I work out almost every morning of the work week, which means that once I get out of the gym and finish my hour-long commute [1], I'm ravenous. My typical post-workout snack-slash-breakfast is a banana with peanut butter, plus some kind of protein product. The protein is really important, because failing to consume some protein a few hours post-workout can hinder your muscle growth [2]. Since I can't exactly whip up scrambled eggs at work (alas), protein bars have been my savior. I've tried many in the past few months and I think I've finally found my definitive (for now) favorite.
The Almond Bliss One Bar [3] ($25 for a 12-pack) is my number one because it satisfies my insatiable sweet tooth by tasting pretty much exactly like a coconut-almond candy bar, but only has one gram of sugar (it's sweetened with the sugar alcohol maltitol). All of One Bar's flavors are similarly mouth-watering and low-sugar. The brand sent me a bunch of samples, and I tried and loved the Peanut Butter Cup, Birthday Cake, and Dark Chocolate Sea Salt varieties. Compared to those options, I didn't expect that Almond Bliss would be my favorite. I like almonds and coconut is OK, but the brand's other sweet flavors (did you hear when I said Birthday Cake) just seemed like they'd be more my thing.
I was so happy to be wrong. The bar itself is chewy, chocolate-covered coconut, with a few almonds sprinkled on top to give it a satisfying crunch. It basically tastes like a candy bar, so it's still incredible to me that each bar contains just one gram of sugar alongside a hefty 20 grams of whey-based [5] protein. Each 230-calorie bar contains the perfect balance of sweetness: enough to satisfy my sugar craving without leaving me wanting more. Part of that is also because one bar is so dang filling, with nine grams of fat alongside 20 grams of protein and 22 grams of carbohydrates. For post-workout snackers, those carbs are just as important as the protein; you need to replenish your glycogen supply [6] (aka stored glucose) to keep your energy up, especially if you did a lot of cardio.
The Almond Bliss One Bar is gluten-free and gets its protein from whey, which is easy for your body to absorb [7] and has all 20 amino acids. However, whey is sourced from milk, so the Almond Bliss One Bar unfortunately won't be the choice for vegans. (Give these DIY vegan protein bars [8] a shot instead.) If you don't have animal product restrictions and adore sweet protein bars and chocolate as much as I do, definitely give these Almond Bliss One Bars a taste. They're sweet, satisfying, and packed with protein all in one convenient package.