Is this list different from the Ozempic bars list?

The qualifying bars are the same, because the criteria describe the food, not the drug. The Ozempic page adds guidance specific to semaglutide: how side effects shape which bars people finish, what Wegovy users should know, and eating around the weekly injection.

How often does this list change?

It recomputes automatically from verified label data, so new bars appear as soon as they are published and verified, and any bar that gets reformulated is checked again against the same criteria.

Best Protein Bars for GLP-1 Users

People taking GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound are typically told to prioritise protein while eating much less overall. Every bar here meets one transparent standard: at least 10g of protein per 100 calories (the same bar that earns our top Protein Score), at least 10g of protein per bar, at most 200 calories, and a complete protein, so protein is the point of every bar listed, not an afterthought. Qualifying bars are ordered by protein per calorie, then fiber, then smaller bar size. Sugar is shown for every bar, and sugar alcohols like maltitol that research links to gastrointestinal discomfort at larger doses are marked where present (sources below). On Ozempic or Wegovy specifically? Our Ozempic guide covers what is particular to semaglutide, including eating around your weekly shot. This is nutrition information, not medical advice; always follow your clinician’s guidance.

Rankings recompute automatically as new verified products are added. Tap a column to sort; product lines with multiple flavours show their best scoring flavour.

#	Product
1	David Protein Bar12 flavoursvaries by flavourcontains maltitol	28g	150	18.7g	0g	≤1g	62g
2	Kirkland Signature Protein Bar4 flavoursvaries by flavour	22g	170	12.9g	2g	11g	60g
3	Built Puff11 flavours	17g	140	12.1g	7g	0g	40g
Lose fat, not muscle: hit your protein target every day. Protein Pal is free to download.
4	Quest Bar11 flavours	20g	170	11.8g	≤1g	15g	60g
5	Pure Protein Bar14 flavoursvaries by flavourcontains maltitol	21g	180	11.7g	3g	2g	50g
6	Built Sour Puff5 flavours	16g	150	10.7g	8g	0g	41g
7	No Cow Protein Bar5 flavours	20g	190	10.5g	≤1g	14g	55g
8	think! High Protein BarBanana Oat Muffincontains maltitolhigher in fat (8g)	20g	200	10g	≤1g	11g	60g
9	Barebells Protein Bar8 flavourscontains maltitolcasein led: digests slowlyhigher in fat (8g)	20g	200	10g	≤1g	4g	55g

Bars marked “contains maltitol” include a sugar alcohol some people prefer to avoid. What are sugar alcohols?

Note: This page is nutrition information only, not medical advice. Nothing here is a claim that any product treats, prevents or reduces side effects of any condition or medication. Always follow your clinician’s guidance on nutrition while taking GLP-1 medications.

One standard, every GLP-1 medication

Ozempic and Wegovy are both semaglutide; Mounjaro and Zepbound are tirzepatide. All four suppress appetite and slow digestion, and the nutrition advice that follows is the same: protect protein while eating much less. Because our criteria describe the bar rather than the medication, the qualifying list is the same whichever one you take. What differs between the drugs is side effect patterns and dosing schedules, which is what our drug specific pages cover.

The criteria, explained

Every cap has a reason, drawn from published clinical guidance where it exists (linked in the research section below). Nothing here is arbitrary, and nothing here is medical advice.

