Alpha Bar (Vanilla Cream Crunch) – Review

I have been having Alpha Bar (Vanilla Cream Crunch) post-workout and as a midnight snack, preparing for this review. What makes for a great product is its consistency in ensuring quality. I have taken the time to prepare for this review and with each bite that was taken, different aspects were observed to ensure that if you’re looking for your go-to protein bar, could this be it?

If you do not ever buy protein bars, you should try them when you can. It could be best when you’re getting into supplements, they could be the gateway to buying your first whey protein supplement.

Reviews on other Alpha Bars have been, which you can check out here. The criteria that will be looked at:

1. Some Extra Value
2. The Amount of Protein
3. The Taste of the Protein Bar
4. Carbs and Fat Content
5. The Rating

1. Can You Eat Protein Bars Without Working Out?

Protein bars like the Alpha Bar can be considered a bridge between whey protein powder and a sweet chocolate snack. For this reason, people may be skeptical about if they should eat them if they are not working out, this can come from a result of some supplements having side effects that result in someone’s body to swell. Lucky for you, protein bars do not do this to you.

Some protein bars may have a lot of whey that may cause you to bloat or even get muscle cramps temporarily. The Alpha Bar hasn’t caused this for the time that I have used it and it is free from soy / preservatives / gluten which can be allergens for some people.

They are meant to act as supplements to help you increase your protein intake regardless of if you work out or not. It’s nutritional value should be your main priority.

2. The Amount of Protein

This Alpha Bar contains slightly a bit more protein than the other flavours Alpha Sports Nutrition has to offer, with it having 19.4 g of protein per serving.

The closer that any protein is to 20 g per serving makes it a great option as a protein snack because the dietary reference intake (daily recommended intake) is 0.8 g or 3.6 oz of protein per kg of body weight and 20 g makes for a decent amount of your protein covered with that one snack.

It being slightly higher in protein probably also plays a role in its calorie count being higher than the other two with 237 calories.

3. The Taste of the Protein Bar

A common ingredient in most protein bars is the chocolate coating that it comes in, giving it a sweeter taste and sometimes covering the taste of the whey protein that usually comes off with every bite.

This one using about a 15% milk chocolate coating, it provides a decent taste that isn’t too sweet, while the inside has protein blends and crisps that provide the vanilla cream crunch flavour.

I am not a big vanilla protein bar fan, but this one is good and its simplicity in its taste and texture reminds me of the USN Pro Protein Bar.

4. Carbs and Fat Content

When you know that there’s a chocolate coating, you’d expect the snack to be high in sugar, but most protein bars contain polyols or sugar alcohols which are types of sweeteners that contain less calories than table sugar (sucrose) found in normal chocolate bars. This one is no different containing xylitol and erythitol.

As you can see above, it contains less than half (6.4 g) of the total amount of carbs, while the other carb content comes from polyols. The total amount of fat is 8.8 g with 5.6 g coming from saturated fats which are fats sourced from animals, while the other 3.2 g being other forms of fat. These are relatively low amounts, which aren’t a cause for concern.

The Rating

The high protein content and the beauty that comes with simplicity is great about the Alpha Bar (Vanilla Cream Crunch). The price it’s going for is R26.99 at Spar and R28 on their website. I believe that most protein bars are overpriced.

If this one is R28 per quality serving of protein at 19,4 g or 20 g that would mean that if it were to be a 30-serving whey protein tub or even a month’s supply, it would mean it’s over R800 for it.

It is a good protein bar, the Alpha Bar (Vanilla Cream Crunch), but I think it is a tie between this one and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream flavour with an 8/10.