Clif bars?
luvsubrooke
Posts: 85 Member
are these good or bad? Sometimes I will eat one to cure cookie/cake cravings-but they are really high in calories. Around 240-260 I believe. Thoughts?
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Clif bars are so so so so so good. I could eat 40. However, I eat one and fit it into my macros/calories. They have a decent amount of fiber and protein. There's good stuff in there. It depends on what your calorie goals are, though. I use them as snacks.0
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Clif bars are so so so so so good. I could eat 40. However, I eat one and fit it into my macros/calories. They have a decent amount of fiber and protein. There's good stuff in there. It depends on what your calorie goals are, though. I use them as snacks.
They definitely fit into my calorie goal per day. I'm a pretty clean eater and eat mostly fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. Super boring but it helps with cutting fat. The clif bars occasionally just keep me sane! Lol Id imagine it's better than a snickers bar or cookies bc of the protein and fiber values.0 -
Absolutely better than a Snickers!0
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I love the chocolate chip one0
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luvsubrooke wrote: »Clif bars are so so so so so good. I could eat 40. However, I eat one and fit it into my macros/calories. They have a decent amount of fiber and protein. There's good stuff in there. It depends on what your calorie goals are, though. I use them as snacks.
They definitely fit into my calorie goal per day. I'm a pretty clean eater and eat mostly fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. Super boring but it helps with cutting fat. The clif bars occasionally just keep me sane! Lol Id imagine it's better than a snickers bar or cookies bc of the protein and fiber values.
I fit them into my day as well. I REALLY like the cliff builder bars... Chocolate mint. Holy cow. Tastes like thise Girl Scout thin mint cookies. You know, the ones created by the devil himself? So yeah, I'm really glad I found these builder bars. They have more protein than the normal cliff bars as well.
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I like the Rise bars myself, Cliff bars are too sweet, IMO.0
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Their builder line of bars is my go-to bar as it's higher in protein than most. The chocolate mint flavor is pretty decent. It's no thin mint, but it's not cardboard, either.
As for the regular clif bars, the white chocolate macadamia is pretty good. I'll take one with me on long bike rides just in case I get in trouble.0 -
I love them, but they contain soy and other ingredients I have sensitivities, so they are a no-go food for me. It gives me the sadz every time I see them on the store shelf.0
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I do like Clif bars, but they are nearly as calorie-laden as the cookies/cakes you are trying to replace. I have a hard time fitting a whole one into my daily calories without giving up on 'real' food, so I usually try to limit myself to eating 1/2 of a bar as my mid-morning snack when I am out skiing.0
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Personally I'd rather spend the calories on ice cream, cookies or chocolate, but if you really like them, nothing wrong with them.0
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Crunchy Peanut Butter is my go to. They make a great filler when I'm coming in low on calories, or need a pick-me-up between meals.0
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I love cliff bars! I find they are better than regular cookies because of the fiber and protein in them. They actually satisfy my craving, where normal cookies just have me wanting more and more...and I lose control. Absolutely, eat these if you enjoy them but also try to get in a good workout! I use them for energy sometimes when I take an intense spinning class at my gym. I also love Kind Bars and Larabars, which are gluten free.
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Not sure if this helps but I found mini-clif bars at Wal-mart. They were about half the size of the regular bars and half the calories.0
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The ONLY flavor of clif bars I am iffy about is the brownie one. That one just seems a bit dry to me but every other flavor is awesome. Just have to be careful because they do 20 grams of sugar. And the Builder Bars are heaven!0
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They're not "good" or "bad," they're just tasty candy bars (which I guess makes them good?).
They have about the same amount of sugar though, so neither one is really better than the other. If you wanted quick-release energy you would be better off with a gel than a bar.0 -
When I want a sweet snack, I chose Quest Bars Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.. they're freaking amazing, you get tons of protein and fiber.0
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If you can get them in your area (or aren't opposed to ordering online), I'd suggest Quest bars instead. Taste is much better IMO and at less than 200 calories and at least 20g of protein for most of the flavours they're a lot easier to fit into a day than a Cliff bar.
But it's all down to your individual tastes really.0 -
clipartghost wrote: »They're not "good" or "bad," they're just tasty candy bars (which I guess makes them good?).
They have about the same amount of sugar though, so neither one is really better than the other. If you wanted quick-release energy you would be better off with a gel than a bar.
Well, gels weren't in the discussion.
