In my quest to find the best protein bar on the market, today I’m breaking down the No Cow Dipper Chocolate Peanut Butter bar.
But first things first…
According to their website:
No Cow was founded in 2015 by 18-year-old Daniel “D” Katz. A busy, on-the-go fitness buff, D was living off whey protein bars even though they gave him horrible stomach aches.
Like so many, D discovered he was lactose intolerant, and was struggling to find a high protein plant-based bar that wasn’t loaded with sugar. He made the first No Cow bar in his mom’s kitchen and started selling into premier national chains.
From that very first bar, D refused to compromise on flavor. What started as a personal need is now being embraced by the masses. D helped revolutionize plant-based nutrition, and today No Cow is one of the fastest growing plant-based brands on the market.
So, high protein plant-based bars that aren't loaded with sugar. Got it.
But is it any good?
Well… only one way to find out.
Let’s put these ingredients into an easy to read list.
As might already know, the FDA requires food manufacturers to list their ingredients in order by weight.
So, the No Cow bar is full of protein and corn fiber and palm oil… and glycerine? It’s good that they have 20 grams of protein from rice and pea, but what’s with all the corn and sugar alcohol?
Just look at the macros.
Protein: 20 grams (from rice and pea)
Carbs: 26 grams
Fiber: 14 grams (from corn)
Sugar Alcohol: 8 grams (from glycerine)
Also, look at their chocolate coating.
What kind of chocolate coating has palm oil as the first ingredient? And then erythritol (a sugar alcohol) and vegetable protein as the next biggest ingredients?
Why is cocoa the fourth? Shouldn’t it be the first ingredient in a chocolate coating?
If only there were a better way to create protein bars that aren’t just candy bars in disguise. (Foreshadowing)
Anyway, let’s break down the rest of the ingredients:
Corn Fiber: I suspect the soluble corn fiber is here to do two things: One, add some structure to the protein bar and two, add fiber to the nutrition label.
I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer to get fiber from fruits and vegetables over processed corn, especially when it is not from an organic source.
Corn crops are one of the most mass produced in the USA, meaning they’re produced using heavy amounts of pesticides and herbicides… the last thing you want in a protein bar with healthy ingredients.
Palm Kernel Oil: Palm oil is the cheapest oil you can buy and almost all of it is unsustainable. So, even though No Cow says their palm oil is sustainably sourced (i.e. NOT from cutting down rainforests to plant palm trees), then can still have a lot of pesticides and other chemicals.
Overall, not a high quality ingredient.
Glycerine: There’s 8 grams of glycerine in this bar. That’s a lot of sugar alcohol which means it can give you gut problems.
Even though it allows them to say 4g of net carbs, adding sugar alcohol to replace carbs is not a good tradeoff.
Now Cow claims to have high protein plant-based bars that aren't loaded with sugar. But instead they loaded their bars with corn, palm oil, and sugar alcohols (erythritol and glycerine). Also, they don’t provide any nutrition except protein: no micronutrients.
But if you’re looking for a real protein bar without sugar alcohols and sourced from 100% real food ingredients, see below. 👇
Unearth the cleanest protein bars you can buy right now. (Some might even have superfoods)
Read MoreAt Protein Bar, we’re committed to helping you look and feel your best, which starts by raising the bar (pun intended) in the nutrition industry. We're currently in stealth mode, but you can join our waiting list to receive exclusive access to new products and become a beta tester!
