Costco Is My Go-To For Protein
Costco is the place I start my grocery shopping every weekend. I wrote a post about 8 healthy purchases I make at Costco but that is just a few of the items I buy. I eat a lot of protein and Costco is a great place to load up on a variety of meat. I fill my cart up with Chicken, steak, breakfast sausage, and eggs. I try and get a majority of my protein from "whole" sources but it is not always convenient. Now if you read my reviews you know I get some of my protein from drinking Huel Meal Replacements. It's a great no-frills plant-based shake that fills gaps in my daily nutrition when getting in a whole meal isn't possible (or a pain in the ass to do so). Then there are times when mixing up that shake and putting it in a cooler when I leave the house won't cut it. I'm looking for the laziest, easiest, and most portable option for a protein-rich snack. In those situations, a Pure Protein Bar is my answer and Costco is the place I load up on them.
Pure Protein Bar Nutrition
When you buy the Pure Protein Bars at Costco you obviously are buying in bulk (23 bars) and they come in a variety pack-Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Deluxe, and Chewy Chocolate Chip. There is a little variation in calories but for the most part, they have the same nutritional breakdown. This is the breakdown for the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar:
Calories | 200 |
Fat | 7 Grams |
Carbohydrates | 17 Grams |
​Protein | 20 Grams |
So right away you can see its low in calories at 200. There are bars out there that have more protein but usually have many more calories. From a macro perspective, this bar fits in for a person who is trying to keep calories low (weight loss) and still keep protein high(like me!).
Does it Taste Good?
It tastes good for a protein bar, but it doesn't taste like one of those bars that are loaded with sugar. There are three flavors in the variety pack at Costco and I think my favorite flavor is the Chocolate Peanut Butter. My least favorite is the Chocolate Deluxe but even that is tolerable. The good news is the variety pack has more Peanut Butter bars than the other two flavors.
Other Bars at Costco
I think I've had every other protein bar Costco currently has on their shelves. Some are okay and some are just bad. Here are a few others you'll see down the same aisle as the Pure Protein Bar:
The jacked reality tv show guy has a protein bar. If you're looking for a bar that tastes most like a candy bar this is the one to go with. You'd think it actually be loaded with sugar and fat but not really. It comes in at a respectable 190 Calories, 8 grams of fat, 14 grams of carbs (3 grams of sugar), and 16 grams of protein. It's lower in protein so I'll skip it unless Costco is running a sale on it that month!
These bars taste like you're eating a flavored rice crispy treat. Again the numbers aren't terrible with 150 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 14 grams of carbs (1 gram of sugar), and 15 grams of protein. I'm usually focused on how many total grams of protein I'm eating a day so I'll opt for the bar with 5 grams more.
These are the bars that I think are a direct comparison to the Pure Protein Bars. They have 180 calories, 6 grams of fat, 23 grams of carbs (2 grams of sugar), and 21 grams of protein. I give the Pure Protein Bars the edge just because they taste a little better. I do like to save a buck so when Costco does run a sale on these I'll opt for these instead.
My Power Snack
When I'm not having a Huel meal replacement shake for a snack and I opt for a Pure Protein Bar I like to pair it with a Chobani Non-Fat Greek Yogurt. I already included the Chobani in the blog post about my 8 healthy buys there. Couple those two and you get 310 calories, 7 grams of fat, 32 grams of carbs, and 32 grams of protein. I'm getting a nice dose of protein for a snack and it does feel like I'm having a dessert too.
Price and Value
They taste pretty good and are nutritionally sound but are they a good buy? If you have a Costco membership the answer is YES! I got a 23-count variety pack for $23.89. That works out to $1.03 a bar which is a pretty good value for a snack that packs 20 grams of protein per serving. If you go on Amazon they have a 12-pack for $16.09. That's about $1.34 per bar. It's not a huge difference but when you are buying a couple of boxes a month the savings add up!
Are You On The Go?
If I'm going out shopping or taking my son to soccer practice I'll grab at least one and put it in the center console of my truck. I think it will be 1-2 hours and it ends up 3-4 hours before I get home. It's not fun to be driving all around town starving because things are dragging on longer than you thought they would. These bars make sure I'm going to get my protein in with zero excuses. If you have a Costco Membership and need portable protein in your life give them a shot. For me, they are my quick fix when my life goes sideways!