These 9 healthy snack bars are made with real food, no science projects, no additives, no toxic ingredients. Whether you are looking for healthy snack bars for yourself or to pack in lunch boxes for your children, it is not always easy to find real food in premade form. Sure the advertising on the box will tell you it is “Healthy”, “All-Natural” and “Organic”, but does any of that really mean that they are healthy?
Unfortunately, the large majority of packaged foods are downright unhealthy. Even the ones that advertisers want us to believe are healthy. Many of them contain corn syrup or added sugars in any one of its 61 different names. They contain isolates, artificial sweeteners, processed proteins, whey protein and other heavily processed, toxic and unnatural substances. They are cooked or processed until all of the enzymes and nutrients are destroyed. And then they are sold to us as “Nutrition Bars.”
We all lead busy lives. No matter how much we would like to make everything from scratch, time is often against us. Knowing that you can feed your family nutritious food even when you are too busy to make it yourself is so important for many of us. Especially when we are working long hours and raising a family or taking care of elderly relatives, volunteering, or taking care of any number of responsibilities.
For me, finding healthy foods while traveling has always been a big challenge. I am not willing to sacrifice my health just because I am on the road, so finding healthy premade snacks has been key for me maintaining a healthy lifestyle. So I decided to search out all of the healthy snack bars on the market today. I eliminated all bars that contain any unnatural or processed ingredients. I also eliminated all bars that contained any added sugars, food coloring, “natural” or artificial flavors, whey protein, dairy products and other unhealthy ingredients.
So I decided to search out all of the healthy snack bars on the market today. I eliminated all bars that contain any unnatural or processed ingredients. I also eliminated all bars that contained any added sugars, food coloring, “natural” or artificial flavors, whey protein, dairy products and other unhealthy ingredients.
These 9 healthy snack bars are what remained. Most of them are organic and raw or mostly raw. Additionally, below the list, I have ranked each bar based on price value and noted whether the ingredients are organic or not. To jump down to the price comparison click here.
The Best Healthy Snack Bars #1: Two Moms in the Raw Nut Bars
Two Moms in the Raw are my number one choice for healthy snack bars. They simply do not compromise on quality. If I was to personally make a Snack Bar to give to the world this would be exactly what I would make.
All Two Moms in the Raw bars are 100% organic, even the spices they use are organic. They are also Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Soy Free, Dairy Free, Vegan and Free of all Refined Sugars!
They are a true living food, which means they are completely raw leaving all nutrients, enzymes and antioxidants intact and available for your body. Living foods are easier to digest and the nutrients are more bioavailable. Additionally, all of the nuts and seeds are sprouted, further increasing their nutrient value. These bars are real food made the right way.
The Two Moms in the Raw Sprouted Bars come in several delicious flavors:
Cranberry Crush has some great ingredients to fight inflammation and is loaded with antioxidants. And to fight the signs of aging, go for the Goji berries in the Gotta Getta Gojiberry bar.
The Best Healthy Snack Bars #2: Raw Crunch Bars
Note: These bars contain honey.
Raw Crunch Bars are Organic, Non-GMO, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Completely Raw. This means that all of their live enzymes are still intact and all of the nutrition is still available for your body.
These Raw Crunch Bars are on the same quality level as the Two Moms in the Raw. They contain only real food and they are a raw living food. This means you get all the nutrient and antioxidant benefits from each ingredient.
These bars are rich in Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids which are essential for healthy brain function.
These tasty Raw Food Bars are Organic, loaded with antioxidants and Superfoods, and they come in several different flavors:
and a Variety Pack so you can try all 6 flavors
If you are having a hard time deciding, go with the Dark Chocolate Cherry, it is delightful. If your not a chocolate person, the Blueberry Lemon is fresh and delicious as well.
The Best Healthy Snack Bars #3: Lara Bars
Larabars have been around for quite a while now. They are all made with simple natural ingredients like Dates, Almonds, Cashews and Pecans. All of the flavors are created using real foods and spices, no artificial anything.
They are Dairy Free, Soy Free, Gluten Free, Vegan, and Non-GMO, but they are not certified organic. I love the simple ingredients, but I do wish they were Organic.
With more than 20 flavors of original Larabars available, you are bound to find a favorite.
Here are just some of the flavors available:
Or You can get a Variety Pack Here
Cherry Pie is my favorite flavor and the Lemon Bar and Blueberry Muffin flavors are excellent as well. But I have never had a flavor I didn’t like.
