What are the Top Lactose Free Meal Replacement Bars?
It is hard to find a protein bar that is not heavily soaked in some soy or other dairy products lying on the shelves of your favorite grocery store. After all, the notion is that this is an omnivore world, right?
Who wouldn’t want to eat some meat or milk products? If you asked anyone, he will probably tell you that these are the best sources of proteins existing.
But that judgment tends to be biased, since there are tons of people out there who are allergic to certain dairy products or who just can’t bear the thought of using a spoon that has been dipped in meat soup.
To them, seeing that ‘made from grass fed whey’ in the ingredient list of every packet is just annoying. But the good news is, there are still protein bars that have been specially designed for them. And yes, the options are countless.
That doesn’t mean that any bar that is ‘dairy-free’ is good. Some might have some artificial ingredients that wouldn’t be good for the human body. So then how do you know which dairy free protein bar is excellent?
We have made your work easier. Take a look.
1. The GFB
The Gluten Free Bar, specially made by a company based in Michigan, is our top pick. The protein bar is free from dairy products and soy and is, therefore, a good option for vegan protein bar lovers.
You will gain a lot of nutritional benefits from the product. To begin with, it contains about 12 grams of proteins, necessary to replenish your muscles after a workout or to give you the energy to go through it.
The bar is made from whole food ingredients that are gluten free and non-GMO, contributing further to its advantages.
You can be sure that your sweet tooth will be satisfied, thanks to the toppings that are included in the bars (they include coconut flakes and chopped nuts). Plus, these toppings give the bars a crunchy texture that is nice in your mouth.
The protein bars are available in several flavors, including chocolate peanut butter, peanut butter, dark chocolate coconut, coconut cashew crunch, and cranberry toasted almond, dark chocolate almond, oatmeal raisin, and a combo of coconut and cashew.
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Cons
2. Nugo
This brand is available in 6 varieties and flavors, namely mocha chocolate, peanut butter cup, chocolate pretzel with sea salt, chocolate coconut, mint chocolate chip, and chocolate chocolate chip.
Each of these varieties has a touch of some dark chocolate that has been obtained from natural cocoa butter, unlike that which you will find in some brands that is usually derived from palm oil. This gives them their sweet taste.
It is also worthy to note that the Nugo fetches its ingredients from natural whole foods, with no traces of artificial additives or sweeteners. The ingredients are gluten free and non-GMO.
Also, no sugar alcohols have been added to the protein bars, hence there are no dangers of having stomach upsets or bloating.
It boasts of 12 grams of plant-based proteins with no traces of dairy products or any other animal by-products. Vegans couldn’t get any other better choice!
However, the bars contain a calorie count of about 200 calories which is pretty high for someone who is not working out yet wants to remain fit.
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3. Blake’s
Our third pick stands out for people who are exposed to some allergic reactions after consuming certain types of proteins.
The good news is that Blake’s seed based protein bar does not feature any amount of eggs, nuts, sesame, soy, dairy, or peanut as part of its ingredients. However, this does not mean that it sacrifices the taste, no.
The brand boasts a nice taste obtained from chocolate mint, which is all natural and sweet in your mouth.
Believe it or not, it is not easy to find such a product on the market.
Blake’s contains 15 grams of proteins. These proteins are all sourced from plants, including some seeds, chickpeas, quinoa, and chocolate. This means that all vegan can enjoy the bars at their convenience.
The ingredients are natural and gluten-free. There are no artificial additives used.
The bars also contain 9 grams of sugar, obtained from natural cane sugar. It also features a petty high amount of fibers (grams) which will help to keep you satiated for long periods.
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4. Vega Sport
If you are more focused on body-building and muscle weight development, this is the perfect buy for you. Just like the name of the protein bar suggests, it is well suited to help you with your exercises and body workouts.
Right off the bat, Vega Sport boasts a whopping 20 grams protein content (this is the highest amount so far among our top picks). The nice part of this is that the proteins are purely obtained from plants – it features no soy, whey, or any other animal dairy proteins.
Therefore, it is versatile as it can serve both vegans and a majority of the omnivores depending on whether they love the taste – it comes in two flavors, crunchy peanut butter, and crispy mint chocolate.
The ingredients are obtained from real whole food that is free of gluten and is not GMO.
Finally, athletes and gym lovers have so much to gain from this brand. It features some amount of isoleucine, valine, and leucine to help with post workout recovery. The tart cherry that has been used speeds up the process.
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5. Good! Snacks
Do you feel like taking a candy bar but just can’t because you are also struggling to keep fit and stay in shape? Well, you don’t have to worry anymore. Here is a protein bar that tastes just like candy but has a ton of nutritional benefits that you can gain from it!
Good! Snacks are packed with plant-based proteins (a combo of brown rice and fava) that are healthy and gluten free. The proteins account for 15 grams of the ingredients, in each of the bars.
The bars have a nice texture and feel, turning out to be soft and sweet when put in the mouth.
They will step in to satisfy your cravings whenever you are eager to have a sugary substance (sounds like a bad idea, though). Each bar contains around 10 grams of sugar, although some may have less.
Besides, the bars also contain 11 grams of some essential fiber which will keep you satiated for long periods and help in digestion.
Importantly, the bars do not have traces of soy, dairy products, or gluten and you also have to pick a flavor from the brand’s 6 types.
