Are Barebells Protein Bars A Healthy Snack? A Dietitians Take

Protein bars offer a convenient, ready to eat snack option that can boost your protein with minimal effort. With decadent flavor options that can satisfy a sweet tooth while simultaneously offering a protein boost, Barebells protein bars are a popular product on the shelves. Today we will review Barebells bars and help you discover if its the bar you want to add to your cart!

If you really want to get your steps in during the day, take a stroll down the protein bar aisle at a grocery store. Every day it feels like this aisle gets longer and longer as new products are introduced to the market!

With a surge in interest in protein intake among consumers, protein bars have become increasingly popular snack options. One bar in particular, Barebells protein bars, is one that I am constantly asked my opinion on.

Hey, I’m Lauren, I’m a registered dietitian and I’m here to help you pick through the seemingly endless options of protein bars and snacks to help you find the best option for you.

Today we will review Barebells, weigh the pro’s and con’s, and find out if Barebells bars are the snack you should be reaching for!

What are Barebells bars?

Barebells protein bars are one of many different protein bar brands on the grocery store shelves. With unique flavor options, Barebells really markets itself to people who want a sweet treat that has a protein boost and no added sugar content.

According to their website, Barebells Functional Foods was founded in 2016 in Sweden and their products have since found their way into other markets. They offer their original protein bar, a plant-based protein bar line, as well as a soft bar line with a slightly different texture!

Barebells Protein Bars Nutrition:

Barebells offers a few different lines of products that we can take a look at:

The Original Bar:

The original Barebells Protein Bars are their flagship protein bars and the highest in protein content with each bar containing 20 grams of protein. The protein content comes from a milk protein blend as well as hydrolyzed beef collagen. Here is a closer look at one flavor:

The Plant-Based Bar:

The Barebells plant-based protein bars are completely vegan and contain 15 grams of protein per bar. The protein comes from hydrolyzed wheat gluten and soy protein isolate. Here is a closer look at one of the flavors:

The Soft Protein Bar:

The soft protein bars feature a softer texture and 16 grams of protein per bar. As with the original Barebells bars, the protein in the soft bars comes from a milk protein blend and hydrolyzed bovine collagen. Here is a closer look at one of the flavors:

My initial takeaways:

Strictly looking at the macronutrients in the Barebells bars, I do like the balance of total fat to carbohydrates to protein content in the context of the ~200 calorie bar. It has a little bit of everything which will give you a more balanced and satiating snack.

In a protein bar, I like to see almost a 1:1 ratio of protein to carbohydrates and that is accomplished with most of these Barebells bars. They are comparable in saturated fat content to most other protein bars and they are lower in calorie than other bars, at around 200 calories per bar, making them a snack not a meal.

Another bonus of the Barebells bars is that they all contain some dietary fiber, between 3 to 5 grams. This is a modest amount of fiber which is unlikely to cause digestive upset for most people and can be an easy way to boost your intake. Remember, we care about other nutrients BEYOND just protein.

Finally, I love that these bars have no added sugar which is a food label line that I always pay attention to on processed foods. While their sweet flavor does come from sugar alcohols, having no added sugar lowers the blood sugar impact and also lowers the total calorie content of the bar.

That said, they are high in that sugar alcohol content which is something to consider. I personally am not anti-sugar alcohol, it can be a good option for people who really need to control their sugar intake such as individuals with diabetes. However, the 10 grams of sugar alcohol could upset some peoples stomach and also add the classic sugar alcohol taste.

From a taste and texture perspective, the Barebells original protein bars are actually some of my favorite protein bars on the market and are ones that I enjoy the texture of the most. The original bars all have a crunchy component to them which makes the texture more enjoyable in my opinion.

Pro’s of Barebells Protein Bars:

Convenient: The main pro to almost every protein bar on the market is their portability and convenience. A good space for protein bars in your diet is on busy days where you are on the go and just need something quick and satisfying to hold you over until your next meal!
High in Protein: These bars contain 15-20 grams of protein per bar which can be an easy way to increase your protein intake at a snack. This protein level is also on the higher end of protein content when compared to competitors and is a good option if your goal is really boost your protein intake.
Flavor options: From fruity flavors like wild cherry and key lime to decadent dessert style flavors like cookies and caramel or chocolate dough, Barebells bars are offered in a variety of flavors for you to try out.
Texture: One thing that sets the original Barebells apart from some of its competitors is that each bars features a crunchy rice ingredient which can be a nice way to change up the common chewy texture of a protein bar.
Beyond their original bars, Barebells also offers a “soft protein bar” line that is marketed as more of a cloudy texture. Simply put, Barebells has a variety of texture options for people to choose from!
No added sugar: These bars contain sugar alcohols (specifically maltitol) as their sweetener which gives them a sweet flavor profile but no added sugar. Most of these products also contain a very small amount of sucralose.
Some bars use collagen: With growing interest in collagen supplements, it was interesting to see Bovine collagen as an ingredient in some Barebells protein flavors. This could be an easy way for you to add some collagen into your day!
Offer a plant-based line: Most Barebells bars contain a blend of protein types including whey and bovine collagen. If you want a vegan protein bar, the Barebells plant-based protein bars use soy, pea, and rice protein for a vegan friendly option

