String cheese is a better protein bar

Marc Evangelista

• 1 min read

I compared protein bars to string cheese. String cheese wins.

Cost

I compared 5 string cheese brands against 7 protein bars. String cheese costs 29% less per gram of protein.

  • String cheese: $0.078 per gram
  • Protein bars: $0.111 per gram

That $2.42 Quest bar? Four Frigo cheese sticks deliver the same protein. Even organic string cheese (Organic Valley at $0.124/g) beats most bars. Pure Protein matches string cheese on cost ($0.067/g) but uses 25+ ingredients.

Ingredients

String cheese: 4 ingredients average. Protein bars: 19.

String cheese contains milk, salt, enzymes.

RXBAR markets "No B.S." simplicity with 7 ingredients. FitCrunch uses 35+ including vegetable glycerin, palm kernel oil, maltitol, and protein isolates.

Carbs

String cheese: 0-1g carbs. Protein bars: 14-29g.

Clif Builder's has 19g sugar. RXBAR uses dates for 14g. "Low sugar" bars use maltitol or erythritol.

Availability

String cheese is sold at grocery stores, gas stations, airports, schools, and vending machines.

Comparison

String cheese:

  • 3-4 ingredients
  • $0.50 per stick
  • Available since 1980s

Protein bars:

  • 19-35 ingredients
  • $2.50 per bar
  • Reformulated constantly

Exception

Lactose intolerance makes protein bars necessary. Dairy-free and vegan options exist.

Conclusion

Protein bars work for hiking and travel. For daily protein needs, string cheese costs less and uses fewer ingredients.

A 12-pack costs $6 and delivers 72-84g of protein.