Fueling Right with Health Warrior Bars
I've been living the life of a weekend (and often weekday) warrior. I wrote about my Weekend Warrior Status previously. I'm constantly running from one workout to the next. So I'm always reaching for what's most convenient. But I would prefer to not sacrifice healthy in order to save time. Enter my new found favorite... Health Warrior Bars!
Disclaimer: I received a package of Health Warrior bars to test in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
When I'm in a hurry these days, I'm relying a lot on bars. They're convenient and a quick source of fuel, energy, protein, and more. But usually I'm reaching for one bar for a pre-workout snack. A different kind of bar for fuel during my workout, and yet another for a post-workout/post-run recovery.
Some can have tons of sugar. Others too dense and heavy for during a run. Some I've liked liked the taste better than others. And some just flat out weren't good for you. But then I tried Health Warrior bars and realized they literally had a bar for every such occasion! A plethora of choices for everything a Weekend Warrior needs.
Before I dive into all the reasons I love them, check out the Health Warrior mission statement and how they began.
Any brand of bars that I've liked in the past there was usually only one flavor that I liked. Or the brand had at least 1-2 flavors that I didn't care for. That's not the case with Health Warrior. There's honestly not a single flavor that I didn't enjoy!
Now, as I mentioned there's a wide variety of bars for different uses. So here's how I personally tested them.
Many fellow runners have told me they use them as fuel during a run, so I had to try that out myself.
I used chia bars on long runs, as well as during my challenging Skiddaw Fell Race. I really felt that this small snack packed a big punch as far as giving me the fuel I needed to keep trucking it on the trails. I've used gels in the past, but my stomach never seemed to like them and my body always craved REAL food.
The Chia Bars really hit the spot. And so many flavors too choose from! They're also small enough to fit into a fuel belt, hydration pack, or even just your pocket while out on a run. I will definitely continue using them for future runs and races.
PLANT POWERED PROTEIN BARS
The plant powered protein bars are larger bars with 10-11g of Protein from plant-based protein sources like chia, quinoa, peas, and oats--no processed soy or whey. They contain ~200 calories, 9g of Sugar, 7g of Fiber, and 000mg of Omega-3s.
These bars were my go-to after a tough workout like OCR Training at FITNESS 5 or after a long run.
What I loved about these particular Health Warrior protein bars, besides the taste, was that they weren't COATED in chocolate like a lot of others. Any chocolate was mixed IN with the rest of the ingredients to give a little more sweet flavor, but not cover the entire bar in sugar. The resulting flavor was just sweet enough to satisfy your craving.
I even bought a whole new box of just the Peanut Butter Cacao Protein Bars since I ran out! All the flavors were awesome, but I went with PB Chocolate because you can never go wrong with that. ;)
PUMPKIN SEED BARS
The Pumpkin Seed Bars were new to me. I hadn't seen anyone using pumpkin seeds in their snack bars before (although I'm sure there might be some I'm unaware of). These bars are 170 calories a piece, with only 6g of Sugar, 2g of Fiber, and 8g of protein. Flavored with honey, spices, and...you guessed it...pumpkin seeds!
I started to notice a trend--in all these Health Warrior Bars you could really SEE the ingredients. These particular bars were packed full of pumpkin seeds. I would eat them before a workout or for a quick pick-me-up at work. The hint of spices really made them different than any other bar I'd had. And I really enjoyed them!
Overall, I really fell in love with Health Warrior! As a reminder to folks, I like to share the foods and gear that I personally love and enjoy. But everyone is different, much like how one shoe isn't perfect for everyone. That's why I recommend if you're interested, to check them out yourself. Want to know more about Health Warrior? Visit their website, including their fun blog with delicious healthy recipes and more.
You can also find Health Warrior bars at a few local retailers. I've found them at my neighborhood Safeway and Whole Foods. But you can also find Health Warrior bars at Target, Sprouts, and even on Amazon. Use the Health Warrior Store Locator to find a retailer near you so you can try them out yourself!
Plus, you can always give Health Warrior a follow on social. They've got some great social pages and are extremely engaging and fun on every platform.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HealthWarriorChia
Twitter: @healthwarrior
Instagram: @healthwarrior
Thanks for reading! I'd love to know, have YOU tried Health Warrior bars before? What did you think?
Disclaimer: I received a package of Health Warrior bars to test in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
When I'm in a hurry these days, I'm relying a lot on bars. They're convenient and a quick source of fuel, energy, protein, and more. But usually I'm reaching for one bar for a pre-workout snack. A different kind of bar for fuel during my workout, and yet another for a post-workout/post-run recovery.
Some can have tons of sugar. Others too dense and heavy for during a run. Some I've liked liked the taste better than others. And some just flat out weren't good for you. But then I tried Health Warrior bars and realized they literally had a bar for every such occasion! A plethora of choices for everything a Weekend Warrior needs.
 |
| Check out that variety! |
Before I dive into all the reasons I love them, check out the Health Warrior mission statement and how they began.
