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 By: Matt Canning
Protein bars are a welcome addition in the diets of most bodybuilders and health enthusiasts because they provide a great snack in what may full well be an otherwise bland or boring diet. I have been sampling numerous protein bars lately and I am getting a good idea of which ones may be the best on the market, in terms of nutritional content, taste, and price, which are three important considerations for any supplement consumer.
Although the name is Myoplex "Lite", I cannot say that some of these nutritional aspects are particularly light. I will say that the overall number of calories per bar is pretty light in comparison to other protein bars on the market, but the other qualities are not particularly light.
Here is this information in the table below, the same information I included in the Review of AllMax Nutrition WaferPro Bars, this time with a BIG TURK bar candy bar being compared to the EAS Myoplex Lite bars:
Analyzing the charts, you can see that the EAS Myoplex Lite bars are low in fat, low in saturated fat, and low in calories in comparison to the AllMax Nutrition WaferPro bars. However, they are not particularly low in carbohydrates which is generally an important consideration of those who diet.
The EAS Myoplex Lite bars are also not particularly low in sugar in comparison to the AllMax Nutrition WaferPro bars, and they are particularly high in sodium, containing almost double the sodium content as the WaferPro bars and 13 times the sodium as the BIG TURK candy bars! Salt Articles: Since dieting bodybuilders always seek to avoid or lower carbohydrates and sodium, I'm not exactly sure what market EAS is aiming this particular product at. Health conscious people are also often told to avoid carbohydrate based products, and I would imagine that is the general consensus amongst health conscious individuals, even though I would say that is not scientifically accurate. My point is that it is still the reality of most people who seek to be healthy - they also seek to avoid carbs and sugars, and the EAS Myoplex Lite bars do not have particularly low quantities of either. In my opinion, main consideration is the overall caloric quantity of the bars, and at 190 calories per bar, I would say the Myoplex Lite bars do qualify as being "Lite" as they present themselves to be.
I could still get a sense for it's calorie density in a way that is very normal amongst health bars, and that is how I could identify it as being a health bar, but even then, given it's lower caloric density than other health bars, it was hard to identify as being one. Definitely a good tasting bar. Although not my favorite overall, I can say that it is in the top tier.
You can get a box of 12 bars for $23.89 which works out to a lowly $2 per bar which is a fairly low price in comparison to other health bars on the market, but could still stand to be a notch lower given the overall low calories each bar consists of.
AllMax is almost completely honest in its claim (which is rare in the supplement industry). However, don't label them as Boy Scouts just yet. AllMax may claim that the IsoFlex Protein bars contain only 1 gram of "sugar" but this isn't entirely true. In fact, IsoFlex Protein bars contain 32 grams of carbohydrates, but more important than the total is where that total came from.
I wouldn't recommend these protein bars any other time than post-workout. For those of you who are a little more observant, you're probably thinking that I'm completely wrong. You're sitting there saying, "Hey wait a second! The carbohydrate content is mostly from sugar alcohol not refined table sugar... you're wrong!" Now, just hold on a second. Yes, the actual "sugar" content is only 1 gram. However, there is 14 grams of maltitol, 8 grams of lactitol and 1.5 grams of glycerine. Although these sugar alcohols are lower in caloric content than regular sugar, in excessive amounts, they can be just as harmful as a substantially high intake of regular sugar. Furthermore, if your goal is lower carbohydrate intake, be especially conscious of what carbohydrates are present.
I find it particularly difficult to find low carbohydrate protein bars. If you're able, I'd recommend a healthy meal. Nutrient timing is particularly important. Carbohydrates are not the enemy when on a diet to lose weight. However, carbohydrates should be limited when weight loss is the goal. Furthermore, most of your carbohydrate intake should be from complex carbohydrates. Save simple carbohydrates for post-workout (immediately after a workout) to replenish the glycogen lost during a workout and effectively shuttle vital nutrients into the muscle cells, via the insulin boost which is a response to these simple carbohydrates (fast-digesting sugars).
