loves2run's Full Review: Premier Eight Bar 12 Bars
Finding the perfect nutrition bar has become an obsession of mine. I really thought Luna™ bars by Clif Bar® were the perfect bar, until they did not hold up well in the backpack test. What do I mean by the backpack test? Basically, I mean they melted. Don’t get me wrong, even melted Luna™ bars taste great, however, they are a mess to eat. Okay, I am also strange in that I find pleasure in my quest to find the perfect bar. I get so excited when I find a bar that tastes good and doesn’t melt in the car, backpack or my fanny pack when I am running or walking.
Lately, I have been searching for bars that will work as meal replacements. I lead a very busy life and do not always have time to stop to eat lunch, so I wanted something that would fill me up but still be good for me. A nice bonus would be if it also gave me a boost of energy to complete the tasks at hand.
Several months ago, I was shopping in Costco and they had a table set up so that you could taste test some protein bars that carry in their in their store. These bars were made by Premier Nutrition™ and called Protein Eight™. They are designed to be a low carb, high protein bar that can be used as a meal replacement.
MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF THE PROTEIN EIGHT™ BAR
Being Costco was letting us taste test the bars, I decided to give them a try. Of course, they do not give you but a little bite of each flavor the bars. What I could taste from that bite, I liked, so I decided to have them make me a box of several different flavors so that I could buy them. What impressed me even more was the fact that Protein Eight bars only had 1 to 6 grams of carbohydrates in them depending on the flavor you are eating.** They are even low in sugar which was another plus in my eyes.
SECOND IMPRESSION
I have to say I was a little skeptical that the whole bar would taste as good as the bite I took in the store. I was sure they would have a vitamin or some type of aftertaste when eating more than one bite. Well, I have to say I was wrong. I personally do not get that awful aftertaste that I got with other bars I have eaten, with the exception of one flavor, Blueberry Cheesecake.
FLAVORS
The Protein Eight™ bars come in six flavors. I will list the flavors and nutrition facts along with ingredients for the Frosted Lemon flavor. If you are looking for nutrition facts and ingredients for any other flavor, they can be found on their website at http://www.premiernutrition.com. Just cut and paste the url into your web browser.
The following comes directly from the packaging of the Frosted Lemon flavor of the Protein Eight™ High Protein Bar.
Frosted Lemon
The Frosted Lemon has a light inside that is moist and chewy. The outside is lightly frosted with lemon-flavored icing. It is quite good tasting, reminds me of lemon cake. This flavor does not have a vitamin taste or leave an aftertaste.
Serving Size: 1 bar (70g)
Servings per Container: 1
Calories: 260
Calories from Fat: 60
Total Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 4g
Cholesterol: less than 5mg
Sodium: 190mg
Potassium: 35mg
Total Carbohydrate*: 23g
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 6g
Sugar Alcohol: 16g
Protein: 30g
Ingredients: Protein Eight Blend (Casein, hydrolyzed gelatin, soy protein isolate, whey protein isolate, calcium caseinate, skim milk powder) glycerine, water, sugar, palm and palm kernel oil, contains 2 percent or less of: oligofructose, maltitol, canola oil, natural and artificial flavors, dextrose, xylitol, sorbitol, soy bean oil, citric acid, lemon juice concentrate, yogurt solids, malic acid, monoglycerides, tartaric acid, pectin, lecithin, salt, suralose, turmeric oleoresin color, beta-carotene, mixed tocopherols, sodiumcitrate, natural color (annato, turmeric). May contain traces of peanuts, various nuts and seeds.
*The other day when I went to stock up on the bars again, I found the total carbohydrates had gone up and a disclaimer on the package stating, “This product contains 18g of sugar alcohols, primarily from glycerol, which is included in the 22g of Total Carbohydrates. Individuals who monitor their carbohydrate intake should be aware that sugar alcohols have minimal effects on blood sugar levels compared to other forms of carbohydrates.” This was taken directly from the package of the Chocolate Coconut flavor. Each flavor has a similar disclaimer.
Chocolate Strawberry Mousse
The Chocolate Strawberry Mousse is another flavor that is quite tasty. It however, does have a slight vitamin taste, but does not leave an aftertaste. The inside is a light strawberry flavor with a chocolate frosting on the outside; it is moist and chewy.
Chocolate Peanut
The chocolate Peanut is the only one that looks moist inside but tastes dry. I like the taste, but I have to drink lots of water with this bar. It has a peanut butter looking filling and is coated in chocolate flavored icing.
Blueberry Cheesecake
The Blueberry Cheesecake is the only flavor I totally dislike. It has bits of blueberry inside a moist filling and is coated with white icing. It does not taste anything like cheesecake. It has a strong taste of vitamins and leaves a horrible aftertaste.
Cookies and Cream
The Cookies and Cream flavor is one of my favorites. It actually has a moist, chewy filling. Inside this filling you will find actual pieces of a chocolate cookie. I find this quite impressive.
Okay, I saved this flavor for last. It is my all time favorite of the five that I like:
Chocolate Coconut
Have you ever eaten a Mounds candy bar? That is what the Chocolate Coconut flavor taste like! You will find a chocolate coating filled with a light, moist filling that has bits of coconut in it. I really find this flavor enjoyable. I savor every bite of this bar when I eat it; it’s that good. With only 6 total fat grams, 1 gram of sugar and 1 gram of carbs, I do not feel guilty eating this bar at all.
CAR, BACKPACK, FANNY PACK TEST
The Protein Eight™ bar really passes the backpack and fanny pack test. They get a little squished in my fanny pack while I am running or walking, but they have not melted. Same for the backpack, they did great in there. I have left them in the car and they did not melt, however, I have tinted windows so this may have something to do with it.
WHAT MY FRIENDS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THEM
I took a few extra bars along with me a couple weeks ago for my 14 mile walk with “Team in Training”. I shared the Lemon, Chocolate Coconut and Cookies and Cream with my friends. They all loved them. They kept asking me to pick them some up the next time I was in Costco and they would pay me back.
WHERE TO BUY AND HOW MUCH
I personally have only bought my Protein Eight™ bars at Costco. They sell them in boxes of 12 for $16.99. I did look to see how much they cost from the Premier Nutrition™ website and they were $28.99 for a box of 12. After getting a comment from Suzer asking where else to find these bars, I went searching on their website. This is what I found. You can find these bars at Ralphs, 7-Eleven, GNC Live Well Centers, Savon Stores, King Soopers, Nutripeak, Henry's Marketplace, Bally Gyms, Gold Gyms, Albertsons, Cub Foods, Hi Health, City Markets, Mother Markets, and Quick and Tasty. Per the website, you can also find these bars at select gyms and health food stores throughout the U. S. and Canada. Here is the number to call if you are having trouble locating Premier Nutrition™ products - 888-836-8977. These bars are on the more expensive side, but I feel they are worth it for the taste and the fact they are high protein and low in carbs and sugar.
COMPANY INFORMATION
Premier Nutrition™
P. O. Box 2604, Carlsbad, CA 92018-2604
(888)836-8977
www.premiernutrition.com
Product of Canada
PFT073760 V.03
FINAL THOUGHTS
Protein Eight™ bars are great tasting and well worth the money. I would personally recommend them to someone looking for a protein or a meal replacement bar. I would stay away from the Blueberry Cheesecake unless you just want to see if it was my taste buds and not the bar. I eat them for lunch the days I do not have time to make a meal and they keep me fulfilled till dinner time, I also eat them while on my long walks and they keep me satisfied and full of energy.
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