That being said, some popular protein and granola bars aren’t much better than eating a Snickers, nutritionally speaking. They’re often filled with sugar and artificial ingredients; others are so filling they can outweigh your entire lunch. (Unless you’re hiking up a mountain, you can probably skip the meal replacement bars.) But in a crowded marketplace with endless imposters posing as nutritious, picking a real-deal healthy snack bar—particularly one that doesn’t taste like cardboard—is daunting at best. Where to start? “Look for a snack bar that has a nice balance of fiber, fat, and protein to increase the chances it will keep you satiated,” says Molly Kimball, RD. “It should have an appropriate amount of calories for your needs. For most, this ranges from 150 to 300 with at least 10 grams of protein.” We’re big fans of KIND, RX Bar, and Kashi in this department—they taste great, too. Red flags? Kimball advises avoiding snack bars that contain the following three ingredients.
