Energy bars are a convenient way to take in calories while you are competing or training, usually running or bicycling. They are meant to provide a large amount of calories (mostly carbohydrates) to working muscles in as little volume as possible.

So it’s much easier to carry an energy bar with you than normal food, which is not as calorie-dense. It also goes down faster. That’s really what it’s about – convenience. When training, you’re not eating food for enjoyment; you’re eating food for fuel. It’s more of an inconvenience than anything.

Energy bars should not be used as meal substitutes during a normal meal. They are no substitute for a healthy, well-balanced diet. (See: Energy Bars Aren’t Meant to Be Real Food.)

So when I review energy bars, I’m usually looking for high calories, plenty of carbohydrates, and more. I still favor more natural energy bars (few artificial ingredients and minimal processing,) but what I look for in an energy bar is not what I look for in normal health food.

Here are my energy bar reviews:

Energy bars.

Energy Bar Reviews

Tested: Clif Bar
Clif Bar is a classic energy bar that provides the standard energy bar nutrients, but actually tastes good. Here is my taste test and review Read more.
Tested: Clif Bar Holiday Seasonal Flavors
For the holiday season, Clif Bar releases some limited-edition flavors that match the goodies we love to chow down on during the holidays - gingerbread Read more.
Tested: Zoe’s Everyday Health, All Day Energy Bar
One of my latest energy bar purchases came from a company called Zoe's Foods. Looking over the packaging, it sounded like a cool company doing Read more.
Tested: Balance BARE Nutrition Energy Bar
Here's another one from Balance Bar. It's called the BALANCE BARE bar because it contains "real ingredients you can see and taste." To see if Read more.
Tested: SoLo GI Energy Bar
The SoLo energy bar is yet another energy bar to stock the shelves in the growing sports nutrition aisle - but it has a few Read more.
Tested: Peak Bar ‘Breakfast To Go’ Bar
Many years ago when I first started consuming the delicacies known as energy bars, there was this one giant bar called the Peak Bar. It Read more.
Tested: Quaker Simple Harvest Fruit & Nut Bar
As soon as I saw those bars, I was sure I was staring at what could be called "the low-price LARA BAR." According to the Read more.
Tested: Nutra-Fig Cheetah Bar Energy Bar
Lately I have been realizing that there is a world outside the Powerbar, and my latest find is the Cheetah Bar. While “Power” is good, Read more.
Tested: Dancing Star Chunks of Energy
Despite living in Massachusetts for four years, the Dancing Star food company (based in Buckland) and their “Chunks of Energy” managed to elude me. But Read more.
Tested: Detour Energy Bars
There’s no shortage of energy bars these days, but with the way some of them taste, I always welcome new varieties. So I was happy Read more.
Tested: LARABAR Energy Bar
A taste test and review of the Lara Bar energy bar. Read more.