Pros
Cons
Hacks to purchase the best dairy free protein bar
As a general rule of thumb, not every protein bar that has a “dairy free’ label is good for your health. This goes back to several reasons most of which are obvious, and some of which you might not be able to realize by just looking at the packet.
For instance, a lot of these protein bars contain huge amounts of hidden sugars and calories which might not be good for consumption. As we know, sugars can affect your lifestyle and even bring about some diabetes and life-style based illnesses.
The fact that protein bars are processed foods should tell you that they can’t be as good as whole foods. Nonetheless, you can strive to find an option that will help satisfy your cravings without putting your health at risk.
So what are those factors that you should look out for? They are all discussed in this section. Make sure you read this before proceeding to that grocery store, as it will help you to save time and get a product worth the value of your money.
Amount of proteins
So many arguments have been advanced concerning the amount of proteins that you need to consume to stay in shape. Most of them are based on the fact that our bodies are different, and therefore the nutritional needs vary from one person to another.
Sounds just right, no disputes.
But have you asked yourself why they are called protein bars? Should it still qualify to be called so if it only offers 5 grams of proteins? Well, maybe that does not matter after all.
However, it would not be logical to invest 30 dollars on a product that provides a quarter of the nutritional benefits that you would likely benefit from if you were to boil one egg and eat. In fact, there would be no significant difference with just buying a candy bar.
Anyway, the point here is that you should go for a protein bar that contains 15 grams of proteins at the least. This is not a universal figure but it has been confirmed to be pretty much effective for a majority of the people.
Carb content
Don’t get tired of hearing this. Your nutritional or fitness journey will never be successful if you continue to snack on protein bars that are loaded with tons of carbohydrates. This is not to discourage you.
The truth of the matter is that your body is so quick to convert excess carbs into stored fats. These fats will only continue to accumulate with each carb-rich bar, and in effect, your weight will also continue to pile.
You want to ensure that the protein bar has a maximum of 15 grams of carbs with a corresponding high amount of proteins so as to strike a balance between the two. Here is how it works.
When your body has a deficit of carbohydrates, it converts the stored fats into energy and therefore you shed a lot of calories. The high proteins supplement this energy and help in developing your muscles so that you are only shedding fat, not your muscle weight.
Ultimately, your body reaches what is called ketosis and get near your target.
Fat content
A slightly similar logic applies when you come to the fat content of the protein bar that you want to buy. Ideally, there would be no point in avoiding high carbs then end up consuming twice as many fats.
You should ensure that the fats are kept at their minimum, especially if you are just snacking and not hitting the gym or into some athletic activities.
For those who exercise frequently, a question might arise as to when it is most effective to consume the fat-rich protein bars. Is it before or after the workout? The answer is simple.
It is best that you take the bars before you start your work out. If you do this, your body will be able to burn a lot of these fats as the activities intensify. Your hard work will therefore not be in vain.
If you take in the bars afterwards, it will be like recycling the garbage. You take it out then bring it right back.
That does not mean you should entirely avoid taking bars rich in fats after working out. However, you might want to maximize on those that contain healthy plant-based fats like sunflower oil, coconut oil, or nuts.
Sugar content
You are likely to come across dairy free protein bars that contain large amounts of sugars. Your sweet tooth will be tempting you to pick them up and drop them in your shopping bag. But hey, are you sure?
Protein bars seize being healthy the moment you see something like 8 grams of sugars or more. There wouldn’t be any big difference between such protein bars with chocolate or candy bars.
Instead, you can as well go for one of those.
High sugars cause an imbalance of your insulin level which in turn converts them into glycogen and stores them in your cells as fat. That is the last thing you want if you are on a fitness routine.
Also, you should watch out for the types of ingredients that have been used to give the candy bars that sweet taste that intrigues your taste buds so much. In an attempt to mask the number of calories present in a bar, manufacturers opt for sugar alcohols.
The danger this poses is that you might sustain some serious gastrointestinal issues after you have snacked on the bars. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Dump dairy free protein bars that have artificial sugar additives as well.
Calorie count
On this topic, it comes down to what your body goals are. There is no one-size-fit-all type of recommendation.
Yet still, here is an indisputable fact. It is recommended that you limit yourself to about 1,400 calories a day. Otherwise, you face the risk of becoming overweight or developing some related conditions.
Just do the maths. If you are replacing your breakfast with a bar that has 300 calories as your breakfast and you have not yet taken lunch that is supposed to have some significant amount of carbs, how many calories will you have consumed by the end of the day?
The point is, go for protein bars with low-calorie count.
Conclusion
It can be a nerve-wracking task having to pick every packet of protein bar on the shelves just to brush through the ingredients and find out what is included. The thing is, you might get demoralized the moment you find out the first 5 contain some dairy products.
In effect, you might be tempted to turn your back and walk out of the grocery store. But how about you do some research before actually walking into that grocery store? Well, that may sound like another mountain of work to do.
Luckily, we know your problem and we did all the ‘groundwork’ for you. Having perused hundreds of the brands and their reviews online, we can recommend the GFB (Gluten Free Bar) protein bar to you.
The bars have no traces of dairy or other animal products and by-products, and is thus, the best for a vegan. Also, it has about 12 grams of proteins which will be handy during your workout, or in between meals snack.
They are topped with some coconut flakes and chopped nuts which give them a nice crunchy taste and a great texture. The whole food and gluten-free ingredients used complete this brand.
Get a packet of GFB and experience the taste.
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