RX Bar Reviews are pretty findable in this day and age as the brand starts to become more mainstream and get picked up in various retail locations. Just the other day I was in my Equinox gym and wouldn’t you know it, there were some RX Bars just sitting there waiting for me to try! I picked out the peanut butter one naturally, and began to stuff my face with it. What follow are my totally off-the-cuff, un-biased reviews of RXBAR. In this review I’m going to do a few different things. Firstly I will update you on my emotional state following the disastrous breakup that I’ve been going through. Secondly I will actually talk about these protein bars like you want me to. What that will include is a totally comprehensive flavor review. I’ve now tried four flavors of RX Bars and can tell which is best, and which is not the best. After we talk about flavors, we will go over the ingredients in RX Bars. Are they actually healthy? Are they unhealthy? Are they somewhere in between? I mean they’ve got to be at least KIND OF healthy, right? I think so. But we’ll go over all of this. We’ll even go over the RX Bar packaging. Pretty hardcore reviews over here. So let’s get the RX Bar Review started.
I’ve reviewed a handful of protein bars so far. I think my favorite so far in terms of taste is actually the Musclepharm Combat Crunch Bar. But wait, I want to talk about my relationship issues first. Er. Actually. No. No I don’t. I’m sure I’ll spend plenty of time crying about it later, but as of right now, in this state of mind, I am totally ready to go on this protein bar review. I’m getting over him. Right now. Until later. Ugh. Still a bit of a mess. Ok. So. RX Bar. These bars are like everywhere right now! And by everywhere I mean in the gym that I go to, and on the internet and Instagram and stuff I feel like I’ve been seeing them everywhere. These bars apparently have been around for a little while, even though they definitely looked a little different a while ago. But as you’ll read in the packaging review section, I think they’ve done an awesome job on their re-branding. But let’s save that for the end. First let us talk RX Bar taste:
What’s the Best RX Bar Flavor?
The best flavor of RX Bars, in my opinion, is the peanut butter. What a shocker, I know. But it’s true. Read below for my thoughts on each of the four flavors that I’ve tried:
- Peanut Butter: The best RX Bar flavor is peanut butter. This flavor tastes ALOT like the peanut butter-flavored LARA Bar (the original sugary one, not the ALT one). These bars, like LARA are date-based, so they have alot of the same consistency as LARA as well. What I don’t really like about RX Bar in general is the texture though. They don’t really melt in your mouth the same way LARA does. And they kind of get stuck in your teeth the same way that You Fresh Naturals nut butters do. But the PB flavor is tasty. I give it a 8.8/10.
- Coffee Chocolate: The next best flavor of RX Bar is the coffee chocolate. If I had to assign a grade to this one out of 10 I would give it an 8.6, just behind the peanut butter. You will notice that I haven’t given EITHER of these flavors a grade in the ‘A’ range. And that IS on purpose. These bars don’t taste as good as something that is whey protein based, or even oatmeal based. The chocolate flavor is quite interesting though. The chocolate bits add some nice texture, and the almonds also give it some more dimension than the peanut butter. The coffee is unique in a protein bar. I kind of enjoy it.
- Blueberry: 8.6 / 10. I give the third place award to the blueberry RX Bar. I think these bars are really pretty tasty, and are on the same level as the coffee. I’ve always been partial to blueberry, so I kind of knew I would like this flavor. Unlike some of the other RX Bar flavors, this one is definitively blueberry. If you are feeling adventurous, you should have a bite of this one, and then also a bite of the peanut butter. It’s like a blueberry peanut butter pancake.
- Coconut Chocolate: I would give this flavor an 8.4 out of 10 overall. It is just a bit too generic-tasting for me to really rave about it. The flavor is very date-y and I think the cashews sort of wash out any chocolate OR coconut for that matter. This bar just tastes like sweetness. It’s very edible and not unpleasant tasting, but I think it lacks a real definitive taste that makes you really fall in love.
RX Bar Formula Grade: 8.8
I want to give the formulation of these bars a higher grade than a B. I mean. They ARE all natural. And they ARE whole, raw, food. How can I NOT give that an ‘A’? I guess it’s a reflection of our modern society that I just can’t give it an ‘A’. What do I mean by that? Well. Here are the macros per bar: (using the peanut butter for example)
- Calories: 210
- Calories from fat: 80
- Total Fat: 9g
- Sat Fat: 1g
- Sodium: 190mg
- Potassium: 350mg
- Total Carb: 22g
- Dietary Fiber: 4g
- Sugars: 15g
- Protein: 12g
So. 200 calories, I can deal with that. I mean. It’s coming from all natural ingredients. The only ingredients in the ENTIRE bar are egg whites, peanuts, and dates. Just three ingredients! Compare that to a Quest bar or something. You will be horrified with how many ingredients are in those Quest bars. But yeah. So calorically this is all fine. Same with fats, salt, fiber…whatever. All fine. At 12 grams these aren’t exactly PACKED with protein, but 12 is better than some. I guess.
The real issue I have with RX Bars is the sugar. And this is what I mean where I’m kind of letting society get the better of me and let me change how I feel about a product just because of the sugar content. But seriously. The sugar is just too much for me. 15 grams is just too high! I don’t care that it all comes from dates. Dates are no better a sugar source than any other. Sure they are slightly lower glycemic index than some other sources, but, still. For someone who tries to avoid sugar and feels really really crappy when I eat any amount of sugar over 6 grams at once, the sugar content is actually a deal-breaker for me.
RX Bars Packaging Score: 9.8
Now HERE is where RX Bar is really coming into it’s own. I don’t think any other protein bar company in the world has nailed the packaging to the same extent that RX Bar has. These bars are incredibly handsome. I LOVE that the different flavors all have different theme colors, while the brand language stays 100% consistent so that you know it’s the same product and the same brand. The colors are sort of de-saturated to give you that ‘all-natural’ feeling. The ingredients are the primary graphical elements on the front of each bar, which I also love. I think several brands toy with this idea, but RX Bar has actually gone ahead and DONE IT. The RX Bar logo is also really cool by the way. It is proudly displayed above the listed ingredients, and offset on the left side. It is prominent and noticeable while still the focus remains on the list of ingredients. The last thing that really speaks to me is the flavor graphic. They are very subtle, and use the less-contrasting secondary color of each theme, but they are really cute. The chocolate sea salt flavor, for example, uses a line-art anchor, for the sea salt. The blueberry uses the top line of the silhouette of a blueberry with it’s crown. The peanut butter uses a geometric peanut shell pattern. As a whole these packages are brilliant and I’m in love with them.
RX Bars Review Summary:
- RX Bar Flavor Grade: 8.6
- RX Bar Formula Grade: 8.8
- RX Bars Packaging Score: 9.8
- RX Bar Formula Value Score: 8.6
When you roll everything up into one- RX Bars are not a home run. Yes, the packaging is absolutely stunning, and some of the flavors taste pretty good. But you can’t get around the fact that RX Bars are very high in sugar, and also quite expensive. I think this company will sell tons of RX Bars, but, again, for me, there are areas they could improve on.*
RX Bars Final Review Score: 8.7
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