No Offense, But These Two Protein Bars are Not the Best!
Luckily, FortiFX has You Covered.
Fad Diets
As an "Elder Millennial," I feel safe admitting I grew up feeling lost in the ever-changing world of health and fitness. From low-fat everything to restrictive diets, the 90s did a number on my perception of nutrition and desirable aesthetics.
My family was busy and enjoyed keeping up with whatever the gossip rags noted was the "next best diet." So, when protein bars ran hot off the press as all the rage, we dove right in.
At a point in my childhood, my mom would eat a specific bar geared toward women instead of lunch. My dad would eat a bar designed for men in hopes of preventing himself from overeating at dinner. As a middle schooler in club volleyball and basketball, I also had a bar deemed appropriate for my changing body and busy schedule.
I can't believe we just accepted this! 🙈
We Just didn't Know Better
I'll let you in on a little secret - I'm not sure we ever actually read the nutrition labels. Heck, if so and so celebrity was endorsing it, it had to be fine…right?
Ugh, so wrong - like parachute pants, margarine instead of butter, frosted tips, skeletal models, and skinny eyebrows.
I'm also sure we barely tolerated the taste and rarely felt satiated. I'm honestly surprised Hangry wasn't a common phrase until recently because we were the epitome of it.
Today, we can reflect on fad diets and laugh at our past antics.
We've got access to so much more information now, and it's hard to reflect on how much we didn't know.
I don't think protein bar creators intended to have us pretending to enjoy our cardboard covered in chocolate meal replacements, we just didn't know better!
Clean Food
Clean eating is a convoluted phrase that can mean different things. To help us understand the best general understanding of clean eating, we can look at data collected in this survey from the International Food Information Council.
The IFIC notes that clean eating involves providing your body with nutrients from fresh/organic fruits/veggies, simple ingredients, and low on highly processed junk.
But wait, I thought products intended for the fitness and health industries meant I was eating clean?
Thankfully, today it can - with FortiFX!
But, not all protein bar brands hold true to the values of clean eating.
No Offense, but These Two Bars Just Ain't It
I promise I was right there with you!
In 2012 I was fresh out of college and in the midst of navigating my approach to fitness.
You could find me pretending to know my way around my local budget gym, avoiding the weight room, regrettably baking myself in the tanning bed, and thinking about my next meal.
It was a constant battle of eating a delicious burrito or a "game-changing protein bar."
That same year, Quest came out with a chocolate chip cookie dough protein bar. My dream dessert but for dinner! Only, it wasn't. In fact, I probably should have just had the burrito.
With claims to help curb cravings, low carbs, and providing a great source of fiber, I was in!
Quest lasted in my lineup for a short while, but I finally figured out they were causing me to feel like @$$.
Back to the drawing board, surely protein bars wouldn't take up an entire aisle at the grocery store if they weren't healthy. (Insert eye roll here).
As time evolved, I opened up to new protein bars, granola bars, protein powders, supplements, "healthy" cookies, and more.
Such a sucker!!!
I eventually encountered another protein bar at the recommendation of a friend - Built Bars.
As a new and exhausted teacher, I would take a simple meal replacement protein bar in exchange for more time to get $h!t done in my classroom.
The flavor was mildly tolerable, and the ingredients seemed more transparent and less feel-like-crap inducing. But as a texture person, these were NOT it!
Even worse, talk about melts in your hand and tummy troubles, freaking again.
It's Not What You Think
Y'all, not only were these bars not comparable to my favorite ice cream flavors, but they were also trash for my body.
Upon investigation, I learned that not all protein bars are created equally. In fact, in 2020, Built Bars stopped production to launch an updated version of the brand. Umm? WTF was wrong with what I had been putting in my body before?
Let me enlighten you on my concerns about these bars (and, honestly, some other unmentioned brands)
- These bars claim to help with daily fiber intake, but did you know the source is an isolated fiber that can cause digestive issues and the desire to eat more sweets? I thought the goal was to curb hunger, not add to it 😡
- Most people aren't "Karens," so it shouldn't be a challenge regarding customer service. Regrettably, these bars (and a few others) have a commonly shared complaint about customer service. With reviews claiming bars taste like chalk, cardboard, Playdoh, or even plastic wrap, one would hope for honorable customer service. I'll be damned if I'm going to spend my hard-earned money on something that doesn't offer value to my life.
- Shall we discuss flavors that fail to deliver? If you promise me a bar that tastes like some of my favorite desserts, it's essential to fulfill your claim. While I understand protein bars were initially catered to bodybuilders and fitness pros to hit macro targets, it doesn't mean they should still taste awful.
- Product recalls, yuck! In June 2022, Built Bars recalled over 4,000 bars due to potential contamination and severe health risk.
- Missing pieces and missing ingredients. Do you remember the candy AirHeads? We used to take them and shake them back and forth to make them shrink and fatten. I guess some protein bar companies have found whatever that magic ingredient was because there are some pretty harsh words about bars not showing up in the size they are supposed to. Even worse, some are missing key ingredients listed on the flavor profile.
- Foul aftertaste 🥴 We're already unsure about the flavor profile at first bite, but post-swallow, I don't need to continue to question what I'm eating.
- Unethical practices. I'm hot here to laundry list some disturbing information about various protein bar brands, but I suggest doing your own internet search to see what's happening behind the brand name.
Feeling Taken Advantage Of?
What if I told you your health and fitness journey doesn't have to be a bland struggle?
Game Changer
FortiFX founder Sean Perich has helped countless brands and entrepreneurs to become successful in the health and fitness industry, but he also knew when it was time to take control.
No more working behind the scenes of someone else's vision, Sean was ready to take all of his efforts and wealth of knowledge to make a genuinely good protein bar.
Don't Suffer with Half-@$$ed Flavor Profiles.
Craving chocolate? Sean made a decadent chocolate protein granola bar that will leave your tongue and your stomach happy, happy, happy.
Peanut butter fiend? FortiFX crafted a protein granola bar bursting with peanut buttery deliciousness that will leave you excited for the next day's bar.
Are you looking for a little extra crunch? Sean's got you covered too! FortiFX Chocolate Pretzel will satisfy all your senses.
Perhaps a divine Honey Almond FortiFX protein granola bar is right up your alley?
Let's not forget the up-and-coming Fall 2022 flavors: strawberries and cream, s'mores, and chocolate peanut butter. No, this is not a dream!
Sean's Got You Covered!
Not only does FortiFX pride itself on amazing flavors but on providing excellent customer service. Seriously, Sean wants his people to be stoked about his revolutionary creation. The FortiFX website makes it easy to know what to expect of your bar, how to be part of the team, and where to look if you need support.
If you're looking for a bar with no hidden business practices, great flavor, and customer service at its forefront, look no further than FortiFX.
Too good to be true? Try FortiFX here to experience a protein bar like no other!
