Heads up guys: the following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Detour Bar. But the text, opinions, and thoughts are all me!

I consider myself a protein bar connoisseur. As a personal trainer, my clients are always asking me for suggestions for tasty snacks on-the-go. Most of my clients are very busy, like most of you, and sometimes go straight from the office, to an hour commute, to the gym. With a workout time of 5:00pm or later, a mid-afternoon snack is a necessity. Sometimes, an emergency protein bar in the glove compartment goes a long way!

Additionally, during the summer, I am my most active. I spend 4 or 5 days a week on some sort of trail, and on-the-go snacks come in super handy after a long run or hike. All of that activity is a big calorie burner, and re-fueling is crucial. During the summer, I need a bar that’s not too heavy, packs easily, and holds up well in the summer heat – whether in the glove compartment or a backpack.

Detour Bar recently sent me their new Detour SMART Bars to review, so I stuffed one in my hydration pack, and hit the trails for a sunny, warm, 2+ hours hike.

After my hike, it was right around the 11:00 hour – that hour that’s too soon for lunch, but after a tough hike you’re in need of a snack to refuel, and ease your hunger. I didn’t even make it back to the car before I was snacking away on the Blueberry Detour SMART Bar, and I’m happy to say that is stood up perfectly to the heat! In fact, I’d say the warmth from the sun and my pack made it even more delicious. It tasted like warm blueberry pie – soft, chewy, and sweet, but not too sweet.

It was also just the right size for a snack -  38 grams (135 calories) – so it didn’t ruin my appetite for lunch an hour or two later.

Conversely, the second time I tried the blueberry flavor was when it was only 30 degrees out. Remember when I went camping? Well, I grabbed a SMART bar from my pack and it was just about ice cold, but delicious just the same. As for the Apple flavor, it reminds me of an apple crisp, and won my favorite of the two!

You can see that the bars have a sweet drizzle on them – that’s their Greek yogurt drizzle.

Clearly, taste is on par as far as the criteria for a go-to snack bar, but let’s talk about some other important must-have factors of a solid protein bar.

For a 135 calorie bar, SMART bars crank out 10 grams of protein, which is pretty impressive. That’s due to the whey protein. They’re made out of rolled oats, whey, and fruit as the main ingredients. All of their ingredients are all natural and gluten-free ingredients, and the entire bar contains only 3 grams of sugar– which is an important factor in my opinion. Check out the comparison between the Detour SMART Bar and some other popular bars out there:

And I’ll emphasize again that they really are tasty. I have a habit of collecting all kinds of different bars, and some I’ve had in my pantry for more than a year. For some reason I just don’t throw them out, but they don’t get eaten, either. A true test of how tasty I find a bar is how often I reach for it, and I’ve definitely been grabbing Detour SMART Bars frequently – especially when it comes to during and post-trail run and hikes.

If you’d like to try them out for yourself, head on over to my Instagram, where I’m hosting a giveaway through tonight at 7pm! Or, you can purchase them at a variety of retailers and online. You can also follow Detour Bar on their facebook,  twitter, and instagram accounts. 

Your turn: What nutrition/protein bars are you grabbing lately?