A couple of months ago I received a lovely parcel full of goodies from the team at Reflex Nutrition. Inside the box was the protein coffee (which I loved and am now addicted to, check out my review if you want to find out more) and a box of each flavour of the new R Bar Flapjacks. I have to admit that I was super excited by the flavours, all of which appealed to me.
I was informed at the time that Reflex's primary drive with the flapjacks was to produce a quality product in terms of being nutritionally sound. It was never intended to be a confectionary type bar, instead Reflex say that their "protein flapjacks offer unrivalled quality, incorporating nutritionally uncompromised ingredients. Each bar contains 18g protein, 7g fibre, 21g low GI carbohydrates, and just 2g sugar to keep you sustained before and after your training." If you want any more information on the thought process behind the flapjack bars, please pop over to their blog.
The first thing I noticed when I unwrapped the bars, was just how little they looked like traditional flapjacks. I had a horrible flashback to the PhD peanut butter bar at the beginning of the year, and hoped I could stomach them better.
Fortunately, all of the bars are soft, although they taste much more like traditional protein bars than traditional flapjacks. I much prefer them once warmed through in the microwave for 20 seconds -the same way I like my Quests & Carb Killas. My biggest issue is that the flavours in the Cherry Almond and Apple & Blackberry bars aren't very strong at all, meaning that they disappear somewhat against the more prominent taste of the milk protein. I appreciated that the fruit flavour comes from real freeze dried fruit, but it accounts for only 1% of the ingredients, so it's unsurprising that it lags behind. The Cherry Almond bar is also slightly oily to the touch, but it didn't taste greasy in the slightest.
My absolute favourite bar by a country mile is the maple syrup, which was far bolder in taste. I love this bar warm, and it's one that I really look forward to. As far as macros go, the R Bar Protein Flapjacks are a winner, and as a bonus they're 'clean' and very filling after a good work out. You can buy them from any reputable sports retailer, my favourite being Cardiff Sports Nutrition (where you can buy them for just £1.49 per bar).
Maple Syrup: 8/10
Cherry Almond: 6/10
Apple & Blackberry Crumble: 5/10
*A huge thank you to Reflex for sending me the samples to review.
A few Fridays ago I visited my sister in the Welsh Capital, and was fortunate enough to have the afternoon off. I used the opportunity to head down early so that I could make the pilgrimage to the famous wall of peanut butter -AKA Cardiff Sports Nutrition. As you all know by now, peanut butter pretty much pumps through my veins -I've had it every single day in 2016, and that's absolutely true- so CSN is my idea of absolute heaven, I've never seen so much PB in one place. The last time I visited I was on a mission to buy a jar of PB Crave Coco Bananas, and wasn't working out, so forewent the massive array of sports supplements. This time, I had a good look at what was on offer, and was lucky enough to receive some samples of a new range of bar that CSN has recently started stocking: BPI's 'Best Protein Bars'.
With so many protein bars, flapjacks and shakes on the market, how do BPI compare? They say...
"Tired of eating protein bars that taste like cardboard? Those days are a thing of the past! BPI Sports’ BEST PROTEIN BAR™ is not only packed with nutrition, but it tastes amazing! With four delicious flavors to choose from, like Cookies and Cream, S'mores, or Cinnamon Crunch, you're sure to find your new favorite protein bar, for the best snacking experience, anytime, anywhere!"
I had been given two sample size bars: one cookies and cream and the other S'mores. I've tried both of the same flavours in the Quest range so I was keen so see how they compared. The guys promised me that they tasted good -and also agreed that the B-Up bars are vile.
Looks wise, they looked very similar to Quest, and nutritionally they're close too with 20g of protein per full size bar, whilst being low carb and gluten free.
Cookies & Cream
This flavour was good, and even better once warmed in the microwave. In fact it was darn similar to Quest's bar, and contained lots of chunks too (after all, we all want a bit of chunkporn!)
8/10
S'mores
Wow, now this was a bar that was very different to Quest. There was a strong scent of cinnamon, which also came through in the taste too. There was harder, biscuity like chunks dotted about which gave it a lovely textural edge. If you're a fan of the Combat Crunch Cinnamon flavour, I definitely suggest that you give this bar a whirl. One of the best protein bars I've had.
9/10
If you want to try some of your own, please head over to CSN's website where they'll even give you free shopping on orders over £19.99. Thanks to Matt & Marc at CSN for the samples!
