8 Nutritionally Excellent Snack Bars for Busy Days

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Despite our best intentions to sit down to a wholesome, mindfully-prepared meal when it’s time to eat, real life doesn’t always work out that way. Whether we have a day packed with meetings, a busy travel schedule, or it’s just one of those times when we don’t feel like cooking, sometimes we just need a quick hit of nutrients to keep us moving. (Bonus points if it can taste good, too.)

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This is where a great snack bar can really come in handy. While bars can’t replace a properly balanced diet — and it’s always important to read the ingredients to make sure you’re reaching for a nutritious option rather than a deceptively “healthy” bar loaded with sugar — the right bar can actually be an excellent grab-and-go bite.

Here are eight of our favorites:

1. SMPL Bars

Image Source: SMPL

We’re loving SMPL because their snack bars offer more than just different flavors — each one is customized to meet different wellness needs through creative blends of superfoods and vitamins. SMPL offers bars for energy, focus, immunity, and calm — a choose-your-own-adventure snack made healthy. 

And with five grams of sugar (or less) and all-natural, plant-based ingredients, SMPL snack bars are a vegan-friendly option with just 100 nutrient-packed calories. They’re a great size to keep you full for a few hours in the morning or pull you through that mid-afternoon slump. 

2. ALOHA Bars

Image Source: ALOHA

ALOHA is shaking up the snack bar game with their ultra-high standards for delicious, organic, plant-based protein. Each bar is free from gluten, dairy, soy, and Stevia, and they never contain artificial ingredients. 

With cravable flavors like coconut chocolate almond and peanut butter chocolate chip, it’s hard to get bored with ALOHA bars — good thing for us since we’re definitely here for the 14g of protein per bar that helps keep our stomachs (and our muscles) satisfied. 

3. Kiss My Keto Bars

Image Source: Kiss My Keto

We like the cheeky Kiss My Keto name, but these bars are more than just a clever moniker. Thanks to 1g of sugar, two net carbs, and 9g of protein per bar, Kiss My Keto is a great snack for keeping full while staying lean. 

These bars also contain fiber and healthy fats like coconut oil, almonds, and MCT oil — but never anything artificial — making Kiss My Keto one of the most well-rounded snack options on the market. We love the chewy texture, too!

4. Sakara Super Bars

Image Source: Sakara Life

Sakara bars are more than just snacks — they’re plant-powered staples that nourish you from the inside out. These gluten-free, dairy-free bars are protein powerhouses for supporting beauty, energy, detoxification, and metabolism. 

We already love the unique flavors like lemon poppy and vanilla tahini, so the fact that Sakara snack bars contain only natural, functional ingredients — think blue spirulina, pea protein, and sea buckthorn — feels like a healthy bonus!

5. TruBrain Bars

Image Source: TruBrain

While most snack bars tout their ability to satisfy your body’s needs, TruBrain is here to support the health of your mind. Designed by UCLA-trained neuroscientists, these are the high IQ snack bars we’ve been missing. 

TruBrain bars are all-natural and plant-based, lending support to help us overcome stress, mental blocks (procrastination, anyone?), and even boost cognitive function. Sound like a bold claim? The secret is in TruBrain’s flagship nootropics — functional amino acids, minerals, and other nutrients that are consumed by the brain. (Oh, and there’s a nice kick of caffeine in each bar — we’re not complaining.)

6. Bulletproof Collagen Bars

Image Source: Bulletproof

Bulletproof chocolate-dipped collagen bars are a delicious, keto-friendly snack that tastes so good it can even double as dessert. The benefits of collagen for our skin and joints is no secret, so the fact that each Bulletproof bar contains 7g of this important structural protein is a big win in our book.   

We also love that Bulletproof uses cashew butter to achieve a fantastic texture without added sugar or excess carbs! This tasty bar is a nice treat or a quick pick-me-up thanks to the MCT oil that helps keep us full.

7. Misfits Bars

Image Source: Misfits Health

At first glance Misfits vegan protein bars almost look like a candy bar. These triple-layered, chocolate-coated bars are so indulgent it almost feels like they can’t possibly be healthy — good thing their 15g of protein, 8g of fiber, and just 1g of sugar proves otherwise!

These plant-based bars come in fun flavors like peanut butter and jelly, chocolate banoffee, and white chocolate cookie butter, so it’s easy to keep a variety and always have a wholesome snack on hand. 

8. Verb Energy Bars

Image Source: Verb Energy

If you’re anything like us, you’ll love Verb snack bars for their 65mg of caffeine — about as much as an espresso and even easier to take on the go than an afternoon coffee. And with just 90 calories of non-dairy ingredients, Verb bars are a healthy snack whether you’re looking for an energy boost or a quick bite to get you through until lunchtime. 

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