Dietitian Answers: Are GoMacro Bars Healthy?

GoMacro bars are a popular plant-based snack bar, often found in the health food aisle alongside protein bars, granola bars, and meal replacement bars. But are they actually healthy?

As a registered dietitian and someone who loves a good, convenient snack, I’ve always got a few protein and fiber bars stashed away in my purse, car, pantry, and wherever else I may need a quick and easy snack.

GoMacro bars are popular in the health and wellness community and the box is covered in certifications, including organic, gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, and certified clean. But I know all too well that clever packaging, marketing, and certifications don’t always tell the whole story.  

To help you decide if GoMacro Bars are healthy for you, I put them to the ultimate test (the taste test of course) and picked apart everything from the labeling, certifications, ingredients, nutrients, and flavors. 

Keep reading for a full breakdown of the ingredients, benefits, potential downsides, and whether these bars are a smart choice for you. If you often rely on protein bars for a quick snack or meal addition, check out my reviews on Perfect Bars, Rx Bars, and Quest Bars, too! 

If you’ve never tried GoMacro bars, you can find them at most major grocery stores, including Whole Foods, Walmart, Kroger, Trader Joe’s, and more. You can also find a variety pack of GoMacro bars on Amazon to try each flavor for yourself! 

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What are GoMacro bars?

GoMacro bars are organic, plant-based protein bars with a simple ingredient list. The combination of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats gives you a good mix of all the macros for sustained energy. 

The key highlights of GoMacro bars include: 

• Certified organic and non-GMO
• Vegan 
• Gluten-free
• FODMAP friendly 

GoMacro offers a variety of flavors, including:

• Peanut butter chocolate chip
• Coconut + almond butter + chocolate chips
• Patmeal chocolate chip
• Double chocolate + peanut butter
• Mint chocolate chip
• Banana + almond butter
• Peanut butter
• Lemon
• Mocha chocolate chip
• Blueberry + cashew butter
• Maple sea salt
• Sunflower butter + chocolate
• Salted caramel + chocolate chips
• Dark chocolate + almonds

They also carry a line of snack bars and kids macro bars, which offer a smaller size option with a few different flavors. 

Like with any snack food, whether Gomacro bars are healthy or not really depends on your overall goals and how they fit into your diet. 

A closer look at GoMacro bar nutrition

Each GoMacro bar has a slightly different nutrition profile depending on the flavor, but here’s what you can expect from most of them:

• Calories: 270 to 290 per bar
• Protein: 10 to 12 grams 
• Carbohydrates: 35 to 39 grams
• Fiber: 2 to 3 grams
• Added sugar: 9 to 13 grams 
• Fat: 9 to 12 grams 

Ingredient breakdown

The ingredients in each GoMacro bar vary slightly depending on the flavor, but the base ingredients remain the same for each bar. They only include vegan, organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, kosher, and certified C.L.E.A.N ingredients.  Here’s what you’ll find:

Brown rice syrup

This added sugar is made by breaking down brown rice into starch and simple sugars until a syrup similar to honey or maple syrup is created. While brown rice comes from a natural source, it’s still considered an added sugar and acts very much like glucose does. 

Brown rice syrup is the source of added sugars in GoMacro bars, although some also contain coconut sugar and fruit juice concentrates, depending on the flavor. 

Protein blend

To get the 10 to 12 grams of protein in each bar, most GoMacro bars rely on a blend of sprouted brown rice and sprouted pea protein.

While you do not need to eat complete protein in each food or even every meal to get all of your essential amino acids on a plant-based diet, pea and brown rice protein combined do create a more balanced amino acid profile. 

Some flavors, like sunflower butter + chocolate, use only sprouted brown rice protein but contain several other protein sources, so there’s no need to worry about not getting all of the essential amino acids.  

Puffed brown rice

A gluten-free whole grain that adds texture to these bars along with a mild nutty flavor. 

Additional ingredients

Depending on the flavor, you’ll also find ingredients like peanut, cashew, almond, or sunflower butter, various nuts and seeds, chocolate chips, fruit, crispy brown rice, maple syrup, and additional spices and additional ingredients to enhance each unique flavor. 