Protein densityat least 10g of protein per 100 calories: The heart of the rule, and the same bar that earns "Excellent" on our Protein Score, so the score and the GLP-1 verdict always agree. Roughly 40% of calories must come from protein: sugar and fat both add calories without protein, so a dessert with a protein claim fails it automatically, whatever the serving size. It is also the primary ranking metric on this page: how much protein you get for the calories you spend.
Protein floorat least 10g per serving: This is the FDA's own threshold for a "high protein" claim (20% of the daily value per serving). Clinical guidance for people on weight loss medications recommends 60 to 75g of protein per day, up to 0.68g per lb (1.5g per kg) of body weight (Almandoz 2024); each bar has to carry a meaningful share of that, however good its ratio.
Calorie capat most 200 calories per serving: With appetite suppressed, the portion you can actually finish is the real serving, and it should not spend more than 200 calories however good its ratio.
Complete proteinthe protein must be complete: A single complete source (whey, milk, soy, egg), or a legume paired with a grain that covers its amino acid gaps. Collagen fails this naturally: it has no tryptophan and little leucine, so it supports muscle protein synthesis far less per gram than complete protein. The reason protein matters on these medications is preserving lean mass while losing weight, and incomplete protein does not do that job.
Sugar (not a criterion)no cap: the density bar does the work: There is deliberately no sugar cap. Sugar spends calories without adding protein, so a sweetened dessert with a protein claim already fails the density bar on its own numbers; a bar that clears 10g of protein per 100 calories has no room left for meaningful added sugar. The old category caps mostly punished natural milk sugar in otherwise excellent dairy. The sugar column stays in the table so you can judge it yourself.
Fiber (a tiebreak, not a cap)more is better: Qualifying products are ordered by protein per 100 calories; where two tie, the one with more fiber ranks higher. Clinical guidance flags fiber as a priority nutrient when eating less, and it contributes to satiety.
Sugar alcohols (a mark, not a cap)marked where present: Products containing maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, isomalt, mannitol or lactitol are marked. This is a precaution, not a warning: a single bar is well below the doses where studies find symptoms in healthy adults, and the mark matters most for people with sensitive digestion. Erythritol is not marked. What are sugar alcohols?
Casein (a mark, not a cap)flagged as slower digesting: Products whose first protein is casein are marked "digests slowly" rather than excluded. Casein clots in the stomach and digests slowly (Boirie 1997), and GLP-1 medications already slow gastric emptying, so some users find a casein led bar sits heavier; the research shows slower digestion and a smaller immediate muscle protein synthesis response than whey (Tang 2009), not harm.
Fat (a mark, not a cap)8g or more per serving is marked "higher in fat": Clinical guidance advises limiting high fat foods on these medications because fat slows gastric emptying, which the medication is already doing (Almandoz 2024). Protein density already penalises fat calories, so a dense bar rarely carries much, but one that does is marked rather than excluded: slower digestion is worth knowing about, not a reason to hide a product that hits every protein number.
Serving size (a tiebreak, not a cap)smaller is better: A smaller bar is simply easier to finish when appetite is suppressed, so among otherwise equal products the smaller one ranks higher. The size column in the table shows grams per serving.

Why some popular bars miss the cut

Product lines where no flavour meets the criteria, and what the label analysis surfaced for each line’s closest flavour. This updates automatically as products are verified and reformulations are checked again. If you simply want the most protein per calorie regardless of these criteria, see the highest protein bars ranking.

ALOHA Organic Protein Bar25 flavours checked; closest: Almond Butter Cup
- protein density 6.1g/100kcal below the Excellent bar (10)
- Incomplete protein: missing or low in essential amino acids your muscles need, so it does little to protect muscle while you lose weight.
- calories 230 over the 200 kcal cap
GoMacro MacroBar14 flavours checked; closest: Banana + Almond Butter
- protein density 3.6g/100kcal below the Excellent bar (10)
- calories 280 over the 200 kcal cap
Power Crunch Protein Energy Bar12 flavours checked; closest: Chocolate Mint
- protein density 5.9g/100kcal below the Excellent bar (10)
- calories 220 over the 200 kcal cap
FitCrunch Protein Bar10 flavours checked; closest: Caramel Peanut
- protein density 8.4g/100kcal below the Excellent bar (10)
IQBAR Protein Bar10 flavours checked; closest: Almond Butter Chip
- protein density 6.7g/100kcal below the Excellent bar (10)
- Incomplete protein: missing or low in essential amino acids your muscles need, so it does little to protect muscle while you lose weight.
ONE Protein Bar10 flavours checked; closest: Birthday Cake
- protein density 9.1g/100kcal below the Excellent bar (10)
- calories 220 over the 200 kcal cap
Perfect Bar10 flavours checked; closest: Almond Butter
- protein density 4.1g/100kcal below the Excellent bar (10)
- calories 320 over the 200 kcal cap
Clif Builders Protein Bar8 flavours checked; closest: Chocolate
- protein density 7.1g/100kcal below the Excellent bar (10)
- calories 280 over the 200 kcal cap

What are sugar alcohols, and why is maltitol marked?

Sugar alcohols (also called polyols) are sweeteners such as maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol and erythritol that manufacturers use to keep the sugar line on the label low while the bar still tastes sweet. They are not alcohol in the drink sense. Because most of them are only partially absorbed, the unabsorbed portion ferments in the gut, which is why larger amounts can cause bloating, gas and laxative effects. European law requires a laxative effect warning on any food that is more than 10% polyols.

Maltitol is the one we mark most often: it is common in sugar free protein products and it is the sugar alcohol with the clearest evidence of digestive discomfort at higher intakes. Honest context on the doses: in studies of healthy adults, 30g of maltitol caused no significant symptoms versus sugar, and a single bar contains well below that. The mark matters most for people with sensitive digestion (these sugar alcohols are excluded from low FODMAP diets used for irritable bowel syndrome, and sensitive people report symptoms at lower doses) and for anyone eating several sugar free products in a day, since the effects scale with total intake. Erythritol is the exception in the family; it is mostly absorbed and excreted unchanged, so we never penalise it. GLP-1 medications commonly cause digestive side effects of their own, which is why some users prefer to know exactly which sweeteners are in a bar before choosing one. The research for all of this is linked at the bottom of the page.

