clif bar! Stranded in airport for an extran 12 hours and don't want to buy a $20 sandwich? Clif bar! I always thought I wouldn't need them, but I alwasy do in the end. So great.

I know Clif bars are meant for serious trailblazers and backpackers and are not really something you snack on in regualr daily life, so I'm not demonizing them in any way, but ok, it's got A LOT of sugar. I'm trying to eat healthier these days, so I want to find an alternative.

I've tried some of the protein bars on the market, but they all have a lot of sugar, too. The low sugar ones are sweetened artificially. They all have the texture of very stale fondant, and are almost always insanely sweet and chocolatey. Why!?

In any case, please suggest Clif bar alternatives that are less sugary. If you have recipes for home-made versions that have a long shelf life, I'd love to hear about them as well. Many thanks!

posted by atetrachordofthree to Food & Drink (34 answers total)

Have you had Kind bars? They're not specifically protein bars, but have much less sugar and sodium than typical protein bars with about half (or slightly more than half with the nuttier ones) as much protein as a Cliff bar. And they actually feel and taste like discernable food. You're not running marathons, you're just hungry; you might like Kind bars.

Beef jerky is also good.
posted by phunniemee at 7:31 PM on June 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

How about mixed nuts?
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 7:31 PM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Try looking at homemade paleo granola - low carb, low sugar, high protein. Keeps well in airtight containers.
posted by Jaclyn at 7:47 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Mr. gudrun has liked Think Thin Protein & Fiber bars, example. He also likes Health Warrior Chia bars, but these ones are small, so more like a snack (or you would need to eat 2 to be the equivalent of 1 Clif Bar).

For a bar in the meat line, I like Tanka bars.
posted by gudrun at 7:52 PM on June 2, 2017

I like Kind bars, too. It varies by flavor, but some of them (including those sold at Costco) have as little as 5 grams of sugar.
posted by juliapangolin at 8:00 PM on June 2, 2017

I love the Perfect Bars, but they require refrigeration.
posted by infinitewindow at 8:01 PM on June 2, 2017

Quest bars. Loved by the low-carb keto crowd. Not bad tasting either, some flavors are better than others. Costco here in Canada also sells a knock off that's about half the price, but I can only find them in certain locations.
posted by cgg at 8:09 PM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

This isn't a bar, but I made this Bon Appetit granola last week and damn is it filling. I've been eating it out of a cup on my morning commute. You can adjust sugar as needed. I sprinkled a little sugar on before baking but in hindsight, I don't think it was needed.
posted by LoveHam at 8:14 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

I really like RX bars, simple ingredients, taste good. Still a pretty good whack of carbs, but the sugar is from dates and they have more protein generally than clif bars. I loved the seasonal pumpkin spice they had out in the fall, but everything I've tried except the coffee flavor was good.
posted by danielleh at 8:26 PM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'm a fan of Clif's "Luna" brand protein bars. (Note: the Luna brand comes in plain old snack bar and a protein bar. It's easy enough to confuse packaging if not careful.) They're sweet enough for my liking but are way less so than plain old Clif bars. Or, more accurately: they're way less sugary but often have a thin coating of chocolate or such that makes them have a pleasant sweet first taste that then balances out. They're also about 2/3rds the size of a Clif bar, 45g vs 68g, which makes for a good portion size for me, and end up at half the total carbs and sugars.
posted by introp at 8:28 PM on June 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

I like the Luna Bars too. There is also nut butter sandwiches, of whole grain bread, Laughing Cow Cheese triangles, do not have to be refrigerated, and will spread on crackers, apples, tangerines. Nut mixes, some nut mixes come in nice sleeves that pack well.
posted by Oyéah at 8:37 PM on June 2, 2017

+1 for Luna bars, although different flavors do vary in both sugar content and sugar *taste*. I like the peppermint chocolate flavor best, but I thought the s'mores was too sweet (started to feel sickening halfway through the bar) even though they're both low-sugar flavors. I'm not super sensitive to artificial sweeteners but I might have been reacting to the "fondant" sweet that you describe.
posted by serelliya at 9:03 PM on June 2, 2017

Nthing Kind Bars, although their sweetness and sugar content varies wildly. I like the fruit and nut one and variations thereof.
posted by retrograde at 9:08 PM on June 2, 2017

I like Larabars. They are not low in sugar, or especially high in protien, but it's all fruit and nuts no added sugar or sweeteners. Gluten free. And they taste good without being candy bars.
posted by bongo_x at 9:33 PM on June 2, 2017 [10 favorites]

Oh, and cheap and readily available.
posted by bongo_x at 9:34 PM on June 2, 2017

Seconding danielleh on the Rx bars and I am not a fan of energy bars in general, but they're a lifesaver on long car trips or when you don't have access to decent food. I usually get mine from Amazon because the case price is cheaper than buying them individually.

Costco also sells their own Kirkland brand; it's not too bad either in a pinch. I think it has 8-11 grams of sugar per bar.

