Are Pure Protein Bars Keto Friendly?

At the time of writing this post I’ve been on the ketogenic diet for over five years and logged over 250 blood ketone tests in an effort to estimate the effects of food and ingredients on my ketosis, including those in Pure Protein bars.

I think keto dieters naturally gravitate towards protein bars like Pure Protein's looking for a convenient sweet treat that won’t kick them out of ketosis, but are protein bars the right place to look? In this post, I'll evaluate Pure Protein bars, give them keto friendly grades, and see how they stack up against other low carb treats!

Savage Fuel Keto Friendly Grades:

• A: Completely compatible, positive or no impact on ketosis.

• B: Highly compatible, but don't go too crazy.

• C: Moderately compatible, be mindful and limit intelligently.

• D: Barely compatible, detrimental to ketosis and not recommended.

• F: Not compatible, overdo it just a little and kiss your ketosis goodbye.

Keto Friendly Grading Factors:

• Net Carbs per Serving: How many carbs are in this thing?

• Net Carbs per 100 calories: Since serving sizes often vary significantly, a net carb per 100 calorie ratio is a more consistent measure of keto-friendliness than net carbs per serving. Lower ratios are also an indicator of higher fat content because fat has more calories per gram than protein and carbohydrates.

• Sugar: Sugars have a higher glycemic index and larger negative impact on ketosis than other carbohydrates.

• Hidden Carbs: Hidden carbohydrates are based on the caloric values and glycemic indexes of ingredients sometimes classified as fibers or sugar alcohols.

• Easy to Overeat: Some foods are easy to over-eat and require extra willpower to limit overeating which is an important factor to consider.

• Nutritional Density: Foods that are relatively high in net carbs per 100 calories but are high in nutrition per calorie can still be worth eating like broccoli and cauliflower.

RULE of thumb for net carbs per 100 calorie ratio:
0-1 great, 1-2 ok, 2-3 caution, 3+ red alert

Pure Protein Bars Keto Friendly Grades:

Overall factors: These Pure Protein bars are sweetened by Maltitol, which is a sugar alcohol with a glycemic index of 36. (more than half the GI of table sugar) I'm counting 50% of the Maltitol in these bars as net carbs for simplicity, which is low-balling since it's closer to about 67%. Hidden net carbs from Maltitol is reflected in the net carb counts and grades below. The Pure Protein "PLUS" bars use Isomalto-Oligosaccharides too, in which case I'll be counting 50% of these bars fiber as net carbs. They're also low in nutritional density and easy to overeat.

• Birthday Cake: F-
  11.5g Net carbs per 200 calorie 50g bar
  5.8g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red++)
  3g Sugar
  

• Chocolate Peanut Butter: F-
  12g Net carbs per 200 calorie 50g bar
  6g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red+++)
  2g Sugar
  

• Dark Chocolate Coconut: F-
  14g Net carbs per 190 calorie 50g bar
  7.4g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red++++)
  1g Sugar
  

• S'mores: F-
  13.5g Net carbs per 200 calorie 50g bar
  6.8g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red+++)
  3g Sugar
  

• PLUS Apple Pie: F-
  15g Net carbs per 190 calorie 60g bar
  7.9g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red++++)
  3g Sugar
  

• PLUS Cookies & Cream: F-
  14g Net carbs per 210 calorie 60g bar
  6.7g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red+++)
  2g Sugar

• Chewy Chocolate Chip: F-
  13.5g Net carbs per 200 calorie 50g bar
  6.8g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red+++)
  3g Sugar
  

• Chocolate Peanut Caramel: F-
  12.5g Net carbs per 190 calorie 50g bar
  6.6g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red+++)
  2g Sugar
  

• Peanut Butter Caramel: F-
  14.5g Net carbs per 210 calorie 50g bar
  6.9g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red+++)
  2g Sugar
  

• Greek Yogurt Blueberry: F-
  14.5g Net carbs per 190 calorie 50g bar
  7.6g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red++++)
  4g Sugar
  

• PLUS Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: F-
  13.5g Net carbs per 200 calorie 60g bar
  6.8g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red+++)
  2g Sugar

• Chocolate Delux: F-
  13g Net carbs per 180 calorie 50g bar
  7.2g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red++++)
  3g Sugar
  

• Chocolate Salted Caramel: F-
  15.5g Net carbs per 200 calorie 50g bar
  7.8g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red++++)
  3g Sugar
  

• Red Velvet Cake: F-
  9.5g Net carbs per 190 calorie 50g bar
  5g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red++)
  3g Sugar
  

• Greek Yogurt Strawberry: F-
  15.5g Net carbs per 190 calorie 50g bar
  8.2g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red+++++)
  4g Sugar
  

• PLUS Mocha Brownie: F-
  13.5g Net carbs per 200 calorie 60g bar
  6.8g Net carbs per 100 calories (Red+++)
  2g Sugar

Pure Protein Bars Keto Friendly Conclusion:

I'm adding Pure Protein bars to the ever growing pile of keto unfriendly protein bars. They're just not made for keto dieters, with the inclusion of Maltitol and Isomalto-Oligosaccharides, it's obvious they don't care about raising your blood sugar. I wouldn't recommend supporting companies like Pure Protein that use misleading ingredients.

Let's compare these Pure Protein bars to some real keto friendly sweet treats:

Pure Protein Bars vs ChocoPerfection, and Keto Bars

As you can see, when comparing Pure Protein bars to the best keto-friendly treats out there by net carbs per 100 calories, which is the most consistent indicator of keto friendliness, they're not even close. If you’re looking for a meal-replacement or snack bar, I’d recommend Keto Bars. If you’re looking for an ultra-low carb sweet treat, I recommend ChocoPerfection chocolate.

Also check out our Keto Shop for more expert selected keto friendly products or my first YouTube video “5 Tips to Get Back Into Ketosis Fast” below!

Want to get into ketosis fast? These 5 tips I've learned from over seven years on the keto diet will help you get back into ketosis quick and easy! My Favori...