Until now: Before beef jerky and real-food bars can even finish blowing up, a new breed of squeaky-clean bars is swooping in to steal space on supermarket shelves. We’ll calling these jerky-PowerBar hybrids “meat bars,” because there’s really no better way to describe these things. And they’re freaking delicious. Meat bars are usually made from organic or grass-fed beef, along with spices and dried fruit. The result is plenty of clean, unprocessed protein, real meat flavor, and a soft and chewy, not unlike a PowerBar before it gets stale, with a hint of natural sweetness from the fruit. [block:bean=bestowed-ec-stepupsnack] Though the concept sounds like a new thing, it’s not—at all. Tanka Bar, the first brand to make a meat-based bar, took its inspiration from a traditional Lakota bison-cranberry mixture called wasna. “A lot of Native American tribes use high-acid fruit to preserve meat,” says Tanka Bar President Mark Tilsen. MORE: We Tried It: A Liver-Based Protein Bar Tilsen upgraded wasna into a bar that kids living on the Lakota reservation, who have high rates of juvenile diabetes, would be happy to eat. But the high-protein/low-sugar/packed with natural goodness combo is great for pretty much everyone. “Meat bars are often cleaner than regular protein bars and contain all real-food ingredients,” says registered dietician Erica Giovnazzo. That means no processed whey protein, gross soy protein isolate, stomach-upsetting sugar alcohols, or fillers and emulsifiers.. And speaking of the sweet stuff: “Because they’re savory instead of sweet, meat bars are better at keeping sugar cravings at bay,” Giovnazzo adds. Of course, if meat bars go from next-big-thing to health-food-cliché (cough, Greek yogurt, cough, cough), there’s no telling what kinds of weird ingredients might end up in the mix. For now, though, most products are loaded with omega-3-rich grass-fed protein, whole fruits, sometimes nuts, and minimal (if any) sugar. Here are five favorites: Bricks Bar140 calories, 10 g protein, 8 g fat, 6 g sugar 12 for $42, Made from meat (beef is grass-fed while all varieties are raised without antibiotics with no added hormones), veggies, fruit, and seeds, plus a touch of sweetness from organic coconut sugar, these bars come in flavors reminiscent of Thanksgiving dinner: Beef Bacon Cranberry Sunflower Seed, Turkey Sweet Potato Cranberry Pumpkin Seed, and Beef Carrot Apple and Hemp Seed.bricksbars.com MORE: Omega 3 and Protein: Tuna’s One-Two Punch of Tasty Nutrition EPIC Bar200 calories, 11 g protein, 12 g fat, 8 g sugar $30 for 12, These 100% grass-fed, free-range bars have been around for a few years, but the newer flavors, like Chicken Sesame BBQ, Beef Apple Bacon, and Pulled Pork Pineapple, will blow your mind. epicbar.com Tanka Onnit Warrior Bar140 calories, 14 g protein, 4 g fat, 12 g sugar $59.99 for 12, Designed specifically for athletes, Tanka’s newest prairie-fed buffalo bar, packed with tart cranberries and spicy peppers, contains twice as much protein as the brand’s original meat bar. And of course we love that it’s made without added antibiotics, hormones, and nitrites.tankabar.com Omni Bar210 calories, 10 g protein, 11 g fat, 8 g sugar 12 for $39, Short for omnivorous bar, Omni Bars really do have a little bit of everything, including 100% Montana-grown grass-fed beef, almond butter, and complex carbs like sweet potatoes, oats, and prunes. If you’re looking for something really unique, try the Mango Curry flavor.omnibar.com MORE: The Truth About Pea Protein Organic Prairie Mighty Bar80 calories, 8 g protein, 3.5 g fat, 3 g sugar $3.49 each, These organic, grass-fed, and non-GMO bars come in a smaller size that’s perfect for holding you over when you know you’ll eat soon but are feeling famished now. Look for Cranberry & Sunflower Seed and Bacon & Apple to hit store shelves in early summer 2015.organicprairie.com