A note on certified C.L.E.A.N

“Clean” eating is a buzz word in the wellness industry, that I honestly still can’t figure out the actual meaning of. The C.L.E.A.N certification of GoMacro bars actually stands for Conscious, Live, Ethical, Active, and Nourishing.

While it has specific standards a food must adhere to to obtain the certification, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a food is better for you because it has this stamp of approval. 

The pros and cons of GoMacro bars

As with any snack food, there are several positives and a few considerations you’ll want to know about before routinely adding them into your diet. Here are some key points to know: 

The pros

• Made with whole food ingredients: No artificial flavors, preservatives, or fillers are used, which may be important to some people. 
• Allergy and intolerance friendly options: While many flavors include nuts, you’ll find flavors with no nuts, some with no peanuts, and some that are good for a low-FODMAP diet. They’re also all certified gluten-free, making them a safe choice for anyone with celiac disease. 
• A good source of plant-based protein: Whether you follow a vegan diet or avoid dairy, GoMacro bars will give you 10 to 12 grams of plant-based protein on the go. 
• Balanced with carbs, protein, and fats: I truly love that these bars are NOT low carb, like so many options in the wellness space are. Carbs are an incredible source of energy, and the fact that this bar balances carbohydrates with healthy fats and protein helps slow digestion so you feel fuller, longer.  
• Good for on the go: These bars can easily be stashed in the car, your desk, purse, or diaper bag for a quick and easy to eat snack when you don’t have time to stop and eat. 

The cons

• High in added sugars: The bars are sweetened with brown rice syrup, which sounds like a natural source, but is still a form of added sugar. While this doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them in a healthy diet, just be aware of how many you eat and what else you eat with them, especially if you struggle with blood sugar management. 
• Not the highest in fiber: For a whole food bar, you might expect them to be a better source of fiber than they are. Some bars do qualify as a “high fiber food” with 3 grams per serving, but many come in at only 2 grams per bar.  

Taste test: My honest review of the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip GoMacro Bar

Since Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip is one of GoMacro’s most popular flavors, I grabbed a pack and gave it a try. Here’s what I thought:

• Flavor: The peanut butter taste is rich and natural, and the chocolate chips add the right amount of sweetness without being overwhelming. Even though it has 12 grams of added sugar, it didn’t taste as sickly sweet as some other protein bars that use artificial or non-nutritive sweeteners.  
• Texture: This was my favorite part. It’s dense but not too chewy, which sets it apart from bars like RxBars (which can be a little tough on the jaw). If you like a bar with a substantial bite but don’t want something super sticky or hard, GoMacro bars are a great choice.

Would I eat it again? Yes. I love the texture and flavor, but I’d be mindful of how often I grab one because of the added sugar content. I’m not afraid of added sugars by any means, but some days I’d rather get it in the form of ice cream than a protein bar. 

How to include GoMacro bars in a healthy diet

If you enjoy GoMacro bars and want to include them in your routine, here are a few ways to make them work in a balanced diet:

• Post-workout snack: The combo of protein and carbs makes them a solid option for refueling after exercise when your glucose stores need to be replenished. 
• For an afternoon boost: They’re a good pick-me-up when you need something satisfying to hold you over until dinner.
• On-the-go: Keep one in your purse or car for a convenient and more nourishing alternative to fast food or vending machine snacks.

Final verdict: Are GoMacro bars healthy?

GoMacro bars are made with sustainably sourced, high-quality ingredients and have a good combination of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. They can be a good option for busy days, travel, post-workout fuel, and for anyone needing a low-FODMAP, vegan, or gluten-free protein bar. 

However, they are a bit higher in added sugar than many other protein bar options, which is something to be aware of if you’re working on eating less added sugars or managing your blood sugars. 

If you’re looking for a plant-based, organic protein bar with a dense (but not overly chewy) texture and balanced flavor, GoMacro bars are a solid choice. Just be mindful of portion sizes and how they fit into your overall day.

Have you tried GoMacro bars? Let me know your favorite flavor in the comments.