Vega One Bars and Vega Sport Protein, Gel, and Sugar-Free Energizer Review

Hi all!

A quick note -- my mom is going in for a minor surgical procedure this afternoon. It shouldn't be a big deal at all, and she'll be out this evening, but nonetheless I'd appreciate well wishes sent her way! Thanks :)

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About two months ago, I saw a friend tweet about buying and trying a Vega One bar. She mentioned how tasty they were so I asked her what else she thought, since I hadn't tried them. Vega reached out and asked me to email them and then sent me some Vega Sport products and Vega One bars to review.

I was shocked at how generous Vega was with what they sent me -- thank you, Vega!! It was neat to try out their products, and I'm very happy to say that I liked everything they sent!

Vega One Bars

I'm always on the lookout for good protein bars since I don't eat meat -- if I haven't had enough protein on any particular day, I try to supplement with a protein bar. I can be pretty picky since I never want it to eat something that has an ingredient list that's a novel. And of course, it has to taste good. I also don't want five trillion calories, please.

I'm pleased to say that not only are the Vega One bars tasty, they have a super ingredient list. While they are a bit high in calories for me at 250 calories, these would be a great on-the-go meal with a banana or a good recovery bar after an intense workout.

On the taste test front, Sourabh actually loved these bars. He generally hates most bars I give him, but when I gave him this bar to take to work this summer, he came home saying he really liked it and would eat them everyday if I had them. High praise! In fact, I have no pictures of these because Sourabh gulped them down so quickly!

Vega Endurance Gels

I am completely obsessed with the endurance gels!! They're my favorite product out of everything Vega sent me. I was a bit nervous about marathon training because I have a hard time getting things down once I've started running. I can typically get down a couple of shot bloks after five or six miles, but after that, even shot bloks are hard. Gels were an absolute no-go for me. I just couldn't gag them down!

Enter Vega's endurance gels. Not only do they taste like real, natural food -- think a slightly gritty apple sauce consistency -- they are made with whole ingredients. The first thing on the ingredient list is dates! Even cooler, they're the only gel to use coconut oil, which is metabolized in the liver and provides instant, non-carbohydrate energy.

I was having some stomach/GI issues with other fueling options and haven't had any issues with Vega's endurance gels. I can get them down easily while running and can even do two in one run, which impressed me since that was impossible with other fuel I tried.

Basically, I love these gels, I'm going to buy them as soon as I run out, and they'll be my fuel for the Chicago Marathon. 

Vega Sugar-Free Energizer

Unlike the gels, I didn't have a love affair with the sugar-free energizer. Unfortunately I just didn't like the taste that much. 

With that said, the sugar-free energizer really did give me an energy boost before yoga or a pilates-style workout (anything lower intensity). I think it's particularly good for when you're doing an afternoon or evening workout and the thought of moving seems impossible. 

A quick burst of energy to help you "get in the zone" without a bunch of weird chemicals can be exactly what's necessary to get you working out. I would definitely recommend this for that purpose, even though I didn't love the taste. Plus, it's only 5 calories, which is nice!

Vega Sport Performance Protein

I've mentioned before how I like to drink a protein shake after a tough workout if I'm not going to be eating soon. I want to aid my muscle recovery by providing it with a hit of protein. However, a lot of protein powders, while tasty, have an ingredient list that makes me shudder. That's definitely not the case with Vega Sport's performance protein. It's made of pea, saviseed sacha inchi, sprouted whole grain brown rice, and alfalfa proteins. Natural cocoa and vanilla are used for the flavors. 

As for taste? It's not identical to a milkshake, but it also doesn't taste fake. I personally will give up a bit of taste for a much better ingredient list. But it's not a huge sacrifice -- my protein shakes were still very tasty when made with Vega Sport's performance protein powder, and Sourabh liked the shakes. 

Like I said earlier, Sourabh is the ultimate arbiter of my "taste versus health" question. He will almost always err on the side of taste, so no matter how healthy something is, he's unswayed if it doesn't taste good. And he liked the shakes I made with this powder!

Oh, and as for the calorie and nutrition -- 25 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbs, and only 3 grams of sugar for 130 calories. I like those stats!



I was not compensated for this post beyond receiving free products to try, and all opinions are my own, as always!