Energy Bar Crawl

Objective Search, Opinionated Palate

Popular Crawls

We've pulled together some popular searches for your browsing enjoyment. Check out these crawls to see bars with a certain ingredient (like coffee!), for a particular need (like post gym workout) or another dimension we find useful. Email us with your own ideas (or if you want to share a crawl) at sarah@energybarcrawl.com.

Ali's Favorites

In a bar-full world, bars come in all shapes and sizes and I seem to have an affinity for those that are square or circle. But that’s not what makes a bar my favorite. Flavor first is my motto. Taste buds are the ultimate decision makers when it comes to eating and bars are no exception. Because I like to eat simply and balanced, I try to choose bars that have ingredients I understand, that aren’t too sweet and have an interesting texture. Here are my top picks.

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Sarah’s Favorites

What's the BEST energy bar?  For me, it has to fit two criteria: meet my nutrient needs for a particular situation (recovery snack, breakfast, afternoon snack, etc), and be enjoyable!  I'm always looking for bars with some protein (5+ grams), a lower fiber to sugar ratio (around 1:4), and I usually like a balance between crunchy and chewy.  I don't like energy bars that are too dense, chalky, or leave the aftertaste of certain non-nutritive sweeteners...so the below bars are...

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Coffee Crawl

More foods are using caffeine as a supplement, and it makes sense to pair real energy (i.e., calories) with the brain-boosting effects of caffeine.  Caffeine works by blocking a neurotransmitter that induces tiredness from connecting with the brain cells they act on - it's not truly giving you energy, it's just stopping you from feeling lethargic!  

People have different tolerances to caffeine because it takes certain enzymes to degrade it over time.  If you make less of...

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Chocolate Brownie

By our estimation, 1 in 4 bars contain chocolate. Even with tons of innovation in bars with new savory, spiced and fruit-forward combinations, chocolate is the most beloved of flavors. 

This is good news for those of us with sweet teeth because bars can often contain more nutrients - like protein from nuts or seeds, for example - and have less sugar than traditional chocolate treats.  Brownies, in particular, are begging for a bar match since they are already in bar form....

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Local to Washington, DC

Ali & Sarah met in DC!  And they both love to support local businesses, so to celebrate our nation's capital, this bar crawl is made up of bars that are based within an easy drive of the DMV.  (Though who are we kidding; driving around DC is a nightmare!)  Check for where your bars are made - each one has a city and state or country right on the label!

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Cookie-like bars

Bars you eat as a snack should be nutritious AND delicious...so we've highlighted some here that remind us of cookies you may be tempted to eat, but know you shouldn't have every day. 

If you love a crisp wafer, try Powercrunch bars.  Need that Thin Mint fix?  KIND's dark chocolate almond mint strikes the perfect flavor notes but has 5g of protein and just 5g of sugar (compared to the Girl Scout's <1g, and 10g levels, respectively).  Cookies & cream can also be found...

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Peanut Butter City

If you've ever taken a moment to browse the bar section (and if you're here, we bet you have!) you may have noticed what we did...that peanut butter is a REALLY popular flavor.  And it's no wonder!  The versatile peanut can go from chewy to creamy to crunchy without batting and eye, and tastes amazing in any variation.  Protein rich, with filling unsaturated fats, and fiber to boot, it's a great ingredient from a nutrient balance perspective, and pairs well with another flava fav,...

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[Mostly] Fruit bars!

Fresh fruit is nature's candy, and nothing beats a perfectly ripened, in-season berry or peach.  But, when you need an on-the-go option that can slide into your purse, withstand being left in a warm car, or survive getting knocked around in a backpack, then the bars in this crawl are your best options.  They also work well as a post-lunch dessert or as a way to satisfy that afternoon sweet tooth!  Because yes: these bars all contain a lot of naturally ocurring sugar.  Most fruit...

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High protein, Low sugar

When we submitted an informal poll to our Instagram followers last year, the overwhelming majority were looking for bars that had a good amount of protein and not too much sugar.  This makes sense - protein keeps you satisfied for longer, digests more slowly, and provides the building blocks for many of our body's structures, while too much sugar can have negative effects like headaches and energy crashes (not to mention being...

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