I have been sent a box of Clif Builders Protein bar for review. I’ve been munching away the past few weeks.
I eat a lot of protein bars. Not just for recovery, but on longer rides of three hours plus. Perhaps because I get fed up with just eating all the simple sugars and carbohydrates, it feels good to be eating a more well balanced bit of food. Protein bars have the advantage of being lower GI than most energy bars so you get a slower release of energy without the surges and spikes of sugar.
I had two flavours – Mint Chocolate and Chocolate. It tastes quite pleasant, nothing amazing, but quite palatable for an energy bar. I preferred the non-mint version – though the mint version is still quite mild.
Like many protein bars, it requires quite a bit of chewing and eating. It’s not something to eat in a race because it doesn’t slip down easily. It feels quite compact and it’s a big job to get it all down. Having said that, a protein bar is really for after a workout rather than during it. You will also need to take water with eating it. It means quite a lot is packed into the 68 gram bars. The main thing is 20 gram of soy protein which is quite a lot of protein for a protein bar.
It is based on soy protein. As I take quite a lot of whey protein products, it’s good to have a variety of protein. Even if just because ‘Whey can make you a bit windy.’ and it’s good to have something different for a change.
If you’re looking to avoid wheat and diary these make a good choice. Even if you don’t have any wheat / dairy intolerances, there’s a benefit from diversifying diet away from just the wheat / diary staples.
The second biggest ingredient is beet juice concentrate which is all the rage as a natural supplement for making you go faster. Then there is brown rice syrup and cane syrup for the simple sugars. It doesn’t taste particularly sweet though.
The packaging states it doesn’t have trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils, though I’ve never paid too much attention to that aspect of nutrition.
Overall
Quite happy to keep using this recovery bar. I recognise most of ingredients and it’s pleasant enough to eat. The only main drawback is the price £22 for 12 bars make it nearly £2 per bar. However, they are pretty chunky and contain a lot of protein. One is pretty solid.
Main Ingredients
- Soy protein isolate
- Beet juice concentrate
Ingredients: Soy Protein Isolate, Beet Juice Concentrate, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Palm Kernel Oil, Organic Rolled Oats, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa, Organic Soy Protein Concentrate, Vegetable Glycerin, Natural Flavors, Organic Dry Roasted Almonds, Rice Starch, Cocoa Butter, Inulin (Chicory Extract), Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Oat Fiber, Organic Sunflower Oil, Soy Lecithin, Salt
Per 68g
- Energy 273 Kcal
- Fat – 9 grams
- Carbohydrate – 27 grams
- of which sugars – 21 g
- Fibre 2g
- Protein – 20g
- Salt – 0.5g
Buying online
- Clif builders bar at Wiggle 12 bars at £21.98
Related pages
Worth noting that soy protein isn’t recommended for females.