Organic Bars Now Available!
Larabars has just released 3 new Organic Bars with Superfoods. You can get a variety pack here. Their new flavors include Coconut Kale and Cacao, Turmeric Ginger and Beet, and Hazelnut Hemp and Cacao.
The Best Healthy Snack Bars #4: Amrita Protein Bars
Amrita Protein Bars are another great choice for a healthy snack bar. They are free from the 8 common allergens: Gluten, Peanuts, Soy, Dairy, Eggs, Corn, Fish, and Shellfish. They are also Vegan and most of their ingredients are organic.
Amrita Protein Bars are real food, sweetened only with fruit. They contain only real whole food ingredients. Amrita has even removed the maple syrup from their bars to minimize the sugar and focus on raw food ingredients. They never use any artificial flavors or chemical additives. Additionally, these bars make a great post workout snack or anytime you are in need of an energy boost.
Amrita Protein Bars are higher in protein than most of the other whole food bars. They use brown rice as their protein source and average 15 grams of protein in each bar. They make a great post workout snack or anytime you are in need of an energy boost. Many athletes use them as part of their training regime and they are particularly popular with road bikers who often need high energy compact snacks to refuel while riding.
They try to source organic ingredients for all their primary ingredients, but some of their spices are not organic.
Amrita Bars come in a variety of flavors:
All of their bars feature some form of superfoods, from Maca to Chia Seeds. They are also a good source of calcium thanks to the sesame seeds. Additionally, they are a good source of Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids thanks to their Chia Seed content.
Try the Pineapple Chia for a great anti-inflammatory bar or the Chocolate Maca for improved endurance.
The Best Healthy Snack Bars #5: Eat Nakd Bars
Eat Nakd Bars are based around just a few simple ingredients: Dates, Nuts, Raisins, and Spices. They are Wheat Free, GlutenFree, Dairy Free, GMO-Free, Raw, and Vegan!
They have two main varieties, fruit and nut bars and crunch bars. The crunch bars contain soy protein puffs, which I personally can not recommend as they are a processed food. So I personally would choose only the fruit and nut bars and avoid the crunch flavors.
These bars are not organic but they are Certified GMO Free. They are made by a company in Great Britain and are popular there but have only recently become available in the U.S.
My only other concern with these bars is that they are flavored with “natural flavors.” There explanation on their website for natural flavors is as follows: “The natural flavorings are simply all-natural flavors such as spices and extracts from ingredients like strawberries, raspberries, bananas, apples, nuts, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, peanut, etc.”
Since this is a product produced outside of the U.S. their standards and labeling are different than U.S. terms, therefore you will have to make your own judgment on what “natural flavors” may mean.
They have a large variety of flavors to choose from. Here are just a few of the flavors they offer:
The Best Healthy Snack Bars #6: Amazing Grass Green SuperFood Bars
Amazing Grass Green Superfood Bars are Organic, Non-GMO, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Raw. They all contain the Amazing Grass Superfood Blend which is also available in a powder form here. (If you are not taking the Amazing Grass Superfood powder yet, start today, you can thank me later 😉 ) The Amazing Grass Blend is highly alkalizing and loaded with antioxidants, which are potent disease fighters. As we know, diseases can not thrive in an alkaline body, so anything we can do to increase our bodies alkalinity is essential for disease prevention. (
The Amazing Grass Blend is highly alkalizing and loaded with antioxidants, which are potent disease fighters. As we know, diseases can not thrive in an alkaline body, so anything we can do to increase our bodies alkalinity is essential for disease prevention. (
Learn more about the importance of Alkalizing.
If you are not getting your pound a day of leafy greens, then the Amazing Grass Bars are for you. They contain a full complement of green superfoods including organic wheat grass, organic barley grass, organic alfalfa, organic spirulina, organic spinach, organic chlorella, organic broccoli, organic acai, organic maca, organic carrot, organic beet, raspberry, organic rose hips, pineapple, green tea, and organic flax lignans.
These healthy snack bars come in a variety of flavors:
These bars contain a lot of potent green foods, so their flavor is a bit grassy. If you are not used to taking a Green Superfood Supplement or eating a lot of leafy greens the flavor of these bars will take a bit of getting used to. But the nutritional benefits make it well worth it. Try the Original or the Berry Flavors, those are my favorites.
