As a registered dietitian, I believe in “food first”. However, we all have hectic days when a healthy snack of hummus and veggies or an apple peanut butter is just not possible. You know the kind of days when you get stuck in a meeting at work, forgot your snack at home, or hit major traffic delays. And most women with PCOS know all too well if you go too long without eating, carb cravings can hit big time! Wouldn’t it be helpful if you could keep a snack in your desk or car for these kind of days. Healthy energy bars to the rescue! This is a follow up post to the article I wrote on How to Choose the Best Energy Bars for PCOS.
What to look for in an energy bar for PCOS
Energy bars have come a long way. Food companies are making bars with fewer additive, less artificial sweeteners and overall healthier ingredients in response to consumer demand. But it can still be overwhelming to know what bar to pick as there are so many to choose from. The good news is that many bars actually contain ingredients that are healthy for PCOS, including nuts and seeds, fiber (natural and added like inulin or chicory root), protein and even cacoa and dark chocolate!
As a quick recap, I like bars to include most of the criteria below (read my previous post for more details):
The best energy bars for PCOS contain some/or all of the following:
- 200 calories or less for a snack. The exact calories depends up your individual needs, but this is a good place to start.
- 20-25 grams of carbs or less. I find that many women tend to get caught up in trying to find a bar with the least amount of carbs. But be careful because the really low carb bars as they tend to have artificial sweeteners.
- 15 grams of protein or more.
- At least 4 gm fiber. But be careful here as well as some bars contain so much fiber that you can feel like your intestines are going to blow up!
- No artificial sweeteners
- At least 8 grams of fat. Gone are the fat phob days. We know fat is good for us for many reasons. Nuts and seeds provide the healthiest kinds of fats.
- As little added sugar as possible (note: most labels don’t list “added sugars” yet)
- As few additives as possible
- Bonus: other healthy ingredients like chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseeds, cacao, dark chocolate.
- Taste good. Taste is totally a matter of personal preference. Some people like crunchy bars, while others like chewy and still others like soft bars.
Best Energy Bars for PCOS
| BARS | CALORIES | FAT GM | CARB GM | FIBER GM | PROTEIN GM | SUGAR (AND TYPE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Warrior- Dark Chocolate Peanut Pumpkin Seed GF | 180 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 6 (honey) |
| Primal Kitchen Dark Chocolate Almond Bars GF | 230 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 3 (honey, monk fruit) |
| Go Raw Pumpkin Seed Sprouted, GF | 240 | 16 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 5 (dates, agave) |
| Fodly Bars Dark Chocolate Sea Salt, GF | 210 | 14 | 16 | 3 | 6 | 7 ( brown rice syrup, maple syrup) |
| Simply Protein Coconut Whey GF | 150 | 3 | 18 | 5 | 15 | 4 (brown rice syrup, glycerin) |
| 22 Days Peanut Butter Choc Chip GF | 170 | 4.5 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 5 (tapioca syrup, agave, stevia) |
| Health Warrior Protein Peanut Butter Cacao GF | 200 | 9 | 25 | 7 | 11 | 9 (brown rice syrup, agave) |
| RX Bar Mint Chocolate | 210 | 9 | 23 | 5 | 12 | 13 (dates) |
| Lara Bars Nut & Seed Maple Cinnamon GF | 190 | 13 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 7 (honey, maple syrup) |
| Dales Raw Foods S’Mores GF | 246 | 14 | 15 | 7 | 22 | 5 (date paste, coconut nectar) |
So what are my personal favorite bars? Here are my top 3