The Health Warrior Mission
"We’re a superfood company that believes better health will build a stronger society. Better health starts with the right ingredients, which is why the first one in all of our products is a superfood – the most nourishing food on the planet. Our products combine these powerful ingredients in a way that tastes awesome and actually fits into the pace of real life. After all, healthy food can’t do its job if you don’t actually eat it."
The Dawn of Health Warrior
Health Warrior was founded in 2010 by college friends, Dan, Nick and Shane. The former collegiate athletes used to approach food as calories to burn during hours of daily practices. But after entering their professional lives, that carefree approach to nutrition met cold, hard, desk-bound reality. They went from running between meets and games to meetings and day care pick-ups. They eventually learned that what matters is the quality of calories over quantity.
____________________________
That really resonated with me. Some busy athletes that wanted nutritious but convenient food to fuel their lives? That's me too! So of course I was super excited to put them to the test. Spoiler alert: I loved them! Any brand of bars that I've liked in the past there was usually only one flavor that I liked. Or the brand had at least 1-2 flavors that I didn't care for. That's not the case with Health Warrior. There's honestly not a single flavor that I didn't enjoy!
Now, as I mentioned there's a wide variety of bars for different uses. So here's how I personally tested them.
CHIA BARS
I believe the chia bars are probably the most popular, at least in the running community. These 100-calorie snack bars contain only 4g of Sugar, 4g of Fiber, 1100mg of Omega-3s and 3g of Protein. Plus, they're packed with Chia Seeds! Why Chia Seeds? Check out this article about why ultrarunners love this ingredient, and this blog post from Health Warrior on this superfood. |
| You can see how these bars are just *packed* full of chia seeds. |
Many fellow runners have told me they use them as fuel during a run, so I had to try that out myself.
 |
| Running up a mountain? Time to fuel! |
I used chia bars on long runs, as well as during my challenging Skiddaw Fell Race. I really felt that this small snack packed a big punch as far as giving me the fuel I needed to keep trucking it on the trails. I've used gels in the past, but my stomach never seemed to like them and my body always craved REAL food.
The Chia Bars really hit the spot. And so many flavors too choose from! They're also small enough to fit into a fuel belt, hydration pack, or even just your pocket while out on a run. I will definitely continue using them for future runs and races.
PLANT POWERED PROTEIN BARS
The plant powered protein bars are larger bars with 10-11g of Protein from plant-based protein sources like chia, quinoa, peas, and oats--no processed soy or whey. They contain ~200 calories, 9g of Sugar, 7g of Fiber, and 000mg of Omega-3s.
These bars were my go-to after a tough workout like OCR Training at FITNESS 5 or after a long run.
What I loved about these particular Health Warrior protein bars, besides the taste, was that they weren't COATED in chocolate like a lot of others. Any chocolate was mixed IN with the rest of the ingredients to give a little more sweet flavor, but not cover the entire bar in sugar. The resulting flavor was just sweet enough to satisfy your craving.
I even bought a whole new box of just the Peanut Butter Cacao Protein Bars since I ran out! All the flavors were awesome, but I went with PB Chocolate because you can never go wrong with that. ;)
PUMPKIN SEED BARS
The Pumpkin Seed Bars were new to me. I hadn't seen anyone using pumpkin seeds in their snack bars before (although I'm sure there might be some I'm unaware of). These bars are 170 calories a piece, with only 6g of Sugar, 2g of Fiber, and 8g of protein. Flavored with honey, spices, and...you guessed it...pumpkin seeds!
I started to notice a trend--in all these Health Warrior Bars you could really SEE the ingredients. These particular bars were packed full of pumpkin seeds. I would eat them before a workout or for a quick pick-me-up at work. The hint of spices really made them different than any other bar I'd had. And I really enjoyed them!
Overall, I really fell in love with Health Warrior! As a reminder to folks, I like to share the foods and gear that I personally love and enjoy. But everyone is different, much like how one shoe isn't perfect for everyone. That's why I recommend if you're interested, to check them out yourself. Want to know more about Health Warrior? Visit their website, including their fun blog with delicious healthy recipes and more.
You can also find Health Warrior bars at a few local retailers. I've found them at my neighborhood Safeway and Whole Foods. But you can also find Health Warrior bars at Target, Sprouts, and even on Amazon. Use the Health Warrior Store Locator to find a retailer near you so you can try them out yourself!
Plus, you can always give Health Warrior a follow on social. They've got some great social pages and are extremely engaging and fun on every platform.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HealthWarriorChia
Twitter: @healthwarrior
Instagram: @healthwarrior
Thanks for reading! I'd love to know, have YOU tried Health Warrior bars before? What did you think?
The way things are going these days, all companies have to do is slap a “high protein” label on their products and suddenly they fly off the shelves. Half the the products are highly processed and not in any way healthy.
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