[leadin]I tested (read: scarfed down) a variety of GoMacro energy bars during recent camping and hiking exploits and was a fan as soon as I tasted them.[/leadin]
After learning what goes into the bars, I like them even more.
GoMacro is a family-owned and operated business that employs 30 people in Wisconsin who crank out over 1 million bars a month. The bars are currently available in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, and UK and include ten different flavors. My personal favorites were banana-almond butter (10g protein, 270 cal), cashew-caramel (12g protein, 260 cal) and apple-walnut (5g protein, 250 cal).
GoMacro MacroBars Review
Individual MacroBars retail for $2.89 and trays of a dozen go for $34.68. Relatively pricey, no doubt. If you’re just looking for cost-effective calories, just about any other energy bar out there is going to give you more bang for your buck on that front.
But for folks looking for a source of sustained energy, without the soy, gluten, dairy, or refined sugars, GoMacro bars fit the bill and taste like on-trail dessert.
Biting into a GoMacro bar, you can expect a texture similar to the ingredients that make up the bar. Bars like the banana-almond butter are smooth and go down accordingly, while the cherries-berries bar pictured above is texturally heavy with, you guessed it, cherries and berries.
On the whole, the bars are soft — not much crunching going on — and taste and chew as straightforward as something simple that you’d bake at home. Without artificial sweeteners, you readily taste the fruit and other principal ingredients (like peanut butter or almond butter) in the bars. One other important consideration is that the bars tend to be less dry than other energy bars, which for me made it easier to wolf ’em down without water, if need be.
I’m fortunate to have a belly tolerant to just about every kind of food. One occasional exception, though, is the soy protein that packs most energy bars. GoMacro utilizes a plant-based protein blend from organic sprouted brown rice and peas to get you the protein you need, without the belly-busting effect that soy can have for some people.
I’m not a dietician, but the bars have proven to be a consistent source of easily digestible energy for me, and I always appreciate ingredients that are sustainably and locally-sourced, like much of what goes into GoMacro’s bars. Scope out the product page for in-depth ingredient breakdowns.
Brand Altruism
Top-notch ingredients aren’t the only thing you’re paying a premium for with GoMacro. The brand puts its profits to work by supporting worthy causes like the ‘Bike tour to save the Boundary Waters’ we covered earlier this year. GoMacro is also a national sponsor of Baby Boot Camp, a stroller fitness program for new moms that builds strength in a supportive environment.
GoMacro bars are available in select stores or online. If you don’t mind paying a premium for a premium product, these pack a tasty punch for a meal on the go.
-Patrick Murphy
