Balance Bars

Balance Bars -- 40/30/30 Nutrition and Other Protein Bars

This site contains information on Zone-favorable bars and other meal replacement protein energy bars.

Technically, the only balance bars are those bars made by the Balance Company. However, if you're like me, you use the term interchangeably with Zone bar, Zone perfect bar, Sears bar, Zone nutrition bar and so on.

As consumers we tend to care less about what company makes what bar, and more about getting the best convenient nutrition that is balanced according to the Zone program as created by Dr. Barry Sears -- 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat.

Balance Bars Appeal to Many Kinds of People

Plus, we care about taste, access and affordability. I normally buy mine at Wal-Mart, because there's one just a few blocks from where I live, and their price is much cheaper than what I've seen in local supermarkets. Plus, those supermarkets sell them by the bar. I eat so many that it makes sense only to buy them by the box -- and usually a lot of boxes at once. The Wal-Mart checkers on duty when I normally shop (late at night) all know me.

However, thanks to the Internet, these bars can be ordered online and received in the mail in a few days. I have to say that online prices are slighter higher than Wal-Mart, especially when you add in the cost of shipping. And it irritates me that so many suppliers either refuse to ship to my post office box or want to charge me an arm and a leg for it.. So I don't order online as much as I otherwise would.

So, if you can't receive packages because you're not at home during the day or you live in an apartment building with just a small mail slot or your mailbox is small and outside and you don't want your packages to be rained on, snowed on, or stolen while you're away at work . . . many online companies don't want your business.

Unfortunately, Wal-Mart's selection is somewhat limited, so if you really like a flavor or kind they don't carry, you have to find an online site that will ship to you. You can usually find good deals or Amazon, eBay and the Vitamin Shoppe.

The Balance Company offers five different lines of bars: Gold, Original, Bare, Pure and Carbwell.

The Balance Original line is still my favorite. They're chewy, taste good and have a solid texture, feel and weight that helps give you a satisfied feeling. And to be honest, they taste the most like a candy bar, which is good for people like me with a sweet tooth.

These come in flavors: Chocolate, Chocolate Raspberry Fudge, Cookie Dough, Almond Brownie, Honey Peanut, Mocha Chip, Peanut Butter, and Yogurt Honey Peanut.

The Balance Gold line is meant to be even richer and lucious than the Original line. In general, they're crunchier, and are also similar to some candy bars. Their flavors are: Caramel Nut Blast, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Mint Cookie Crunch, and Triple Chocolate Chaos.

I went through a period where I really craved the Caramel Nut Blast, but now I ignore it. But that's just my individual taste. I'm not a peanut butter flavor fan, but I do enjoy the Chocolate Mint and Triple Chocolate bars.

Consumer alert -- I just noticed on their website that although they list the Zone favorable 40/30/30 balance as a benefit of the original line, they do NOT do this for the Gold line. I just compared the label of one of my remaining Caramel Nut Blast bar with the label on an Original Chocolate Raspberry Fudge-

Original (40/30/30 Zone favorable) Balance Bars

21 grams of carbohydrates

16 grams protein

6 grams of fat

Gold Balance Bars

23 grams of carbohydrates

15 grams protein

4 grams fat

Both bars are the same size -- 50 grams, so they're equal in size.

The Original has 200 calories. The Gold bar 210 calories.

The difference is not huge, but the Gold bar has sacrificed protein and fat for carbohydrates. It says it has a low glycemic index.

So if you want a bar to put you in the Zone, do NOT buy the Gold line. They are manufactured by the Balance Company, but they are NOT Zone-balanced.

The Bare Sweet and Salty line is much nuttier and grainier, without any chocolate coating. So it appeals to someone who prefers that to a sweeter taste. Also, they're less likely to melt if you leave them in your car or carry them in a backpack while hiking. It comes in Peanut Butter Flavor and Chocolate Almond. And they have a Bare Trail Mix Energy Bar in Chocolate Chip.

The Balance Pure line seems to be new. It says it has "pure" ingredients -- you mean the other bars use polluted ingredients? 9 grams of protein. That's less than the 16 grams in other 40/30/30 bars, so I suspect it's not Zone favorable -- just another mean replacement bar for the politically correct health food tree-hugger market. The only flavor is Cherry Pecan.

The Balance Carbwell line contains only 2 grams of "net" carbohydrates. I don't know how you "net" carbs. But their Zone favorable bars have 21 grams of carbohydrates, so this bar is underweighted on carbs and so not a Zone bar. It does have 14 grams of protein. Apparently it's intended for the Atkins markets. Or weightlifters/bodybuilders who believe so much in protein.

So, remember -- the only Zone-balanced balance bars from the Balance Company are their Original line. But those are great tasting and filling.

Next: Balance Bars - Gluten Free -- balance bars with no gluten ingredients