KIND Protein Bars - Gluten and Wheat Free

KIND Plus Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein Bar
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

There are often several shelves of energy bars and protein bars in the average grocery store and it doesn't matter whether you're looking at a store shelf in an organic paradise or just a regular grocery store - most of those bars are going to be filled to the brim with all sorts of evil contents like wheat, oats and gluten. In fact, one of the interesting things about such bars is that they're often called "protein" bars, but the first several ingredients aren't anything that resemble protein.

But this doesn't mean that all the protein and energy bars out there are full of wheat and several proclaim to be free of gluten. Now, the problem with most protein bars is that they're usually a bit on the dry side. The more ingredients that are banned from the bars for allergy reasons, the more protein bars tend to taste like sawdust. And then the problem with the bars that don't taste like sawdust is the fact that they're basically just a candy bar and if your allergies permit it, it's often a better idea to just go pick up a Snickers bar.

KIND Plus Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein Bar
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

A recent addition to the wide array of protein and energy bars on the market are a series called KIND Plus bars which are produced by a company hailing from New York. The company makes a number of different styles of bars with varying ingredients such as fruit, nuts and various types of sweets. And that's definitely one of the selling points of these bars. They taste like candy bars. 

And they're not always low on fat so if you find a particular bar that strikes your fancy, make sure you don't toss back three or four at a sitting.

If your tastes run to chocolate, it's definitely recommended that you try the KIND Plus Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate + Protein bar as there are a lot of great nuts in it and it's got a heavy dose of chocolate as well. But be warned, the small 120 calorie item does have 13 grams of fat. For the average active adult, this is a full 20% of your daily fat allowance.

KIND Plus Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein Bar
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

The one redeeming thing about the fat content is that it's likely a significant portion of it comes from the nuts that are included in the bar. The ingredient list on the Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate variety reads like a can of mixed nuts:

• Peanuts
• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Macadamias
• Cashews
• Brazil Nuts

Another great aspect of these bars is the fact that the manufacturer prints that they are non-GMO, which is not something that every protein and energy bar company strives to provide with their products. As an added bonus, certain varieties of KIND bars are also low in sugar and some do have a nice amount of fiber in them as well.

KIND Plus Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein Bar
Photograph Copyright 2012 Kelsey Wyatt

KIND Protein Bars Report Card

The Good Things:

KIND makes a large variety of different bars and there is likely to be one that suits anyone's tastes. It is this author's suggestion that everyone should try the Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate variety. 

The company also promises non-GMO ingredients and one of the bonuses is that they offer varieties that are not only gluten free, but are also wheat free as well. This is something that some companies overlook when producing gluten free products.

What Could Be Improved:

It's not really an improvement that the company could make since nuts (which are a consistent and significant ingredient in most bars) do have a lot of fat in them, but if you find a bar from KIND that you like, it's vital that they're not treated like snack size candy bars! Go easy on these delicious bars!

Tips for a Better Protein Bar Experience:

Consider eating one of these bars before going out on a run or before a workout. The high protein content granted from the nuts is a great way to get some instant energy for a hard workout.

To learn more about KIND PLUS bars and all of the varieties of protein bars that the company offers, click here.