This is a TREK Energy Bar review, a unique and natural protein bar made by Natural Balance Foods – a British company that specialises in natural and healthy snacks.
If you’re a fitness and exercise enthusiasts, who is looking for a healthy and nutritious snack you have to try these bars. They are especially ideal for people who prefer outdoors activities such as cycling, jogging or hiking, but are also suitable for serious gym dwelling weightlifters and bodybuilders.
Texture
The TREK Energy Bars are made of cold pressed nuts, oats and fruit. This “no baking” approach results in a distinctive crumbly texture, topped off with a slight crunch from the added soya bits – very similar in texture to rice crispy cereal. It is these crispy soya bits that give the TREK Energy Bar most of its protein content.
Taste
Natural Balance Foods currently offer their TREK Energy Bar in 4 different flavors – Berry Burst, Peanut Power, Cocoa Chaos and Banana Blast. You should try all of them in order to find, which one you like the best, but my personal preference is the Cocoa Chaos. It has a tasty chocolaty taste, but it contains no chocolate – the taste comes from the natural cocoa powder in it.
Most protein bars on the market today contain artificial sweeteners in order to achieve the taste, while keeping the calories as low as possible. Although taste is always subjective and depends on person to person, it’s a solid fact that TREK Energy Bars contain no artificial sweeteners. These protein bars are not excessively sweet and don’t leave a synthetic taste in your mouth afterwards as many other protein bars do.
Nutrition
Outside of texture and taste, nutrition is the most important factor, when choosing a protein bar. The company prides themselves with creating products that are natural and healthy. When it comes to TREK Energy Bars, their memo is “The best things are grown, not made”.
Every TREK Energy Bar is packed with 10g of plant-based protein and is a great source of slow-release energy. The nutrition varies slightly, depending on the flavour of the bar, but all TREK Energy Bars are:
- Wheat and gluten free
- Dairy free
- GMO free
- Vegan friendly
- Kosher approved
- No added sugar
- One of your 5 a day
Let’s look at the nutrition inside the Cocoa Chaos TREK Energy Bar:
Ingredients:
Dates (33%), SOYA Protein Crunchies (SOYA Protein, Tapioca Starch, Salt) (15%), Fruit Juice Concentrates (Apple, Grape, Pear) (13%), Raisins (12%), Gluten Free Oats (8%), CASHEWS (8%), Cocoa Powder (4%), SOYA Flour, Natural Flavourings & Rice Starch.
Dietary Information:
Vegan-friendly, contains natural ingredients, gluten-free, high in fibre and with slow-release energy and plant-based protein.
Nutrition:
Typical Values | Per 55g Bar |
Energy | 780 kJ |
Energy | 186 kCal |
Fat | 3.5 g |
(of which saturates) | 0.7g |
Carbohydrate | 27.3g |
(of which sugars) | 22.8g |
Fibre | 3.6g |
Protein | 10.0g |
Salt | 0.3g |
Manganese* (mg) / % NRV | 0.7mg |
TREK Energy Bar Review
Below you will find a summary of the pros and cons of TREK Energy Bars:
Pros:
- Higher protein ratio than the TREK Flapjack alternative and less calories.
- Natural ingredients, nothing artificial and vegan friendly. Also counts as your 1/5 a day.
- Great macronutrient profile, ideal for anaerobic and endurance activities.
- Good for weightlifters and bodybuilders as a post-training snack, due to their PRO:CHO ratio.
- Plant-based source of protein, good for the environment.
- High concentration of fruit and nuts naturally giving these bars a better taste and a higher content of vitamins and minerals.
Cons:
- Soy protein is not as good of a protein source as Whey.
- May not be suitable for people with certain nut allergies.
Overall, these bars are a great snack to have before or during exercise, as well as a quick snack in-between meals/as a replacement. TREK Energy Bars are free from many of the “nasty” ingredients that are typically found in other artificial protein bars and to top it off, they are tasty. You can grab yourself a variety pack for just £3.99 in the link above.
This article first appeared on GYMNASIUMPOST.com on 6th April, 2020.
Discussion about this post