RXBAR

What Is RXBAR?

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the ingredients in their food, and the RXBAR is one of many energy bars on the market today that claims to make it easier to make smart decisions about what you eat.

According to the company website, these bars are designed to be as transparent on the outside as they are healthy on the inside.

Each bar’s packaging highlights precisely what it contains and (more importantly) what it doesn’t. Exempt ingredients include dairy, soy, added sugars, gluten and artificial ingredients.

RXBARs got their start in CrossFit culture, where they are considered a whole food alternative to processed protein bars. “RX” comes from the CrossFit term for completing a workout to a high standard, which the company uses to symbolize that they don’t cut corners.

The company website makes it clear that it won’t make over-the-top claims about its bars or advertise them as a solution for stellar health. Instead, it chooses to be transparent about the ingredients to help consumers make more informed snack choices.

Do RXBARs live up to their pure food claims? Let’s look through the ingredients list to find out.

RXBAR Ingredients

It's clear to us that most of RXBARs are nutritionally similar to each other after looking at the ingredients lists for different flavors.

The front of each RXBAR wrapper lists just a few ingredients, usually egg whites, nuts, and dates. However, the back lists the other ingredients specific to each flavor, which often includes different fruits, seasonings, and even natural ‘flavorings’ (more on that later in the article).

Below, we’ll go through the main nutritional advantages of the most common ingredients used in RXBARs:

Egg Whites: Each RXBAR relies on egg whites as its main protein source, evidently because they are cholesterol-free and an easy form of protein for the human body to absorb. Egg whites are also a source of complete protein, meaning they provide the body with the amino acids it needs to build muscle, hair, and nails.

Dates: RXBARs rely on dates for their naturally sweet, sticky texture to keep them together. High in fiber and coming in at 10 percent of daily carbohydrate requirements, the dates in each bar are considered by the company to be a nutritious way to consume carbs.

Nuts: Most RXBARs contain either pecans, cashews, almonds, or peanuts to add essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fats to each bar. They are also used to improve texture and keep you feeling full longer.

Cocoa and Cacao: Rather than relying on processed chocolate, many types of RXBARs are flavored with raw cacao powder and nubs to provide intense chocolate flavor without the added sweeteners.

Fruit: Besides dates, RXBARs are infused with fruits like apples, blueberries, and pumpkin to add texture and nutrition.

Spices and Natural Flavors: Many RXBARs are flavored with spices like cinnamon and sea salt. Some bars also include ‘natural flavors’ as a listed ingredient, which the company website claims come from purified extracts of spices, fruits, and vegetables, instead of synthetic or artificial sources.

However, we’ve found through the FDA that the term “natural” is not regulated for food products, so the term doesn’t have a legal definition that companies need to comply with when it’s used on an ingredients list.

Equally noteworthy is what these bars claim not to contain; namely, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and filler ingredients, which the overwhelming majority of nutritional experts (including Harvard Health, NutritonFacts, and the Mayo Clinic, to name a few) agree are bad for your body because they can lead to obesity, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.

The bars are also free of added sugar, dairy, soy, gluten, and all forms of “B.S.” (bad stuff).

It’s important to note that RXBARs aren’t organic or vegan, though they are paleo- and Whole-30 friendly, as well as lactose-free and gluten-free.

Are RXBARs Healthy?

The RXBAR website makes it clear that they don’t advertise their bars as a form of medicine and consequently make few claims about their health benefits. In fact, there isn’t any clinical evidence listed for the bars or the ingredients they contain.

However, we found the following nutritional information about each bar’s ingredients. All daily recommendations came from the American Heart Association.

• 200 to 220 calories each (depending on the flavor): this is about thirty calories more than the other bars we looked at, and come to approximately 10% of your recommended daily intake.

• 12 grams of protein: it’s best to shoot for .36 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, so a 150-pound individual needs about 54 grams.

• More than 20 grams of fiber: aim for at least 25 grams a day.

• The bars contain little saturated fat, with the peanut butter chocolate flavor containing the most at 2.5 grams. The American Heart Association suggests limiting your saturated fat intake to 13 grams a day.

Now let’s talk protein.

According to our research on medical websites like the Mayo Clinic, the protein source in energy bars can make a major difference in their overall nutritional profile.

To this extent, the RXBAR relies on egg whites and nuts, which Melissa Wdowik, director of the Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center at Colorado State University, recently told Wired that she considers the “gold standard” for protein because they contain all the amino acids your body needs and are easily absorbed.