Let's begin with the Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge flavor. I found that it had a tasty marshmallow chocolate blend, which was not overly chewy. Being chewy isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, sometimes Encounter protein bars which are so dry and/or chewy that it's a task in itself just to eat the thing! When this occurs, it's difficult to enjoy protein bar. Therefore, I was very pleased with the Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge flavor. In regards to taste, I award the Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge flavor a 7.5/10. Next, I sampled the Chocolate Caramel Crunch flavor. I found that it had a light chocolate and distinct caramel taste. However, to my displeasure, it was a bit dry and required a great deal of chewing. In regards to taste, I award the Chocolate Caramel Crunch a 6/10.
For example, I can't eat cottage cheese. The taste coupled with the awful texture makes it way to difficult to do on a regular basis. For those of you that are able to do this, I commend you. Anyways, enough small talk, let's get to it.
  Click Image To Enlarge.The Taste Of Cottage Cheese Coupled With The Texture Makes It Way To Difficult To Eat.
The Chocolate Caramel Crunch flavor had both a soft and crunchy texture. This is most likely due to the soft caramel coupled with the crunchy nuts. However, something about this differed from the previous flavor. I found that this one required a great deal more chewing. Therefore, I award the Chocolate Caramel Crunch flavor a 6/10 for texture.
I agree that IsoFlex protein bars are a convenient way to get your protein intake on the go. Also, the protein bars are fairly good tasting. However, I do not agree that they are a low sugar option. On top of that, Allmax claims that each bar contains 30 grams of high-quality protein, Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids as well as essential vitamins and minerals. Even though these bars taste delicious you'd be surprised to hear they only contain 1 gram of sugar per bar.
Furthermore, AllMax claims that if you've carried other protein bars around with you in your gym bag or knapsack you may have been annoyed when you opened your bar to discover it had melted into a sticky mess. Well, that won't happen with ISOFLEX bars as they have been created with an advanced cold-flow chilling process. This process prevents protein degradation and post-production melting. I'm not sure about the validity of this claim. However, in AllMax Nutrition's defense, the bars I sampled were not melted. It is of particular importance to have a diet made up of whole foods for the most part. However, there is nothing wrong with supplementing your diet (for convenience, health, taste, etc.) to help you with your strength and physique goals. I wouldn't say this protein bar is the healthiest choice. However, you could consider it your cheat day desert. Cheat Meal Tips Articles:
It's pretty common for protein bars to have a noticeable aftertaste. This is mostly due to all the artificial sweeteners used to replace sugar, so that the bar is lower in calories and still envelops that sweet taste we desire. However, a delicate balance is needed to achieve a protein bar which both tastes good and has very little of an aftertaste.
On the other hand, having to excessively chew can become annoying. Also, because I like to be thorough in my review, we have to take even this seemingly minute detail into consideration. Therefore, in regards to texture, I award MuscleTech's Nitro-Tech Hardcore S'mores Sensation protein bar a 6/10.
Anyways, enough news, onward. MuscleTech claims that:
I can't argue there. These facts are all evident. Nitro-Tech was specially formulated to deliver the highest quality proteins, including ion-exchanged whey protein and whey peptides, as well as glutamine and a balanced carbohydrate blend. When we get down to it, this product is made up of 2 protein sources: whey protein concentrate and caseinate.
As you can see, it has a good amount of protein and very few net impact carbs. Seeing as these are calories and calories are essentially energy, I have no doubt that this product increases energy.
 Click Image To Enlarge.I Have No Doubt That This Product Increases Energy.
Like I said before, these bars taste pretty good. However, I wouldn't say they taste delicious, and the aftertaste further reduces their value. Since these have a solid amount of protein, it will help to create "a harder, stronger, and leaner body and keep your body in an anabolic, muscle-building state!" Apparently, these bars have been voted the number one tasting protein bar on the market. However, I cannot agree with this statement. There is definitely better tasting protein bars on the market. So get out there and find out for yourself and enjoy the experience.
In regards to texture, MuscleTech's Nitro-Tech Hardcore S'mores Sensation protein bar had a soft texture, which was enjoyable. However, the excessive chewing also brought this aspect down a notch as well. As far as effectiveness goes, MuscleTech's Nitro-Tech Hardcore S'mores Sensation protein bar did live up to its claim for the most part.
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