Best Protein Snack To Buy
You want to eat right. You know the benefits of snacks with high protein content. You head to the store… And there are too many choices.
Reading labels is time-consuming and confusing.
We put together a guide to help you make healthy choices.
NOTE: Epic, now owned by General Mills, does not wish to be represented on this page. You will have to reach out to Epic directly for information. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
100% Real Food
We only put FOOD in our food! If you want to buy protein snacks that contain only real, wholesome ingredients consistently, choose Wild Zora, RX Bar, or Lärabar. These bars have no preservatives or "natural flavors" in them. Just food, plain and simple.
To avoid preservatives and other additives, stay away from Bricks Bar, The New Primal, Tanka, Krave Jerky, Perky Jerky, Cliff Bar, Mighty Organic, Wilde, and KIND.
100% Pasture Raised Meat
Wild Zora only uses 100% pasture-raised meat raised without antibiotics or added hormones. It's important to us that the meat comes from happy, healthy animals.
To buy a protein snack made only from pasture-raised meats, shop for Wild Zora, The New Primal, Bricks, Mighty Organic, and Wilde.
If pasture-raised meat is important to you, stay away from Tanka, Krave, and Perky Jerky.
100% US Domestic Animals
We only use meat from local farmers. Why? It eliminates the carbon footprint of international transportation. It also allows us to check the farming practices and well-being of the animals. We know the animals are treated well, not because of a fancy label, but because we visit the farms.
To support US farmers, buy Wild Zora or Tanka.
Other bars, such as Bricks, The New Primal, Krave, Perky Jerky, Mighty Organic, and Wilde, use meats from other countries or unspecified sources.
No Sour Taste (Lactic Acid)
Many protein snacks on the market will contain lactic acid starter culture. It is a preservative that can be derived from dairy. If you can’t tolerate dairy, you can try to look for products that use a plant-derived lactic acid starter culture. Unfortunately, most companies don’t disclose the type of lactic acid starter culture they are using on the packaging, so you have to do your research beforehand. On top of potentially aggravating your digestion, lactic acid tends to leave behind an unpleasant, sour taste.
To stay away from lactic acid, reach for Wild Zora, RX Bar, Lärabar, Krave Jerky, Cliff Bar, or KIND.
If you are concerned about lactic acid in your foods, stay away from Bricks, New Primal, Tanka, Perky Jerky and Mighty Organic.
No Sticky, Wet Texture
Wild Zora bars are soft and tender, but never wet or sticky. We don't put any sweeteners or sugars in our protein snacks. That's what makes our bars such a popular travel snack - they are easy to eat, as they don't stick to your hands or teeth.
For non-sticky, easy-to-eat snack, go with Wild Zora, RX Bar, Bricks Bar, Wilde, or KIND.
Some flavors of Krave jerky will be sticky. Consumers report stickiness or soggy, wet texture in Lärabar, Tanka and Mighty Organic snacks.
Organic Fruits & Veggies
At Wild Zora, we are determined to use only the best ingredients, so choosing organic fruits and veggies was an obvious step. Jerky doesn't have any fruits or veggies in it, which was one of the reasons we created Wild Zora bars - we wanted to have a complete, satisfying snack for our family and friends. The bars became so popular, we decided to share them with you, too!
Wild Zora and Bricks Bar are the only two on this list that use organic fruits and vegetables.
Family Business
Wild Zora is a true family business. Our product was originally created for our family. It is our promise to "make for you only real food that we give to our own children, family & friends." We stand behind our product 100%.
If you like to support family-owned businesses and not big corporations, go with Wild Zora, Bricks, or Cliff Bar.
RX Bar, Lärabar, The New Primal, Tanka, Krave, Perky Jerky, Mighty Organic, Wilde, and KIND are all owned by big companies.
Not Co-Packed
Co-packing basically means a place that will make and pack your product. It is convenient, but you relinquish a lot of control. Because we make Wild Zora bars in our own facility, we are involved in every step of the process. And because we only make Wild Zora bars in our facility, there is no risk of finding traces of allergens (such as nuts or soy) in our product.
Wild Zora and Cliff Bar are the only two companies that don't use co-packing.
Gluten/grain-free
Most products listed here are meat-based and won't contain any grains or gluten.
For gluten and grain-free, go with Wild Zora, RX Bar, Lärabar, Bricks, The New Primal, Tanka, Krave, Perky Jerky, Mighty Organic, and KIND.
Cliff Bars can contain traces of wheat.
Nut-Free
Nuts are a serious, potentially life-threatening allergen, so there are many people who have to avoid them. That can be difficult, because nuts are high in many important nutrients an they are a popular ingredient in many protein snacks you can buy today. We understand this problem and Wild Zora bars contain absolutely no nuts, not even trace amounts. Because we make the bars in our own facility, we know the nut cross-contamination is not possible.
Nut-free snacks include Wild Zora, The New Primal, Tanka, Krave, Perky Jerky, and Mighty Organic.
Soy-Free
Soy is one of the few plant-based sources of complete protein, and it's cheap, so it's a popular additive in many protein snacks. We decided to stay away from soy because it is a major allergen and it is suspected to cause hormonal imbalance and other serious health problems.
For soy-free snacks, reach for Wild Zora, RX Bar, Lärabar, Bricks Bar, Tanka, Mighty Organic, and Wilde.
Perky Jerky contains soy sauce and KIND bars have soy lecithin in them.
No Added Sugar/Sweetener
You know the feeling of the sugar rush and sugar crash. That's caused by foods with high glycemic index. Watching the impact added sugar in snacks had on our own children inspired us to create a different kind of snack - a meat and veggie bar. "Natural sweetener" is still a sweetener.
To stay away from added sugar, go for Wild Zora or RX Bar.
Some of the Lärabar products will have added sugar in them, make sure you read the labels.
The following products have added sugar or sweatenersrs in them: Bricks, The New Primal, Tanka, Krave, Perky Jerky, Cliff Bar, Mighty Organic, Wilde, KIND.
No Preservatives
Most products listed on the chart use the lactic acid starter culture as a preservative. Although it is a natural preservative, it gives food a sour taste and it's not something we wanted our children to eat on regular basis.
For truly natural snack without preservatives, get Wild Zora, RX Bar, Lärabar, Krave, and Perky Jerky.
If you want to stay. away from preservatives, avoid Bricks Bar, The New Primal, Tanka, Cliff Bar, Mighty Organic, Wilde, KIND.
AIP Options
We created a Mediterranean Lamb Bar with no nightshades, so it's a safe snack for people who follow the Autoimmune protocol. Recently, we added a new AIP flavor - Apple Pork. It's not only nightshade-free, we also made it without onions and garlic (allium-free).
For AIP- friendly snack, look for Wild Zora.
Paleo Certified
We four of our five flavors are Paleo Certified, as they contain no grains, legumes, or dairy.
To unleash your inner caveman, reach for Wild Zora, RX Bar, or The New Primal.