Are There Potential Side Effects from Eating RXBARs?

Because RXBARs are formulated from natural ingredients, Dr. Michael Gregor, founder of Nutrition Facts, said there is little risk of suffering from negative side effects.

That being said, you should avoid these bars if you are allergic to soy, milk, eggs, peanuts and other tree nuts because they all either contain these ingredients or are manufactured in facilities that contain them.

How Much Do RXBARs Cost?

There are multiple ways to buy RXBARs, including on the company website. A single flavor box of 12 retails for $25.99 to $27.99, while a sample pack with six flavors goes for $27 to $42.99, depending on the flavors.

There is also an option to sign up for a 30-, 45-, or 60-day subscription.

Besides their regular product line, RXBAR also makes a kids’ bar that is slightly smaller than the standard versions (130 calories and 7 grams of protein) and comes in kid-friendly flavors like chocolate chip, apple cinnamon raisin, and berry blast.

These bars retail for $25 for 16.

The bars are also available in a variety of stores like Walmart and Target where they retail for about $6.99 for boxes of four.

Analysis of RXBAR Customer Reviews

So what do real customers think of RXBARs? Feedback is mixed. This product earned 3.1 stars after 17 reviews here at Highya, with just under 50% of shoppers saying they would recommend them to a friend.

We learned from these reviews that many people found the taste of RXBARs to be polarizing. Some found it too similar to a protein bar, while others thought they tasted like a delicious, healthy cookie.

A few people also wrote that the bars triggered stomach problems for them.

On the RXBAR website, each bar flavor has verified buyer feedback. Our survey of these found that most averaged about 4.5 out of 5 stars after several dozen reviews at the time of publishing.

Many customers left positive comments that the bar is one of the best they’ve had, one of their all-time favorites, and a staple on their pantry shelves.

Others praised how full they felt after eating each one and liked how fresh the bars tasted. Some reviewers found it difficult to chew and reported that they made their jaws hurt and got stuck in braces and/or dental work.

On Amazon, the bars had four-star average ratings after over 4,500 reviews.

We noticed that numerous reviewers noted that all the flavors they tried tasted too similar, which they attributed to the bar’s reliance on natural flavors, rather than synthetic (and consequently stronger) ones.

RXBAR vs. Other Protein Bars

Our research found a wide variety of pure ingredient-based protein bars on the market today. To make a comparison, we selected two with similar ingredients and marketing strategies to RXBAR.

The Larabar is a popular gluten-free protein bar that retails for about a dollar each (roughly half the price of an RXBAR). Like them, Larabars are also advertised as containing a handful of whole ingredients, like dates, peanuts, and other fruits and flavors.

While the bars are considered a quick, wholesome snack that’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and non-GMO, each bar contains just 5 grams of protein.

Compared to the 12 grams in each RXBAR, this means eating Larabars will likely make you hungry again faster because your body will burn through the protein more quickly than the other bar.

Likewise, Kind Plus bars are significantly lower in protein than RXBARs (they have just 4 grams per serving).

Of note, Kind Plus bars also contain about four grams of added sugar each (the American Heart Association recommends 30 grams a day or less) and over a dozen ingredients per bar.

The higher sugar levels aren’t necessarily viewed as a negative, as we also found through online reviews that many people preferred the taste and flavor options of Kind Plus bars over RXBARs. In general, these bars retail for $15 for a twelve pack.

The Bottom Line: Should You Try RXBAR?

So what’s our view on RXBARs? We believe that they offer a smart snack alternative to processed foods because of their reliance on nutritious ingredients.

As one of the few protein bars to rely on egg whites, these bars are a smart alternative for people that find cheaper protein sources to irritate their digestive system.

While not vegan-friendly, the bars are free of gluten, dairy, and synthetic ingredients, and they get their sweetness from fruits and cacao rather than added sugar and chocolate.

Though RXBARs are more expensive than the other protein bars we studied, they provide a bigger bang for your buck with their impressive 12 grams of protein each, and in a form that’s more bioavailable than the soy protein and other forms that are commonly used.

The company doesn’t claim that their bars will solve your health problems, but their commitment to transparency and reliance on quality ingredients means we feel comfortable recommending RXBARs as an energy source that contains the kinds of ingredients that health practitioners and dieticians recommend.