The cons of Barebells Protein Bars:

Contain sugar alcohols: While generally recognized as safe, sugar alcohols can be a deal breaker for many people. Aside from a very notable flavor that shines through, sugar alcohols like sorbitol and mannitol can also cause digestive upset and bloating especially when consumed regularly.
The sugar alcohol used in Barebells bars is maltitol which is less sweet than sucrose and also is lower in calories. This sugar alcohol has been well researched and typically does not lead to digestive upset, but this will be individual to each person.
Other bars like RXBars, Perfect Bars, BTR Nation, and KIND protein bars are all options without any sugar alcohols and ones that you will regularly find in my pantry as well.
Processed ingredients: Similar to many protein bars on the shelves, the Barebells protein bars do not have a short ingredients list. Many of the ingredients are the protein sources themselves but these protein bars also contain sugar alcohols, stabilizers, sucralose, and other texture or flavor enhancing ingredients that some consumers may want to avoid.
Want my dietitian advice? If long ingredients list or highly processed items is something you want to avoid, then I highly recommend sticking to getting your protein from whole food sources instead of bars and supplements! You CAN get enough protein from food with alot fewer ingredients.
Can be tough to find: Some people report struggling to track these bars down. If you are looking for where to buy Barebells protein bars then I would recommend starting with their website for all of the products and flavors. You can also find most of them on amazon.
Beyond that, I have had luck (in the United States) finding these bars in person at Target, Trader Joes, and Walmart.
May contain allergens: Some Barebells bars contain nuts while others may contain traces of nuts. Barebells bars also contain lactose and are not a lactose free product.
Contain natural and artificial flavors: This will be personal preference but some people prefer to avoid natural and artificial flavors in their supplemental products. If thats you, you may be interested in the BTR Nation Bars.
Too high in protein for children: With almost 20 grams of protein per bar, these bars are better fit for adults and not children. If you want a bar for a child then I would look for one with 10 grams of protein or less like some of the KIND bars or Skout Organic Bars.

A note from a dietitian:

Protein is an incredibly important macronutrient. It builds and maintains muscle, supports your immune system, builds enzymes, supports metabolic processes, and more. With all of its important roles, it’s no surprise that people lean into quick and convenient products - like Barebells bars,- to make it easy to increase their protein intake.

However, remember that most of these protein bars, drinks, and powders should be used as a supplement and not as a primary source of protein in the diet. While they do contain a significant amount of protein, these products do not exist on their own in nature and are processed to offer the nutrition that they do.

I eat protein bars. I use protein powders. I do see the space for supplemental options. However, I feel that we often get bogged down looking for the LEAST processed protein bar available when at the end of the day, you will still end up with a processed protein bar. I think we lose sight of what food can do.

Again, I do see a space for processed items in a balanced diet that is mostly filled with whole foods, but I will always advocate for getting the vast majority of your protein from food itself instead of powders, pills, and bars.

Instead of consistently reaching for a protein bar, some other protein snacks to reach for are cottage cheese, greek yogurt, bagged tuna, string cheese, roasted edamame, and jerky sticks! These items are just as convenient as a protein bar and offer almost the same amount of naturally occurring protein.

So are Barebells a healthy snack? Here’s the takeaway:

Barebells protein bars offer a convenient way to boost your protein intake and can be enjoyed at an occasional snack. Each bar contains between 15 to 20 grams of protein and 210 calories which will definitely help you achieve your goal for building a higher protein snack.

In general, I like to see people build up balanced snacks that contain a high fiber carbohydrate paired with a protein rich food. Barebells protein bars do feature carbohydrates, some fiber, fat, and protein which give you a little bit of each macronutrient in one snack component.

Personally, I do enjoy the Barebells protein bars because of the texture, the flavor options, and the macronutrients of each bar. To incorporate them into a balanced snack, I would recommend that you pair them with a colorful food such as berries, an apple, celery sticks, or baby carrots!

While I enjoy them, that doesn’t mean that these bars are for everyone! These bars do contain sugar alcohols and other ingredients which could not be to everyones preference. If you want recommendations for bars without sugar alcohols then try RXBars, Perfect Bars, BTR Nation, or KIND protein bars

As with other protein bars and powders, these products are intended to be used as supplements to the diet and not as your primary source of protein. I ALWAYS recommend getting your protein from food first and using items like Barebells when you are in a time crunch or need an easy source of protein fast.

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