Most of Clif bars sugars comes from the ingredients though so I would think would be slower to digest than the Snickers therefore better for a quick boost.
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Great protein and they taste pretty good! I have them for bike rides and in between meal time (if needed). Coconut chocolate chip is my personal favorite.0
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I love Clif bars but they are too high in carbs for me.0
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I go with Quest bars. They are delicious and 20 -21g of protein for 160 - 190 calories and over half your days fiber, really low on sugar too. I grab one after the gym on lifting days. I wish they were not so freaking expensive though.0
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luvsubrooke wrote: »are these good or bad? Sometimes I will eat one to cure cookie/cake cravings-but they are really high in calories. Around 240-260 I believe. Thoughts?
They are neither inherently good or bad...just because something has a lot of calories, that doesn't make them bad...a Cliff Bar actually has some good solid nutrition...caloric density has ZERO to do with nutritional density.
I often have them with a protein shake as a small breakfast substitution when I'm on the go on an early weekend morning (i.e. gotta get to the gym early or not at all)...I also like having one handy on my longer rides and when I'm out hiking in the mountains all day.
Also...and I guess it depends on your calorie goals...but really 250 calories isn't a whole lot of calories.0 -
I used to take them with me on long hikes, but they got expensive so now I make my own energy bars. They might be a bit caloric for a regular snack if you are petite and female, but they are a great portable energy source for hiking, biking, etc. Not sure about running; they might be a bit heavy in the stomach because of the fibre and protein.0
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MakePeasNotWar wrote: »I used to take them with me on long hikes, but they got expensive so now I make my own energy bars. They might be a bit caloric for a regular snack if you are petite and female, but they are a great portable energy source for hiking, biking, etc. Not sure about running; they might be a bit heavy in the stomach because of the fibre and protein.
Care to share your recipe?
and definitely not petite. I'm 5'10 with a pretty athletic build. I'm a runner, but at an incline. That counts as hiking right? lol
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I make my own energy bars too. My recipe is from Runner's World, modified by me:
Banana Oat Energy Bars / Makes 16
Ingredients:
4 very overripe bananas
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup peanut butter (optional – if omitting, add ½ cup oil)
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups rolled oats
1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup coconut (optional)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1-2 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)
1 ½ cups trail mix or nuts, chopped
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F, grease 13x9’’ baking pan
2. In a mixing bowl, mash bananas. Mix with sugar, peanut butter, oil and vanilla extract until smooth.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, coconut and oats.
4. Add banana mixture to oat mixture, mix until just combined.
5. Fold in trail mix, careful not to overmix.
6. Pour mixture into baking pan, and spread evenly. Bake for 22 - 24 minutes or until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
7. Individually wrap bars in saran wrap and store in fridge.
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luvsubrooke wrote: »MakePeasNotWar wrote: »I used to take them with me on long hikes, but they got expensive so now I make my own energy bars. They might be a bit caloric for a regular snack if you are petite and female, but they are a great portable energy source for hiking, biking, etc. Not sure about running; they might be a bit heavy in the stomach because of the fibre and protein.
Care to share your recipe? and definitely not petite. I'm 5'10 with a pretty athletic build. I'm a runner, but at an incline. That counts as hiking right? lol
I kind of wing it with measurements to get the consistency, but for 12 bars it's approximately:
Dry
200g rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 to1/2 cup pb2
Wet
5 oz dried cherries
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
12g chia seeds with enough water to make it a viscous gel but not solid (about 2 or 3x the volume of the seeds)
Almond milk as needed 1/4-3/4 cup
3Tbsp Agave syrup (ballpark)
1-2 Tbsp roasted hazelnut oil
Topping
1/2c chocolate chips
I put the dry stuff in a bowl, and the wet in the food processor just enough to cut up the cherries and roughly mix. I add this to the dry ingredients and stir, adding almond milk if needed until it is clumping together (but not wet) and blended.
I line a pan with waxed paper, spread it out, then put a second piece of wax paper over it and even out the mixture with my fingers. Add the chocolate chips, press them in so they don't fall off, then refrigerate.
It is a bit lower in protein than clif bars (5 or 6 grams) but you could easily add some protein powder to the dry ingredients. I would if there were a vegan one that didn't taste horrible.
I don't measure while I make it so if some of the amounts seem off, go with your gut over what I listed.
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They're good, but I'd rather have a serving of ice cream for those calories. There's not even much protein in them, so my "bar" snacks are Quest bars.0
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