For over 5 years I have been strength training which has made me really conscious of making sure I am eating a diet high in protein. I have been adding more and more protein to my diet; whether it’s lean meats, protein shakes/powders or protein supplements like bras. I try so many different brands and flavors of protein and there are a lot of factors that go into what I ultimately wind up purchasing over and over again. I have posted before about D’s Naturals dairy free bars and spreads and realized I never really did a dedicated post on the brand as a whole. I have included my purchases as part of haul posts but here we are today and I wanted to talk a little bit about what the bars and spreads. As the top of their glass nut butter bottles used to say, this brand is “No Bull”.

Product #1 The No Cow Bar by D’s Naturals

These bars come in a variety of flavors though in the beginning when they first hit the market they only carried Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip & Blueberry Cobbler. Since then they have repackaged their boxes to a smaller size which was a great idea and they added 2 additional flavors to the line; Mint Cocao Chip and Raspberry Truffle. I have to say my favorite flavor is the PBCC, you can’t really go wrong with a classic flavor like that, second up would be the Blueberry, next would be the mint and finally the raspberry. Not that I dislike any of them, but I prefer PBCC the most and the blueberry to me tastes like a Fig Newton which reminds me of my childhood lunch bag days and those are pretty awesome memories!

Ingredients:

Protein blend (brown rice protein, pea protein), isomalto-oligosaccharides (prebiotic fiber), glycerine, roasted cocoa nibs, peanut butter (peanuts, salt, palm oil), peanut oil, peanuts, cocoa butter, peanut flour, sea salt, erythritol, almonds, monk fruit extract, stevia.

Every D’s Naturals protein bar is:

• All Natural
• Vegan
• No Sugar Added
• Dairy Free
• Lactose Free
• Non-GMO
• High Fiber
• Gluten Free
• Soy Free
• Guilt Free

Let’s look at the macros of these bars:

Protein: 20-21 grams per bar of plant protein

Fat: ~4 grams of fat per bar

Carbs: 25 grams of carbs, 19 of which are fiber (high fiber bar) which means roughly 4-6 grams of net carbs per bar depending on the flavor

Sugar: 1 gram of sugar

Calories: 170-200 calories per bar

From a “feeling full” factor these bars always seem to hold me over whenever I am in a pinch and need to put something in my stomach between meals. I like to carry these with me in my purse in the event I am out shopping or doing errands and need something in a hurry. It prevents me from pulling over and grabbing something in a convenience store that has no nutritional value.  The high fiber allows me to feel full for awhile and digests slowly. For those of you who are lactose intolerant this bar is made with no dairy products; no milk, no whey protein. Many people who can’t consumer milk protein sources this plant based option might be good for you and easier on your stomach.

Each box of bars comes with 12 bars and is roughly $29.99. That puts each bar at around $2.49 – cheaper than a latte and better for you. The texture is very soft and like cookie dough if you let it get a bit warm. These bars don’t seem to harden up like other protein bars, even over time. I especially like them in the summer when they sit in the car for a few minutes and get nice and chewy!

Product #2: Protein Infused Almond Butter aka Fluffbutter

Now that I am following a ketogenic diet (high fat, moderate protein, low carb) I always keep my pantry stocked with peanut and almond butter. When their Fluffbutter first came out it was in 2 flavors, but now the flavors have expanded to included even more delicious names like brownie batter, creamy chocolate s’mores, salted caramel sundae and glazed cinnamon roll. (drool!) The Fluffbutter is super soft and fluffy and never hard. Many times when you get peanut butter or almond butter it is soft the first few uses and then it turns into a rock hard mess. This is super “fluffy” like peanut butter fluff we remember as kids. It goes on soft and doesn’t break apart your ezekiel bread (yours, not mine because I no longer eat bread on the keto diet, lol).

The Fluffbutters range in price from $10.99-$12.99 per jar. This is higher than your traditional peanut butter found in the grocery store, but you get what you pay for. These are protein infused so you get around 11 grams of protein per serving (2 tbsp is 1 serving).

Macros for 1 serving of Fluffbutter:

Protein: 11 grams

Fat: 16 grams

Carbs: 7 grams, 1 of which is fiber

Sugar: 0 grams of sugar

Calories: 210

Ingredients:

Peanuts, Organic Canola Oil, Organic Rice Protein, Xylitol, Pea Protein, Palm Oil (Sustainably Sourced), Natural Flavors, Salt, Monk Fruit, Stevia

Adding the protein almond butter to your protein shake gives you an additional 11 grams of protein, so for those of you looking to hit your macros by the end of the days these are good to have in your pantry. These are fine for vegans to use as well as the protein bars, and with the popularity of plant based proteins on the market this is a great option for non-dairy folks.

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