I recently received a variety of Power Crunch bars to review and was so excited by the flavor offerings…especially when I saw a chocolate bar! The Choklat bars, as Power Crunch calls them, are the only protein-packed milk and dark chocolate bars on the market. A devoted dark chocolate fa
n, I loved the dark bar best and enjoyed that I could get 5 grams of protein in my daily dose of heart-health chocolate. If you avoid gluten, you’ll be happy to hear this bar is gluten-free! Besides their truly yummy taste is the hydrolyzed whey protein contained in every bar.
What is hydrolyzed whey protein you ask? I wondered the same thing so I headed over to Power Crunch’s website for an in-depth look at the science of their bars. Their protein differs from whole proteins on the market because it’s rapidly absorbed and to fuel your body without upsetting your stomach.
This fast delivery means your digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard to process it, and the low glycemic response prevents it from spiking your blood sugar. To learn more of the science-y side of the products, visit the Power Crunch website.
In addition to the Chokolat bars, I also tasted the Original bars, which taste similar to a crème-filled wafer cookie, but are packed with 14 grams of protein and just five grams of sugar. The ingredients are naturally derived and you can actually understand everything on the label! They’ve been offering six flavors: Triple Chocolate, French Vanilla Créme, Peanut Butter Créme, Peanut Butter Fudge, Cookies & Créme, Wildberry Créme, but my favorite is the newbie, Chocolate Mint. It tastes like a healthier, fluffier Oreo! They come in at 205 calories each, so you may want to break it in half if just using for a snack. I like to have it in the afternoon slump at the office, or after a weight-lifting workout.
While the Original bars are not gluten-free, those with Celiac and gluten-
sensitivity will like the Crisp bars with 14 grams of protein and less than 10 grams of fat. These bars have just 185 calories (pretty low for a high protein bar…impressive) and 6 grams of sugar. The saturated fat comes in at 25% of your daily value, so consider this when making choices the rest of the day about what to eat.
I like the flavors of the Chokolat and Original bars best, but the Crisp are a pretty tasty gluten-free option! Two flavors are available now: Chocolate Brownie Wonder and Sweet Vanilla Dream, but two additional flavors (Chocolate Peanut Obsession and Peanut Butter Bliss) are coming soon.
Power Crunch also makes some great protein powders called Proto Whey that shake up smooth so you don’t need a blender after your workout. Great for mixing with your veggie smoothies too! I haven’t personally tried these, but I’m definitely going to look for the Mocha one!
You can buy the bars online, or shop locally at Trader Joe’s, WalMart, and Vitamin Shoppe.
