Answer: Yes.
The growing company produces a variety of energy bars and sports drinks. Their product Clif Bars are made with wholesome ingredients to sustain energy. Seventy percent of their purchased ingredients are certified organic.
During a long day of activities, outdoor events, or having no time for a meal, an energy bar gives you a quick recharge with the supplements needed for the body. It is packed with fat, protein, and carbohydrates in order to provide energy quickly. Clif Bars energy bars contain 9–11g of plant protein and carbohydrates that are perfect for you to fuel up. The company also had a number of varieties to choose from that are sold under five main headers. These are:
- Traditional Clif Bars
- Nut Butter Filled Clif Bars
- Fruit Smoothie Filled Clif Bars
- Clif Builder Protein Bars
- Clif Whey Protein Bars
Table of Contents
Traditional Clif Bars
These energy bars come in twenty varieties and are mostly vegan. These include:
- Iced Gingerbread
- Chocolate Chunk
- Caramel Toffee
- Dark Chocolate Almond
- Spiced Pumpkin Pie
- Chocolate Chip
- White Chocolate
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut
- Chocolate Brownie
- Cool Mint Chocolate
- Crunchy Peanut Butter
- Peanut Butter Banana
- Peanut Toffee Buzz
- Oatmeal Raisin Walnut
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch
- Coconut Almond Fudge
- Blueberry Pomegranate Mix
- Nuts & Seeds
- Apricot
- Carrot Cake
Peanut Butter & Honey is the only non-vegan variety of Traditional Clif Bars. As the name suggests one of its ingredients is honey which is extracted from bees and is avoided by many vegans.
These products are totally vegan-friendly and animal cruelty-free. Other varieties are Fruit Smoothie Filled Clif Bars with three flavors to choose from:
Fruit Smoothie Clif Bars
- Wild Berry Acai
- Strawberry Banana
- Tart Cherry Berry
These flavors do not contain meat, eggs, or other dairy ingredients, but some vegans are not into them, for it also contains palm oil. Palm oil in itself is a vegetable product, but many choose to avoid it due to how it exploits the environment and brings damage to the environment. The palm oil used in this product, as mentioned by the manufacturers, is sustainable.
Nut Butter Clif Bars
The Nut Butter Filled Clif Bars are a total vegan. The product also contains palm oil but it is free from dairy, eggs, and other animal constituents. Flavors include:
- Peanut Butter
- Chocolate Peanut Butter
- Chocolate Almond Butter
- Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
- Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter
- Caramel Chocolate Peanut butter
- Blueberry Almond Butter
You might be wondering what proteins and protein bars do to your body. Some vegans avoid food with protein because they believe it to be non-vegan. Protein is essential to the body; it provides amino acids that help in building blocks of body tissue and serves as a good fuel source of energy. There are some good alternatives for protein in our diet that are safe and plant-based. Foods like:
- Seitan
- Tofu, Tempeh, and Edamame
- Lentils
- Beans
- Nutritional Yeast
- Spelt and Teff
- Hemp Seeds
- Green Peas
- Spirulina
- Amaranth and Quinoa
- Ezekiel bread and other breads made from sprouted grains
- Soy Milk
- Oats and Oatmeal
- Wild Rice
- Chia Seeds
- Nuts, Nut Butters, and other seeds
- Protein-rich fruits and vegetables
- Mycoprotein
Clif Builder Protein Bars
Protein is needed; the company had also made protein bars for their vegan consumers with ten popular varieties:
- Chocolate Mint
- Chocolate Peanut butter
- Chocolate
- Crunchy Peanut butter
- Vanilla Almond
- Cinnamon Nut Swirl
- Cookies n’ Cream
As the company proclaims to prioritize organic and plant-based ingredients, a few of the energy bars contain whey protein or honey. The whey protein bars have a light blue label and seem to contain dry milk powder that makes the product non-vegan.
Along with all the other ingredients at hand, the manufacturers of Clif Bars are responsible and have methods for environmentally sustainable production. There are some additional constituents that might be included in some of the Clif Bars including allergens like soy and nuts that are present in other flavors. The makers of Clif Bars have also made it clear that the product is vegan with no dairy ingredients unless specified and labeled on the packaging.
Clif Bar Ingredients
Clif Bars are considered a healthy snack. The ingredients in a Clif Bar vary depending on the flavor, but these include:
It contains three sugars, maltotriose (52%), maltose (45%), and glucose (3%). Brown rice sugar syrup is derived from extracted cooked brown rice.
- Rolled oats
Rolled Oats are lightly processed whole–grain food and are among the healthiest grain with a great source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
A protein isolated from soybeans and made from soybean meal that has been dehulled and defatted.
- Cane sugar
It is often considered to be non-vegan since animal-derived bone char is used to refine cane sugar. However, only the refined variety of cane sugar is non-vegan. The other varieties like, organic, unrefined, natural, or raw, are vegan-friendly.
- Soy flour
Ground from roasted beans, soy flour is a high protein and gluten-free flour.
- Rice flour
A form of flour made from finely milled rice, either white rice or brown rice. It is a common substitute for wheat flour.
- Oat fiber
Oat fiber is the inedible hull, hulk, or outer shell of the oat grain.
It is an almost entirely insoluble dietary fiber that the body cannot digest any nutritional value and passes through the intestines undigested.
- Sunflower oil
All sunflower oils are 100% fat and contain vitamin E, a fat-soluble nutrient that protects cells from related damage. The unsaturated fats may reduce risk and benefit heart health.
- Sea salt
Produced by the evaporation of ocean water or saltwater from lakes, sea salt is often promoted as healthier than table salt. It is less processed than table salt and keeps the minerals.
Vitamins and Minerals in Clif Bars
A single bar also contains other vitamins and minerals that the body needs to fully function and stay healthy, such as:
- B Vitamins
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D2
- Vitamin E
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Phosphorus
- Potassium
Are Clif Bars Healthy?
Having the right ingredients and vitamins to help fuel the body, Clif Bars contain a blend of complex carbohydrates for sustained energy and simple carbohydrates that your body can break down easily for instant energy. The bar is high in carbs and an easy-to-go food that you can find at the grocery stores. But consuming these wonder bars, is it healthy for you?
Because of their nutritional content, they are not an ideal healthy snack for all conditions. With a higher amount of carbs and sugar found in bars, consuming too much of it can lead to illnesses such as obesity or diabetes. A Clif Bar contains an average of 40-45g of carbohydrate per bar, an average of 20g of added sugars, and 7g of fat which equates to 63 calories.
Conclusion
Clif bars should not be used as a meal replacement and should not be eaten on a daily basis. It has only 260 calories and is not enough for the body to be considered a full meal for an active individual.
The energy bars are designed for people who have moderate to intense activities that last more than an hour. It is considered a healthy snack, yet it depends on the body, and the day-to-day activities a person is doing. Considering how the bar can supplement you with energy in an instant, you must be fully active so that it can replenish nutrients correctly in your body.
These bars are easy to grab and can be your energy supplier at hand, especially when you are going for outdoor and or intense activities. But a single human body needs nourishment from all kinds of food, and choosing to eat whole foods is still the most effective way to gain vitamins, minerals, and energy.
Knowledge is power, and doing what is best for your body can only benefit no one, other than you. We choose to make our daily life easier at our own pace and we intend to seek effective ways that will help us as we live in a hustle and bustle environment. Choosing what is best for your body and being healthy are some of the key components of a happier life. So choose wisely and choose healthily!