I like both of those because they're gluten and whey free, unlike most energy bars in my local stores.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 9:41 PM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Ditto on Larabars - I don't know that they have significantly less sugar, but they don't have that gross oversweet quality that Clif bars seem to have. I like the cherry almond ones.

You could also bring small packages of nuts and dried fruit, and/or beef jerky.
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:41 PM on June 2, 2017

On the meat tip, I really like Chomps, which are sold at Trader Joe's and are essentially a natural-foods Slim Jim. I usually pack a couple of those and some fruit when I travel and it's a good snack. (Ok, I also pack some chocolate)
posted by lunasol at 9:50 PM on June 2, 2017

After a long search with similar parameters, we settled on Nugo bars.
posted by rw at 10:22 PM on June 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Trek Bars are very good (still sweet, but the plain ones aren't too sweet) - might be UK only though or too expensive in USA.
posted by BinaryApe at 1:04 AM on June 3, 2017

Was never a big fan of Rx Bars (something about the texture if they're not incredibly fresh) but really love Picky Bars, which are kind of similar. They used to sell them at my Trader Joe's, but no longer, so it's REI or the internet at this point.
posted by miratime at 3:50 AM on June 3, 2017

Nthig Kind bars. They've got lots of tasty options with 5g of sugar or less. Sometimes I still want a Clif Bar though and go for the newer nut butter filled ones. They've got way less sugar than a regular Clif Bar (9g vs. 22g!), though more fat and slightly less protein.
posted by radiomayonnaise at 5:04 AM on June 3, 2017

I'm a huge fan of R Bars from Tucson, Arizona. So simple. The Peanut Butter & Jelly flavor is especially satisfying.
posted by belau at 5:52 AM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm also a big fan of Kind and Lara bars. I try to mix them up/take a variety with me so there isn't too much of one texture at once.
posted by RhysPenbras at 6:31 AM on June 3, 2017

These Kashi® Chewy Granola Bars Chocolate Almond & Sea Salt with Chia are similar to Kind bars, if I'm recalling correctly—they thread the needle between flavor, texture, less sugar, and more protein pretty well.
posted by XMLicious at 8:41 AM on June 3, 2017

Best answer: If you have recipes for home-made versions that have a long shelf life, I'd love to hear about them as well

Not a bar, but I travel with some nuts, seeds, and dried fruit in a ziploc bag.
posted by yohko at 2:57 PM on June 3, 2017

Best answer: Trail mix! It's not technically a bar, but it's what inspires the bars that meet your criteria.

I used to make trail mix for a crowd. They always loved it and usually couldn't make a good copy until I explained that the missing ingredient is unsweetened coconut flakes. Coconut flakes are great for giving the whole batch some character.

You can make trail mix ahead using baggies or containers, but companies do also sell Clif Bar sized packages of trail mix.
posted by aniola at 3:36 PM on June 3, 2017

Seconding rw with the Nugo Bars. Specifically the Stronger ones. They come in HUGE 25g protein bars that have chocolate and only 10g of sugar. Also they are soy & malitol free. The texture is like a really stiff Snickers bar. Make sure you chew plenty before swallowing!
posted by oxisos at 8:35 PM on June 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I like Simply Protein bars, very low sugar and you can pick your protein (soy or whey). They aren't oaty like a Clif bar but they are made up of crunchy nuggets and are kind of like a rice crispies treat?
posted by SassHat at 8:40 PM on June 3, 2017

Also have you looked at these Pro Bars? To me they are the most delicious and best texture protein bars made with no artificial sweeteners. 20g of protein, with 13g of sugar. Also, they are huge!
posted by oxisos at 8:43 PM on June 3, 2017

I recently discovered Exo bars, which are made from cricket flour (!). They are pricey but quite tasty, and about half the sugar.
posted by veery at 1:53 PM on June 4, 2017

Best answer: +1 for mixed nuts, or raisins and peanuts.

You can also make an easy coconut macaroon recipe with 300g unsweetened flaked coconut and 200g sweetened condensed milk. Cut into 10 bars, each of which would be 250 kcal and 13g sugar, and bake until browned and solidified.

I've also just taken swigs of olive oil, but I'm told that's weird.
posted by d. z. wang at 4:56 PM on June 4, 2017

Best answer: RX Bars feel like trying to chew through a tire. Quest has sugar alcohols, which might not be great for you. Kind has added fiber, which whoa, gave me gas. (Nugo and Probars, same thing.)

Jerky from Keto Carne, Two Brothers, and Zip's has all been good and no-sugar. (Seriously, it's kind of hard to find unsugared jerky, which is bizarre.)

The chocolate brownie flavor of Opti-Bar is pretty damn good. Tons of whey protein, limited sugar, taste is solid. Harder to chew than a Clif Bar, but not the dried-egg-whites of RX.

But yeah, mixed nuts (and maybe oatmeal for breakfast) seem to be the direct replacement.
posted by talldean at 2:11 PM on June 6, 2017

Primal Kitchen coconut cashew bars aren't sweet like Clif or Kind bars and are... interesting. Not for everyone. Worth a try.

I caution you away from the chocolate almond ones, and haven't tried the other flavors.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:28 AM on June 7, 2017