Picky Bars

8.5
8.5 score
[Editors rating (8.5) + Users rating (10.0)] / 2 = (WalkJogRun) score (8.5)/10


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Editor rating: 8.5 / 10
User's rating: based on 2 user ratings
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Picky Bars were made by picky eaters, with fellow picky eaters in mind! Due to this, those who are careful about their nutrition or have dietary restrictions can indulge in one of their exciting flavors. Picky Bars are non-dairy and soy-free, with plant-based protein.  These have a higher-than-average sugar to calorie ratio but it helps them provide energy in a pinch. Picky Bars may call themselves energy bars but there is so much more to them.  They are creating some seriously unique combinations taking their inspiration from both performance bars and natural foods. Anyone tired of their usual options that want to try a well-balanced bar will fall for the Picky brand.

Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros
  • Whole Ingredients
  • Plant-Based Protein
  • Unique Flavors
  • Fiber
  • Under 200 Calories
  • Low In Saturated Fat
Cons
  • High In Sugar
  • Only 7g Protein

Brand

You may wonder where Picky Bars stand in the world of performance and real food bars. Picky Bars all started with one triathlete, Jesse. He was sick of the lack of variety on the market. There were either performance options or real food bars. The former were loaded with artificial ingredients and sugar alcohol and the latter provided no benefits to someone living an active and sporty lifestyle.

A Stanford graduate who studied science and athletic performance, he knew there was another option. When he met his wife, Lauren, a profession runner, Picky Bars first began. They decided to combine the concept of real food and protein bars to find something in between. Something that could provide fuel with natural ingredients and a kick of protein too. That something was the Picky Bar.

When they teamed up with yet another picky eater, this time with Celiac disease, they finally got their formula just right. Now Picky Bars are providing wholesome nutrition that is accessible to many.

Calories

Protein bars can have sky-high levels of calories. These are relatively light compared to the sweeter, more processed options on the market. They are made with whole spices and ingredients, to get all the flavor without any of the unnecessary bulk.

Unlike other lower calorie options, Picky Bars will make you feel full for longer. All of their bars stay under 200 calories but their flavor makes them seem like a special treat. Instead of options closer to 300 calories with loads of carbs and sugar, Picky Bars are a more natural and light alternative.

For an easy and nutritious pick me up that gives you a lot of energy with less sugar and calories, Picky Bars are an ideal option. It can be stressful trying to manage your calorie intake when you’re trying to stay healthy and fueled. When energy bars contain protein and other essentials without being incredibly caloric, it is a match made in heaven for anyone with a hectic schedule.

Carbohydrates

Picky Bars have about ten percent of your daily carbohydrates in them. They aren’t so jam-packed with carbohydrates that you’ll feel like you need to run a marathon after eating one. That doesn’t mean that these aren’t a great snack before, or even after, long distance runs or bike rides though!

A combination of carbohydrates and fiber lets you feel great through the lunch lull and well into the rest of your day. If you do live a more active lifestyle you won’t feel weighed down or bloated from hard to digest protein when you get your boost from a Picky Bar. Gym rats and soccer moms or dads will both equally love these punchy Picky Bars!

They contain no soy protein along with their carbohydrates derived from brown rice. These really are ideal for anyone who wants fast energy without getting sluggish. It can be hard to find a balanced bar with complex carbohydrates and protein working together.

Dietary Accommodations

Picky Bars are aptly named for picky eaters. The world keeps discovering new and different food sensitivities that harm our health. Not only can they be detrimental to our long term health but some can even cause immediate pain and discomfort. Brands have tried their best to address this with a whole slew of different accommodations, Picky included.

These bars are gluten and dairy free, which addresses a bulk of food sensitivities right off the bat. That also makes this suitable for vegetarians and those just trying to cut back on meat and dairy byproduct consumption. People with Celiac disease can indulge in these without concern thanks to the Picky Bars being gluten-free.

Soy, particularly soy protein, has an unfortunate consequence for many people as well. It can cause flatulence, cramping, and gastrointestinal pain. The plant-based protein in Picky Bars is not derived from soy, so those who experience those side effects don’t need to worry. Nothing is more uncomfortable than feeling gassy or bloated during Bikram yoga or a run, so Picky Bars make sure to limit the chances of that happening.

Flavors

Picky Bars have some seriously unique flavors in their catalog. From tea and coffee-inspired to straight up wild, Picky Bars put a little of their personality into every flavor. Their whole ingredients make complex and interesting combinations of both textures and tastes. If you love to try new things, Picky Bars have a far more interesting array in their nine flavors compared to other brands.

One of the most interesting flavors available is their Chai and Catch Me. Picky Bars developed this to mimic the sweet and savory warm spices of a chai latte. They use black pepper, cardamom, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice come together to make a comforting treat that with have you in spice heaven.

If their Chai and Catch Me is too intense for your palate, or just not your taste, there are multiple tamer Picky Bars that are equally exciting. Their Need for Seed stands out as perfectly balanced. It utilizes chocolate, honey, and sunflower butter to make an earthy, nutty, and deep flavor that will make you excited to refuel.

