I have been on the quest over the last few months to find a REALLY great Gluten and Dairy Free Protein Bar on the market and it wasn’t until today that I finally found one.
The Simply Bar was originally designed for people with digestive problems, but is now loved by athletes, vegetarians and busy people on the go that want a healthy, high protein snack. — This includes ME 
The Simply Bar - More Protein. Less Calories.
Cathy Richards the creator of the simply bar has had Crohn ‘s Disease since she was 12 years old and need to be very careful with what she ate. In 2002, after she finished writing a book on Crohn’s disease she started trying to formulate a snack bar that would fill her up but would also be easy to digest. Since she was a kid she found it difficult to find healthy snacks when she was on the go/traveling that didn’t irritate her stomach. (I can relate to that for sure!)
Her key criteria for formulating the bar was:
- The bar had to have only a handful of ingredients and you had to be able to pronounce them all – that meant no chemical, artificial or junk ingredients. It needed to be all natural.
- It had to be high in protein (to be filling) but low in fat and sugars.
- The bar couldn’t include the usual things that would trigger digestive upset; it had to be free of gluten, milk, refined sugars, additives/preservatives and bad fats.
- It had to taste good!
The Simply Bar has a short list of ingredients that you can pronounce – like agave nectar as a low glycemic index sweetener. There are no chemicals or additives and each bar is packed with 16 grams of protein or more. All under 160 Calories and 3 grams of fat.
The Simply Bar is also gluten free, dairy free, vegan, low glycemic, kosher and all natural.
Hmmm… I think The Simply Bar exceeds what I wanted to find in a protein bar.
However, the big questions is —– How do they taste and DO THEY TASTE GOOD??
Well, if you’re looking for a chemical infused concoction that calls itself a “protein bar” yet tastes like a chocolate bar and makes you heart race after eating one this is NOT it. (I won’t even mention what bar that is, but I can say that the list of ingredients is beyond large).
No, The Simply bar tastes kind of like a flavored rice crispy square and I feel SUPER after eating one. As a personal trainer some days I will book 6 clients in a row – meaning that for 6 hours straight I will be jumping about the gym with clients and won’t have time to eat anything OTHER than a protein bar of some sort. A lot of times I have had other bars and I find it still leaves me unsatisfied, hungry and wanting more – This could be all the sugar or sugar alcohols found in other bars. This one only has 160 calories and seems to help keep me going for quite a few hours — I believe it’s due to the “Agave Nectar” which is a low glycemic. Consuming a low glycemic food will keep your blood sugar levels steady for a longer period of time and you won’t have that SPIKE and crash in the same way you would with a high sugar/high glycemic food.
This is an excellent find for me – Something that tastes great, is easy to digest, made in canada, keeps my energy levels up so that I can keep my clients energy levels up AND it only has 160 calories MAX.
I’m serious though – It REALLY does leave me satisfied. I laughed when I went on The Simply Bar facebook page and under “About” it said: Fills You Up. Naturally.
They weren’t kidding about that. I have only tried the Cocoa with Raspberry flavor but it comes 5 flavors.
* Peanut Butter
* Lemon Coconut
* Cocoa Coffee
* Cocoa Raspberry
* Cinnamon
Check out how The Simply Bar compares to other bars on the market:
I WAS eating “Cliff” bars for a while but WOW – Sugar Crash and BURN everytime I had one – They sure tasted good but I might as well have been eating a cookie :-p
I believe you can order them online in Canada and in the USA but they can be found at Natural Value section of Loblaws/Fortinos/RCSS/Zehr’s, London Drugs, Bulk Barn and health food stores across the Canada.
Give them a try – I think for all of you people working behind a desk all day this would be a GREAT 3pm snack to get your energy levels back up for the last few hours of your work day — Then you’ll have some energy left for your workout
| I have had Crohn ‘s Disease since I was 12 years old and need to be very careful with what I eat. I was never able to find snacks that didn’t upset my stomach when traveling. So in 2002, after I finished writing a book on Crohn’s disease, I started trying to formulate a snack bar that would fill me up but would also be easy to digest.
There were some key criteria:
I worked with a top Canadian gastroenterologist and a food technology center. We met the first criteria quickly but it took a few years of work to get the taste right. We have now done it and The Simply Bar is amongst the best tasting protein bars on the market, while at the same time offering the most protein with the least calories, fat and sugars compared to leading all-natural food bars. |
| The Simply Bar is also low glycemic which helps provide constant energy throughout the day. Low glycemic diets may also help people lose weight, reduce inflammation and promote hormonal well being. In addition to being healthy overall, the short list of natural, kosher, gluten/casein free and vegan ingredients makes The Simply Bar especially easy to digest for those with food sensitivities.
The Simply Bar is now loved not only by athletes, vegans and celiacs, but also everyday healthy people who want to make better eating choices. |
| I hope you love the bars as much as I do. |
| Cathy Richards |
I found these on for half price at whole foods the other day. I almost have the exact same experience as you.. I was eating the dotfit bars that are sold at my gym and they are SO high in sugar that its a complete waste! I love these ones!!! I bought a box of the lemon coconut kind and I love them. They are the perfect post-run bar and light enough to have before a workout too. I’ve tried many different kinds of protein bars and I am sticking with this one!!
Thanks for the great review…. I will be book marking this site. I love all the information and thorough reviews that you give.
Hi Micaela! Where can we buy TheSimpleBar? Thanks-
I just bought a box of these bars at Costco and they are A-MAZING! They aren’t too sweet for my teeth and are high in protein too! I love how the ingredients in each bar are easy to pronounce and have no added preservatives!! I have a box that comes with three flavours; Peanut Butter Chocolate, Lemon Coconut, and Caramel Peanut. They keep you full for a long time while still low in calories!! I love them!!!