The Best Healthy Snack Bars #7: Go Raw Sprouted Bars
The Go Raw Sprouted Bars are 100% Organic, Raw, and Sprouted. They are a live food, with all of the natural enzymes and nutrients intact. These bars are also Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, and Vegan. However, they are quite small. They are about 1/3 the size of a Larabar making them the most expensive bars by weight. However, they are very high-quality ingredients and they are sprouted for maximum nutrition.
However, they are quite small. They are about 1/3 the size of a Larabar making them the most expensive bars by weight. However, they are very high-quality ingredients and they are sprouted for maximum nutrition.
These Go Raw Sprouted Bars are good if you are looking for maximum nutrition in a small snack or you are looking for a less sweet snack. The base of these bars is sprouted buckwheat groats, making them crisp, rather than the soft chewy texture of most of the other bars. They are sweetened with dates or raisins or other fruits. Since they are more seeds than fruit they are a great choice for anyone who is in need of a low sugar snack.
For the biggest nutritional benefits try the Sweet Spirulina. Spirulina is a superfood with some amazing health benefits. Here are just a few benefits which scientist have attributed to spirulina, it speeds weight loss, reduced cholesterol, reduces your chances of Stroke, Heart Disease, and Cancer and it even detoxes heavy metals which can cause numerous brain disorders.
The Best Healthy Snack Bars #8: Simple Squares
Note: These bars contain honey.
Simple Squares are unique among the raw food bars because of their flavor choices. If you like to try new and interesting flavors than check out Simple Squares Chili Pepper, Cinnamon Clove or Rosemary flavors.
These bars are Organic, Gluten-Free, Non-GMO and they contain no artificial or synthetic ingredients. They contain only food that you could grow in your own backyard.
Studies have shown that a daily intake of 20 grams of honey prevents age-related mental decline and improves short-term memory. Honey is also an anti-inflammatory food, so these bars are great for arthritis suffers, especially the Ginger, Rosemary and Cinnamon Clove flavors.
The Best Healthy Snack Bars #9: Bearded Brothers
Bearded Brothers bars are mostly raw with just a few simple ingredients. With primary ingredients of Figs, Dates and Nuts you can feel good that you are eating only real foods. They flavor each bar with dried fruits, extracts, and natural spices, no artificial flavors, and no processed junk.
All of their bars are Vegan-Friendly, Certified Non-GMO, Soy-Free, and Gluten Free. Additionally, most of the ingredients in every bar are Organic and Raw.
Another reason to love these bars is that they all contain either Chia Seeds or Hemp Seeds which provide Omega 3 and 6 Essential Fatty Acids. A deficiency in essential fatty acids can lead to depression, ADHD and other autism spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder and many other diseases. Omega 3 deficiency is quite common in the traditional American diet and is a big contributing factor to our disease epidemic. Fortunately, it is easily remedied with tasty snacks like these healthy snack bars, or by incorporating Chia Seeds or Flax seeds into your daily diet.
Bearded Brothers Bars come in 6 flavors currently:
The Bodacious Blueberry Vanilla is their best seller but the Outrageous Orange Kale is an excellent choice if you want to try something different. It contains figs, dates, kale, beets, and cold pressed orange extract, so it is a great way to get in some more veggies each day!
Plus, an added bonus, their packaging is compostable, so while you are feeding your body, you are also helping to minimize pollution. It’s a win, win!
Value Per Ounce – Which Healthy Snack Bars are Most Affordable?
Below is how these bars rank according to their price per ounce. This is based on the current price at the time this article was published. Since these products are all natural products their prices will fluctuate with the price of commodities. Additionally, different flavors may be priced higher or lower than other flavors of the same brand. Therefore I have not included price calculations and this should just be used as a rough guide to help you choose which brands will best meet your health and budget needs.
Listed from Least Expensive to Most Expensive per ounce price
- Larabars – Not Organic
- Amazing Grass Green Superfood – Organic and Raw – Vegan
- Eat Nakd – Not Organic
- Two Mom’s in the Raw – 100% Organic and 100% Raw and Sprouted – Vegan
- Amrita Protein Bars – Organic and Raw
- Simple Squares – Organic and Raw – Not Vegan (contains honey)
- Bearded Brothers – Organic and Raw
- Larabar Organic Superfood – Organic
- Raw Crunch – Organic and Raw – Not Vegan (contains honey)
- Go Raw Bars – 100% Organic, Sprouted, and 100% Raw – Vegan
What are your favorite healthy snack bars? Comment below if you know of any other healthy snack bars or if you have any questions about the bars you typically buy. Also, I would love to hear what your favorite flavors are and which brands you like best.