If you would rather avoid these sweeteners entirely, see protein bars without maltitol or protein bars without any sugar alcohols.

How this ranking works

Every nutrition value is transcribed from the manufacturer’s published nutrition label and verified by hand, with no third party food databases.
Product lines are ranked, not individual flavours, so one product’s 20 flavours can’t fill the list. Each entry shows its best scoring flavour.
A maximum of two lines per brand keeps the list diverse.
Labels that don’t state sugar or fiber are treated as unknown (never as zero) and are excluded from sugar and fiber rankings.
Want to hit a daily protein target? The Protein Pal app lets you scan any label and track your protein day by day.

Frequently asked questions

Is this list different from the Ozempic bars list?: The qualifying bars are the same, because the criteria describe the food, not the drug. The Ozempic page adds guidance specific to semaglutide: how side effects shape which bars people finish, what Wegovy users should know, and eating around the weekly injection.
How often does this list change?: It recomputes automatically from verified label data, so new bars appear as soon as they are published and verified, and any bar that gets reformulated is checked again against the same criteria.

The research behind these criteria

Four honest caveats. First, no study has tested sugar alcohols specifically in people taking GLP-1 medication; we mark them because GLP-1 medications and larger doses of polyols are each independently associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, and some users prefer to avoid the combination. Second, a single serving contains well below the 30 to 40g maltitol doses where studies begin to find symptoms in healthy adults; the mark matters most for sensitive people (maltitol is excluded from low FODMAP diets used for irritable bowel syndrome) and for anyone eating several sugar free products in a day. Third, the casein research shows slower digestion and a smaller immediate muscle protein synthesis response than whey, not harm; products that lead with casein are still quality protein, which is why they qualify normally and simply carry a "digests slowly" mark. Fourth, the "higher in fat" mark follows clinical guidance to limit high fat foods on these medications; it is informational rather than disqualifying (fat slows digestion further, which some users will want to know and others will not mind), and the number it reads is the label’s own.

Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (STEP 1) · Wilding et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2021
Gastrointestinal side effects (nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation) were the most common with semaglutide, reported by 74% of participants versus 48% on placebo. This is why we surface this label information at all.
Gastrointestinal tolerability of once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg · Wharton et al., Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2022
Detailed analysis of gastrointestinal side effects across the STEP trials: mostly mild to moderate and transient, but common.
Nutritional considerations with antiobesity medications · Almandoz et al., Obesity, 2024
Clinical guidance for people on weight loss medications: at least 60 to 75g of protein per day (up to 0.68g per lb / 1.5g per kg of body weight), formulated products carrying 15 to 25g of protein per serving as a useful supplement when whole food intake is not enough, and specific advice to avoid fried and high fat foods to reduce gastrointestinal side effects. Our protein floor and the "higher in fat" mark follow this guidance.
Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity · Joint advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, American Society for Nutrition, Obesity Medicine Association and The Obesity Society, 2025
Recommends nutrient dense, minimally processed foods during GLP-1 therapy and advises avoiding refined sugars and sugar sweetened products. Showing sugar on every table, and letting protein density penalise sugary products, follows this guidance.
A Systematic Review of the Effects of Polyols on Gastrointestinal Health · Lenhart & Chey, Advances in Nutrition, 2017
Sugar alcohols cause flatulence, abdominal discomfort and laxative effects that scale with dose, and malabsorption increases when polyols are combined. This is why products containing maltitol and similar polyols are marked on our lists.
A digestive tolerance study of maltitol · Ruskoné-Fourmestraux et al., European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2003
Maltitol caused more frequent diarrhea than sugar, though mainly at high daily doses around 90g, far more than a single serving contains. Individual sensitivity varies widely, which is why we mark these products rather than exclude them.
Tolerance of maltitol in milk chocolate at two dose levels · Storey et al., Journal of Nutrition, 1998
In healthy young adults, 30g of maltitol caused no significant symptoms versus sugar and 40g caused only mild gas. A single serving contains well below these doses, which is why the maltitol mark is a heads up for sensitive people, not a warning for everyone.
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex III · European Union food information law
EU law requires foods with more than 10% added polyols to carry the warning "excessive consumption may produce laxative effects".
Slow and fast dietary proteins differently modulate postprandial protein accretion · Boirie et al., PNAS, 1997
The original "fast vs slow protein" study: whey produces a rapid rise in blood amino acids while casein digests slowly, partly because it slows gastric emptying. It does not show casein is harmful; over 7 hours casein actually produced a better net protein balance.
Whey hydrolysate, casein, or soy protein and muscle protein synthesis · Tang et al., Journal of Applied Physiology, 2009
Whey produced a roughly 93% larger immediate muscle protein synthesis response than casein at rest. This is why whey based products are prioritised when portions are small, not because casein is a poor protein.