Taste Test: Energy Bars
Which ones are good, and which ones should stay on the shelf

By Cat Higgins
Charleston Catholic High School

On many school mornings, students find themselves skipping breakfast in exchange for an extra 10 minutes of sleep. While they might think they're doing themselves a favor by getting a little extra sleep, the truth is that breakfast is also very important.

A good way to get some nutrition without taking the time to eat a bowl of cereal or fry up some eggs is to eat an energy bar. They're chock full of vitamins, minerals and protein, and most of them taste good, too!

I recently tested several different bars to find out which were worth buying and which were better left on the shelf. So the next time you find yourself running late in the morning, try one of these instead of skipping breakfast altogether.

PowerBar Triple Threat caramel peanut fusion

I whipped this one out to give it a try during my second period class one day. I was finished with my work, and even though I knew we weren't supposed to eat anything in class, the rumble in my stomach made me give in to the chocolaty goodness that was only a wrapper away.

Unaware of the dead silence in the room, I unwrapped the bar and took a big bite. It was delicious -- a chocolate-covered mixture of crunchiness and soft peanut butter filling that wasn't too overpowering and had a perfect texture.

As I thoroughly enjoyed my PowerBar, I suddenly became aware that my teacher was looking right at me, smiling and waving. I was busted. I simply smiled and waved back -- and then shoved the rest of it in my mouth because it was far too delicious to get rid of.

This was definitely the best of the bars I tasted. I recommend it highly.

Pure Protein s'mores

Let me start by saying that the picture on the wrapper is highly deceiving. A chocolate coating, marshmallow filling, graham cracker chunks, peanuts and chocolate chips -- how could you go wrong?

Well, somewhere along the line Pure Protein did.

This bar had a chalky texture, and there was not even a hint of crunch. The graham cracker bits were soggy, and the taste was just flat out bad. I couldn't even make myself finish it.

The concept of a s'mores flavor is a good idea in theory, but not so good in reality. Though it has 19 grams of protein in it, I recommend leaving this bar on the shelf.

Pria Complete Nutrition Bar chocolate peanut butter crisp

I hadn't eaten much breakfast on this particular morning, and I was in my third period Spanish class. We were studying a chapter on food at the time, which didn't help my hunger situation in the least. I remembered I had this bar in my backpack, so I snuck it out and snuck bites of it every now and then throughout class.

It is a lot like a peanut butter-flavored Rice Krispie treat covered in chocolate. It had a nice crunch to it, but wasn't too hard or loud. It also contains 5 grams of fiber, 40 percent of the daily value of calcium and only 170 calories.

The only downside to this bar is you might want to have a napkin handy. I realized about an hour later that I had a large smudge of chocolate on my face.

This bar was filling, because I found I was not as hungry as I usually am around lunchtime. The Pria Nutrition Bar is definitely a solid choice when picking energy bars.

Balance Bar Gold Nutrition Energy Bar chocolate peanut butter

This bar was the smallest of all the ones I tried, though it did have 15 grams of protein. It has peanut butter and chocolate inside of a chocolate shell.

I would recommend it for people who like softer bars because it has no crunch at all. Unfortunately, it has a bit of a chalky texture to it, and it left my mouth feeling a little gross afterwards. I wished I'd had a toothbrush so I could brush my teeth.

The overall taste is so-so. I would recommend it over the Pure Protein S'mores bar.

Met-Rx Protein Plus chocolate roasted peanut

This was the largest of the bars I sampled by far. With a whopping 32 grams of protein, it also had the most protein, beating the other choices by 13 grams or more. It also has 75 percent less sugar than other bars.

The picture on the front looks enticing, with caramel drizzled over a peanut butter filling, all covered in chocolate. The only problem is that this bar is so hard to bite into that it just might make your mouth bleed, and I am not exaggerating. It took about one minute for me to bite loose one piece of it, and was nearly impossible to break using two hands. I also don't recommend karate-chopping this bar.

Needless to say, this is one bar that's better left on the shelf -- unless you need a new doorstopper, that is.

Snicker's Marathon chewy chocolate peanut

This was the only bar that didn't have a picture of the bar on the wrapper. However, as I examined the wrapper, I noted that the Marathon boasts 16 vitamins and minerals, as well as 13 grams of protein. I figured this was not bad for a company that usually makes chocolate bars.

The bar is layered like a sandwich, with chocolate acting as the bread and a beautiful blend of caramel and peanuts as the filling. It is a good size, and the taste was delicious.

The only problem was that it was a little bit tough, and it left me a little tired of chewing so much. But if you're willing to put a little work into it to get the great taste, then this is a good energy bar to try.

Special K Protein Meal Bar double chocolate

With a name like "Double Chocolate," it has to be good, right? Well, the Special K Protein Meal Bar lives up to that name.

With crunchy ingredients like peanuts and almonds on the inside, as well as a decadent chocolate filling and chocolate coating, this bar was a wonderful treat. It has 10 grams of protein as well as vitamins and minerals, so it is healthy as well as tasty.

It is also quite filling. I chose to eat this bar in the car on my way to a full day of shopping. I did not even begin to get hungry until about an hour after my usual lunchtime.

I would definitely recommend this meal bar, especially to chocolate lovers.