Max’s Protein Bar

My usual experience with protein products is the taste ranges from chemically enhanced to just about palatable. It was therefore a pleasant surprise when I tried a sample of Max’s Protein Bar, white chocolate and raspberry flavour, and found it tasted as described, without any synthetic after tastes. The other two flavours – apple, oat & cinnamon and dark chocolate & cranberry – are equally good. 

Taste is important but not the full requirement for a product that’s pitched as both a healthy snack and a functional nutrition bar, so it was pleasing to find the ingredients are all natural and contain no artificial preservatives, colourings or flavours. The only bar with any added sugar is the white chocolate & raspberry, where it’s an ingredient in the chocolate.

As for functionality, it’s well established that consuming a mixture of protein and carbohydrates soon after exercise is beneficial to the recovery process. Protein drinks are useful because liquids are digested more easily but bars have convenience advantages. For example, if you go for a swim on your way home from work you might not want to carry a post-swim protein drink with you all day. Bars are also easier to take with you if you’re travelling. With 17g of whey protein, Max’s Protein Bars make a great post-swim snack.

We also liked the story behind the brand. Max cooked up and perfected the recipes in his kitchen with his brother and took a few to a market stall where they were surprised how popular the bars were. As a result, he decided to set up a company to produce them commercially. He no longer makes the bars in his kitchen but they are still produced in Britain.