For purists, their most popular flavor is the Ah, Fudge Nuts! Though their ingredient list contains dates, the flavor is the comforting chocolate and peanut butter that is so beloved. For the non-chocolate lovers who want something equally nostalgic, their Cinnamon Roll’n tastes like an oatmeal raisin cookie, using raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon to make you feel right back at home.

Ingredients

It is always amazing when energy bars can evoke the taste of your favorite desserts or breakfast baked goods using only whole ingredients and spices. Picky Bars does just that. Their combinations are imaginative and nostalgic. Some of their combinations call to old reliable comfort foods, while others are whimsical taste explosions you’d never expect.

Picky Bar accomplishes all of this with completely whole ingredients. They use a lot of dried fruits for their tart, multilayered, and complex flavors. Dates and apricots show up in some unexpected places, always surprising Picky Bars fans tastebuds with the flavor result they create.

The chocolate they use in their bars doesn’t have artificial flavors or fillers, just cocoa, cocoa butter, and chocolate liqueur. Sea salt is in every bar to enhance the flavor ever so slightly while also providing some electrolytes. Sodium is key in muscle function and their addition of it serves both a function for flavor and performance.

Their carbohydrates and protein come primarily from brown rice. Brown rice is fantastic because it contains fiber and is a complex carbohydrate that is slow to break down. The ingredients in Picky Bars help to make a whole, nutritious food to supplement your regular diet.

Protein

Picky Bars aren’t quite a protein bar, as they only have about fifty percent of the protein in other protein bars. Protein-packed options can have anywhere from 20 to 30 grams of protein per bar. The average protein bar hovers around 12 grams per serving. Picky Bars have six to seven grams of protein per serving.

If you want strict protein options, there are other, admittedly less delicious choices you could go for. Reviewers raved about the flavor options and thought these were a really good option for runners or just a quick meal replacement in a pinch. These don’t have sufficient calories or protein to regularly replace a meal though.

These are more to be relied on for energy replacement before or after a workout than muscle repair. Protein and amino acids work to help repair muscles while the carbohydrates store to provide energy during activities. These are more energy bars than protein bars but their amount of protein is sufficient enough to serve as a quick solution to a missed breakfast or a lag in the middle of a run.

Saturated Fat

Fat plays a part in any well-rounded died. Unsaturated fats should replace saturated fats in a normal diet to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. Saturated fat should be only had in moderation. It can help the body to absorb vitamins and minerals but can damage health overall.

In these Picky Bars, only half of a gram to a gram of saturated fat is in each one. They are also super rich in healthy fats. The other six to six-and-a-half grams are unsaturated fats. Increasing unsaturated fats and decreasing saturated fats can completely change your health! If you struggle with high cholesterol or worry about your heart health, then a bar with mostly healthy fats like Picky bars have are a perfect choice.

You can easily manage your fat intake when using healthy options like Picky Bars to supplement your diet. It cannot be stressed enough how few bars can provide true nutritional balance. These may not be breaking barriers in any categories other than flavor, but they do have a well-rounded nutritional value and whole ingredients.

Sugar

Since the protein in these bars is only about fifty percent that in purely protein bars, you’d expect them to have about half the sugar. That isn’t the case, they have about 70 to 90 percent of the sugar content in those higher calorie bars. If Picky Bars were to stick to just natural sugars in their whole ingredients, they wouldn’t be as high.

Since these are used mostly for energy and supplementing your diet their 13 to 16 grams of sugar is acceptable. They will give you pretty immediate energy due to the added sugars. While you feel the initial burst of energy, the natural sugars in their ingredients help stave off a crash and give you long term energy as well.

These could be considered a bit high in sugar if you are trying to keep your sugar intake low. If you consider the fiber, protein, and complex carbohydrates however, only their added sugar is quickly absorbed. This means they aren’t incredibly high on the glycemic index despite their higher-than-expected sugar content.

Value

Protein bars have gotten more and more affordable with time. You can get an incredibly cheap daily supplement for a mere dollar these days. The problem with these inexpensive options is that they usually have pretty empty nutrition. They are super high in one or two categories, like protein and carbohydrates, with little else to offer.

Picky Bars use only the best ingredients, so you can expect to pay a little extra for them. These are comparable to similar “whole food bars” and just as delicious. If you buy the bulk boxes of Picky Bars, you do get a discount per unit, which isn’t too common in this type of food.

It is definitely worth it to try a bar or two to see how your body reacts to them. If you decide you like what the Picky Bars have to offer, you can then buy a variety pack to find out your favorite flavors. These are going to soon be a family favorite but their price can be intimidating if you’re new to the world of bars like this!

Bottom Line

Combining performance with real, whole food was an idea that wasn’t attempted previously, and Picky Bars nailed it. Their flavor combinations are daring and different. With seven grams of protein and 24 grams of carbohydrate, Picky Bars will help repair and grow muscles while giving you a boost. Because they’re more of a fusion between performance and real food, they don’t have outstanding amounts of protein and they do contain added sugars. In spite of these, Picky Bars are easy to integrate into a well-balanced diet.