Energy Bars Taste Test -- A Food Review
There is always a market for people interested in getting into shape. There are tons of diets, machines, and foods out there to tempt the population into getting fit. So like many people I've decided to try out this "world of fitness" and get myself into top physical form...yeah right. The one product out there that has sparked my interest is the diet/energy bar. Here's an oxymoron if you will...chocolate bars that are good for you. I'm not denying that they can be filled with good stuff for you. I think my question really was, how do they taste? So as a little boldopinion.com experiment (this way I can write it off) I've decide to grab a few of these so-called delicious and nutritious snacks and give them a try. I took four bars at random, well I tried to get similar flavours. Two of the bars were meal replacements and two toted the name energy bars. Meal replacement bars are, as the say on the package, something you eat instead of a meal for weight loss. While energy bars are something to eat to get you going at the gym or after. All four are similar in the amount of calories they provide so they could probably all be used to replace a meal and trim down. Okay so without further adieu let's meet our contestants for the "look at me I'm in great shape" taste test.

1. Promax Chocolate Caramel Crunch Energy Bar
2. Power Bar's Protein Plus Peanut Butter Chocolate Energy Bar
3. Nitro-Tech Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip dietary supplement
4. Lean Body Low Carb Hi-Protein Meal Replacement Bar

Okay there they are, I know it's only four but give me a break these things are totally expensive. They range from $2.90 to $4.99 CDN. Okay enough said, let's get down to the goods.

The Promax Energy Bar
Promoted as a great tasting energy bar with 20 grams of protein it comes in with the lowest amount of protein out of the four bars. It is however also the least expensive at $2.90. The Chocolate Caramel Crunch bar has a mere 5 grams of fat for its 283 calorie 75g size. As far as taste? I would have to say this is easily the best tasting bar out of the bunch and it actually tastes like a chocolate bar. It's soft and its chewy center is almost too sweet for its own good. I mean I was actually shocked at how much this tasted like a snack. However the 40 grams of carbohydrates explains the great taste. This is bordering on a chocolate bar. If you're looking for a good tasting bar with low fat then by all means this is the bar for you, but if trimming down and looking great for the summer is your priority it may be better to look for a bar with a few less grams of carbohydrates.

Lean Body Low Carb Hi-Protein Meal Replacement Bar
Well speaking of less carbohydrates, here's your bar. With only 2 grams of carbohydrates you can almost hear the fat melting away. There's plenty of protein in this 72g bar of fitness, with 30 grams...that's about equal to 2 1/2 pieces of chicken breast. The Chocolate Peanut Butter tips the cost scale at a whopping $4.99 CDN. That's a pretty penny, but I guess if you want the results you may have to grin and bare it. The bar brought to you by Labrada nutrition contains 8 grams of fat and 290 calories. Okay enough stats let's get to the taste. First bite....um, I think I taste peanut butter...it's pretty sweet but not really a good sweet, kind of a fake, boy I love aspartame sweet. Second bite...not much better...oh man is that chemicals I taste? I had to force myself to finish this one...thank God it's small. It's got this weird I just washed my mouth with aspirin aftertaste...that isn't good. Two strikes for the Lean Body: Pricey and Terrible tasting...next please.

Nitro-Tech Dietary Supplement Bar
It has a dark chocolate coating that smells like...well, not chocolate. Let's taste this one first. It tastes like peanut butter...oooo and there's little chocolate like crunchies in it...I like crunchies. It's definitely more solid than the other bars, almost an effort to chew it. I guess if you're going to replace a meal you better feel like you've eaten something substantial. This one isn't as sweet as the other bars, but sweet enough to trick you into thinking you not eating a steak in a wrapper. Not bad...Not great but not something that would turn your stomach. This is a bar that I could eat more than once. Let's take a look at what they've packed into this single serving meal on the go. Okay we've got 290 calories...pretty standard it seems. 8 grams of fat, not enough to worry about. 6 grams of carbohydrates...hey I like the sound of that. 35 grams of protein...very impressive, that makes it number one in the protein category. The one definite downside is the price $4.75. While it isn't the highest price it's number two, and if you gotta eat these things everyday that can weigh on you wallet.

Power Bar's Protein Plus Energy Bar
At $3.75 this bar comes in around the mid-price mark. At 297 calories this one tips the scales for the daily diet..not like a Big Mac or anything but...mmmmm Big Mac...ahem. This Peanut butter chocolate bar weighs 78 grams and has 24 grams of protein, not bad, but less than the last two. Biting into this bar I'm reminded of something what is it? Could it be concrete? They packed this one in there. But with only 5 grams of fat you don't have to feel guilty. Then again why would you? This is probably the farthest thing from a chocolatey taste as you can get. The peanut taste is pretty strong but not the butter. Whoa, 39 grams of carbohydrates...can we say sugar? The problem is that this bar, while containing all of those carbs, doesn't show us the taste. Boring...that's it. This is what I would expect form a protein bar. You could eat it but you could eat cardboard too...I'm not sure which is better for you. It's not like it tastes bad, it just doesn't really taste at all.

Well, from the looks of it Energy bars have all the carbs, which makes sense, you need energy you need carbs. They also come in at the bottom of the price scale, which is nice, but I can buy a Mars bar for a buck and it definitely tastes better. My choice for taste is the Promax Energy bar but as far as trying to lose weight I personally would steer clear. The meal replacement bars while pricey cover the bases as far as nutritional needs are concerned. If I had to choose…which I do, I would hands down pick the Nitro-Tech. It has more carbs but not enough to worry about and it has enough taste to get by, while not overpowering you into getting that sour taste look on your face. Well...The winner of my "hey I'm gonna finally try to get into shape" taste off would have to be the Nitro-Tech bar. It covers all the bases, it's good enough to eat, has the right amount of goods, and it's not the most expensive one of the bunch. Well if you'll excuse me I don't think you're supposed to eat four of these bars in like 20 minutes.

Do you Agree with what he's saying? Or Tell Us Your own reviews HERE
or mail to:opinions@boldopinion.com