RXBAR Protein Bars - Chocolate Chip Flavor, 12 Pack (22oz) | High Protein Snack for Energy & Recovery | Perfect for Gym, Hiking & On-the-Go Nutrition

These bars have become familiar and acceptable to me over time. So far, I’ve tried the chocolate chip and chocolate sea salt and the latter tastes better.My biggest initial concern was a bit personal. I have IBS that gets triggered by all sorts of foods and these bars do not trigger my IBS. That was a very practical reason to re-order and try the chocolate sea salt bars.Not sure how they assign the “chocolate chip” flavor to the chocolate chips bars. They should just say “tastes like dates”.Pro -- appears to be healthy alternative to most UPF (ultra processed food) protein bars on the market like the Gatorade brand which is a pseudo-Milky Way bar with more protein.- taste like dates and not much else which is a pro if you like dates. I checked with a neighbor who is an RN and another gym friend who is a RD (registered dietician. Both gave the thumbs up on these bars.- does not aggravate my IBS but your experience may vary because IBS is very individual and miserable.Con -- unusual flavor and consistency. Not a bad flavor but it’s like biting into a date flavored Milk Dud. I would NOT refrigerate these bars if you have had crowns or other dental work done. I sense bad things could happen to the dental work.- dates have a high sugar content. Depending on the variety of date, the sugar content can be as much as 80% of the weight. That’s not terrible - muscles require sugar for the actin/myosin activity but too much sugar is not good. It’s up to the buyer to determine what constitutes “too much sugar”.- Dates can also be an oxalate concern for some folks with oxalate kidney stones. The data I read said that dates have about 24mg of oxalate which is almost nothing compared to 1 cup of spinach leaves which can be 1000mg + of oxalates but it can be significant if you have oxalate stones - check with your uro doc.I was initially concerned about the legitimate “healthiness” of these bars and that has been settled by the RN and RD.One side note. The pricing on RXBARs on Amazon is unpredictable. I had these set up as a subscription and learned that I have to watch the price carefully. I’ve seen it jump from $16 for 12 bars to $$27 for the same 12 bars the following delivery. I keep swapping the subscription to the lowest price version of these bars. Do not “set and forget” a subscription for this product. You will get screwed.I’m growing used to the taste and it’s an acceptable pre-gym food for me. I’ve discontinued the Gatorade protein bars and replaced them with this product. Hope that helps!