Product review time! I was happy to receive a box of eight SoLo energy bars a month ago. SoLo bars are certified gluten-free and are also lower on the Glycemic Index scale (around 23—30). The protein in them is in the form of soy and whey, and each bar contains 10 or 12 grams of protein.

SoLo Energy Bars.

Taste-testing the Bars

SoLo bars come in a variety of flavors: Apple Cinnamon with Quinoa, Pineapple Coconut, Dark Chocolate Almond, Peanut Power, Dark Chocolate Mandarin, Lemon Lift, Mocha Fudge, and Chocolate Charger.

The first bar I tried was Mocha Fudge and it. was. heaven. Super fudge-y! I loved the consistency and texture of the bar, and the flavor was delicious. I was surprised at how filling the bar was, too. I ate half of it at the beginning of a shopping trip with the mother dear, and it provided me with a good amount of energy and sustenance!

I wasn’t as big of a fan of the Peanut Power bar – it tasted similar to a Reece’s cup (YUM!), but it was a little salty and I wasn’t a fan of the crunchy peanuts (then again, I also don’t particularly like crunchy peanut butter). However, Mr Science had the other half of this bar, and he really liked it—especially with the added crunch.

The mother dear also tried a bar—Apple Cinnamon with Quinoa. Here’s what she had to say about it:

The package was easy to open. The bar was yogurt coated but could still be held in your hands and eaten, without having to use the wrap to protect your fingers from stickiness.

The bar was soft and chewy, and not too sweet; as a matter of fact, it was saltier than I expected. It also had a very faint, mild taste of peanut butter. It might just be that I was tasting the “nuttiness” of the quinoa or perhaps I was tasting the soynut butter that was one of the ingredients (there were no peanuts or peanut butter in the bar).

I liked the bar and would eat it again but not on a regular basis. It would probably be good to have during or immediately after a cross-country ski in the winter when you need a bit of energy.

Lemon Life was alright, albeit a little sweet for my taste; similarly, the Dark Chocolate Mandarin was pretty good but just a tad too sweet. I quite enjoyed the Chocolate Charger, and Mr Science and I both loved the Dark Chocolate Almond bar—to me, it tasted very similar to the Mocha Fudge bar, except the Dark Chocolate Almond had the most delightful hint of vanilla. It tasted “just like a chocolate bar,” Mr Science noted. The Dark Chocolate Almond was definitely my favorite!

Yogurt coating on the lemon bar.

The Nutritional Content of the Bars

There are 200 calories in each SoLo energy bar, but as you probably know I’m a little more interested in the ingredients than the nutrition facts table on food packages! The ingredient list is fairly long and it includes some ingredients like “natural flvours” which aren’t at the top of my “healthy ingredients” list, but there’s a lot of good things in these bars, too. I like that they’ve used whey protein, cocoa powder, and brown rice syrup, for example. And these are certainly a super delicious, healthier alternative to a chocolate bar and many other energy bars!

And you? Have you tried SoLo energy bars? What’s your favorite snack food for an energy boost? Share in the comments section below!