In my quest to find the best protein bar on the market, today I’m breaking down THriV Organic Food Bar
But first things first…
According to their website:
“Organic Food From The Planet To The People” was our mission statement back in the late 90s, when we created a brand new category.
Organic Food Bar™ products were the first certified organic, raw, vegan, gluten-free, and kosher whole food bars on the market.
Created for extreme athletes and everyday people, Organic Food Bar™ was designed to combine earth's most nutritionally dense superfood ingredients in one portable, life-sustaining package.
Extreme athletes and everyday people seem like opposites (in terms of their nutritional needs, specifically sugar and glucose), but I’ll let it slide for now.
Why? Because I agree with using “nutritionally dense superfood ingredients” in a protein bar.
But is that really the case?
Well… only one way to find out.
THriV say this about their food bars:
“A vibrant, raw plant-based source of super foods combined into an alkaline forming meal for those on the go. This is what we like to call “organic food from the planet to the people,” and there is no better Protein bar on the market. This big 75 gram bar packs 20 grams of raw organic protein!”
No better protein bar, huh?
Only their ingredient list will tell us the real story.
Let’s put these ingredients into an easy to read list.
As might already know, the FDA requires food manufacturers to list their ingredients in order by weight.
So, the THriV bar is full of organic rice protein and dates. The rest of the ingredients also look pretty good. Everything except the IMO syrup (More on that later).
But the biggest issue anyone could have with this bar is sky high sugar content. Even though total sugar is listed as 23g, net carbs will give a better picture. There’s only 4g of fiber which means…
Net Carbs = 31 grams
That’s a lot!
Especially when the bar itself is 75 grams.
If only there were a better way to create protein bars that aren’t just candy bars in disguise. (Foreshadowing)
Now…
Let’s go back to another problem in this bar:
Organic IMO Syrup (Isomalto-Oligosaccharides)
Most IMO Sources are Not “Natural”
There’s no debating that IMO occurs naturally in some foods. But it’s not economically feasible to extract IMO from whole foods on a large scale, so most commercially-available IMO syrups are manufactured from starch using an enzymatic process.
Because of their lower price points, these industrial, starch-based IMO sources are what you will find in the vast majority of the “healthy, low-carb” bars on the market.
Also…
Industrial IMO Can Spike Blood Sugar
A 2017 study in the Journal of Insulin Resistance aimed to investigate the impact of IMO consumption on blood glucose, insulin and breath hydrogen responses in healthy men and women. The results of the study showed that IMO consumption led to a rise of nearly 50 mg/dL in blood glucose, with a five-fold rise in insulin at 30 minutes.
But that’s not all. Another 2017 study by the Journal of Food Science on IMO clearly stated:
“Analysis of the results with respect to digestibility suggests that the potential glycemic impact of the ingredients and products containing "industrial" IMO may be inconsistent with the product labeling and/or certificates of analysis with respect to overall fiber content, prebiotic fiber content, and glycemic response and are thus inappropriate for diabetic patients and those on low-carbohydrate (for example, ketogenic) diets.”
In other words, IMO does not function purely as prebiotic fiber and has been shown to significantly spike blood glucose in some individuals!
The problem with the THriV bar is too much IMO syrup (Isomalto-Oligosaccharides). Even though it’s “organic,” IMO still spikes your blood sugar levels and is not fiber. Other than that the ingredients look pretty good.
Which is why you can try the THriV Food Bars if you’d like. It’s a perfectly average bar.
But if you’re looking for a real protein bar without sugar alcohols and sourced from 100% real food ingredients, see below. 👇
Unearth the cleanest protein bars you can buy right now. (Some might even have superfoods)
Read MoreAt Protein Bar, we’re committed to helping you look and feel your best, which starts by raising the bar (pun intended) in the nutrition industry. We're currently in stealth mode, but you can join our waiting list to receive exclusive access to new products and become a beta tester!
