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What Makes a Protein Bar as Good as Gold?

With so many protein bars out there, how do you know you’re choosing the best one? For us, David’s bars are the best, crafted by none other than Dr. Peter Attia. Learn what to look for so you can discern a high-quality protein bar from the sugar-coated impostors on the shelves. In collaboration with David Protein.

Protein is the macro of the moment—and for good reason. It helps keep you satiated, can boost metabolism, and is crucial for building and repairing tissues, making enzymes and hormones, and supporting other vital bodily functions. If you’re looking to up your protein intake without adding more calories, protein bars can be a great nutritional tool. But how do you find the real deal—one that is formulated to optimize macros, without being hard to digest and tasteless?

While some natural bars sacrifice taste in the name of being called “natural,” other mass bars offer poor protein sources and counts and incorporate more calories from sugars, fillers, and sweetener systems than is necessary. David Protein doesn’t just meet the mark when it comes to making protein bars that meet macros and flavor—they go for the gold. 

Read on to learn how to suss out the superior protein bar hiding amongst all the other sugar-coated imposters out there and why David Protein’s bars are number one.

3 Tips to Choose a High-Quality Protein Bar

When you find yourself in the snack aisle of the grocery store, looking at the colorful selection of protein bars, don’t fall for the catchy and colorful marketing. Pick up that bar, flip it over, and go right to the nutrition label. Here are three tips to keep in mind when shopping for protein bar:

1. Ingredient Quality

We’re starting with the basics here, a non-negotiable that should be applied to any food item you add to your cart: Look for bars that are made with fewer ingredients and ones you can recognize. (Think kitchen cabinet, not chemistry lab.) 

Look for:

  • Whole-food sources: nuts, seeds, oats, quinoa, egg whites, unsweetened dried fruits
  • Protein sources like whey, collagen peptides, pea protein, or brown rice protein
  • Healthy fats like almond butter, coconut, chia or flax seeds, or MCTs

2. Macros Matter

If you’re in the market for a protein bar, you want to make sure it’s packed with protein, right? You don’t want a bar that’s all filler and fluff—oh, no. And if the bar in question has less than 7 grams of protein…next! These are candy bars that have gone incognito as “healthy” thanks to a fitness label.

Look for:

  • A protein bar with minimum 10–20 grams of protein per bar. Ideally, you want to look for a bar that has over 20 grams of protein. (The more protein that’s packed into a bar, the better bang for your buck, too.) Plus, when you’re over 50, protein consumption is especially important to help counter sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). 
  • Protein derived from animal sources like whey or egg white or from plant-based sources like pea, rice, or pumpkin seeds will help you hit these macros

3. Sugar and Sweeteners: Less Is Best

While simple carbohydrates are essential for quick energy, you don’t want a protein bar that will spike your blood sugar or add in more sugar than necessary—because more sugar means excess calories are being added into the mix. Remember: You’re eating a protein bar, not a candy bar. The macros should be your main focus.

Look for:

  • A protein bar with limited added sugars (5 grams or less)
  • Natural sweeteners like dates, monk fruit, stevia, or allulose
  • Low-glycemic choices like erythritol (in moderation)

The Takeaway

To ensure the protein bar you’re packing will live up to the claims on its packaging, look for a bar that meets the following criteria:

  • Protein: 20+ grams from clean sources
  • Sugar: < 5g (or none)
  • Fat: Healthy fats from nuts, seeds, or MCTs
  • Carbs: Net carbs < 15g (if low-carb is your goal)

Does such a bar—one optimized for macros, taste, and protein digestion—even exist? Yes! A bar like this goes by the name of David Protein

David Protein: The Gold Standard

At David Protein, priority and proportion matter. This means their bars are designed to optimally meet macros using high-quality, digestible sources of protein with minimal calories and no added sugars. Based on the belief that increasing protein intake, reducing the overconsumption of calories, and minimizing added sugar consumption can address the majority of low-hanging fruit health matters, David Protein’s bars have 28 grams of protein, 150 calories, and 0g of sugar, with 75% of the total calories being derived from protein. How do they do it? They’re hyper-efficient and specific as to what ingredients go into their bar and at which dosage they’re allowed.

Perfect Protein

Because David’s bars use a blend of milk protein, collagen, whey protein concentrate, and egg whites, they provide a complete amino acid profile, scoring a perfect 1.0 on the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS). And they don’t rely on fillers to hold all that protein together. Instead, they use more protein to fill in the nooks and crannies: a protein-powder binding that also contains ingredients that offer prebiotic gut health benefits. 

Delicious Taste and Texture—Without the BS

To combat that chalky, grainy mouth feel most of us associate with protein powder, David Protein uses a modified plant fat called EPG along with small amounts of traditional, good-for-you fats like coconut oil, cocoa butter, and palm kernel oil (in certain flavors) to give the bar that want-to-eat texture. 

Finally, when it comes to sweeteners, they use maltitol and allulose for sweetness—so they’re truly sugar-free. So you can enjoy flavors like Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk, Blueberry Pie, and Cake Batter with limited caloric impact and no blood sugar spike. 

To get your hands on David Protein, AGEIST’s favorite protein bar, use our link—and when you buy 4 boxes, you get the 5th box free.

See medical disclaimer below. ↓

4 COMMENTS

    • Hi Eric! Thanks for giving a shoutout to fiber. You’re absolutely right that fiber is an important part of a healthy diet. In this article/review, its focus was on ingredient quality as it relates to macros (specifically protein). Fiber is definitely something we’ll aim to highlight in future write-ups, though. Thanks for reading!

  1. I ordered these per your recommendation and they are gross. Granted I chose the salty peanut b/c I struggle with the sweet protein bars. But really gross.

    • Hi Chris! We’re really sorry to hear that the bar didn’t work for you. Taste is definitely personal, especially with protein bars/snacks. We appreciate you giving them a try and sharing your honest feedback.

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The ideas expressed here are solely the opinions of the author and are not researched or verified by AGEIST LLC, or anyone associated with AGEIST LLC. This material should not be construed as medical advice or recommendation, it is for informational use only. We encourage all readers to discuss with your qualified practitioners the relevance of the application of any of these ideas to your life. The recommendations contained herein are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. You should always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before starting any new treatment or stopping any treatment that has been prescribed for you by your physician or other qualified health provider. Please call your doctor or 911 immediately if you think you may have a medical or psychiatric emergency.

Margaret May
Margaret is a writer, freelance copyeditor, avid home cook, former teacher, and creative close-looker. Since 2019, she has been freelancing, contributing editorially to several print and digital publications. At AGEIST, she is a contributing writer and a senior editor. Originally from Fairfield County, CT, she now resides on Cape Cod, MA. Connect with Margaret at margaret@weareageist.com, www.yomarge.com, and margaretmay.substack.com.

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