A closer look at protein, glycine, and the ingredients behind your next snack
I love hearing from you, dear readers and podcast listeners. After my article breaking down Barebells Protein Bars, I received a DM suggesting I check out Stars + Honey. I hadn’t tried them before, so I visited their website, and instantly I understood why they reached out.
The homepage starts with, “flavor you can feel.” I paused for a second. Honestly, I’m not sure what that means. Then it continues, “beautifully made bars crafted with 10 grams of collagen peptides.” Marketing is marketing, right? The words look nice together, but the meaning is vague to me.
Scroll down, and you’ll see they also list, “180 calories, 2 grams of sugar, and 15 grams of protein.” That caught my attention. I dug a little deeper and learned that the collagen is type 1 and 3 hydrolyzed from grass-fed bovine sources. That’s a yes from me.
Under the calorie explanation, they highlight that “bovine collagen is rich in glycine, which boosts your metabolism and keeps you satisfied.” Glycine is an amino acid often paired with collagen, which makes sense. While I appreciate glycine, I’m hesitant about claims that it directly boosts metabolism.
The 2 grams of sugar section notes, “a smooth sweetness that’s always from natural sources.” Great, but as you know from reading my articles or listening to Salad With a Side of Fries, ingredient labels are where the truth really lives. Companies make claims, and often the ingredients tell a slightly different story.
The 15 grams of protein is described as supporting muscle tone and strength without an unpleasant aftertaste. Protein definitely supports muscle, but taste is subjective. For context, 15 grams of protein is about 2 ounces of cooked meat. If you’ve listened to my podcast, you know 7 grams equals roughly an ounce, so 2 ounces is a small snack-sized portion.
They also claim the bars are “gentle for you to digest” and call it “food for the future.” Again, more words than substance. Let’s move on.
The first flavor recommended was cacao, salt, caramel, and peanut. The nutrition label shows 180 calories, 8 grams of fat with 2 grams saturated fat, 17 grams carbs with 6 grams fiber, 2 grams sugar (all added sugar), and 15 grams protein. Reading the ingredients, we get collagen, peanuts, tapioca fiber, allulose, pea protein, sunflower lecithin, organic vegetable glycerin, defatted peanut flour, cocoa beans, coconut sugar, cocoa butter, coconut oil, almonds, natural flavors, sea salt, cocoa powder, acacia gum, and monk fruit.
A few notes here. The sweeteners account for the added sugar, sunflower lecithin acts as an emulsifier, and for some, that could be a dealbreaker. Almonds, peanuts, cocoa butter, and coconut oil provide fat.
This bar has 6 grams of fiber. That’s solid for a packaged snack, yet it’s not marketed. Net carbs come out to 11 grams (17 total carbs minus 6 fiber). Ideally, net carbs for a snack would be 9 or less, but this is close enough for most people and unlikely to cause major blood sugar issues.
Overall, I’d say Stars + Honey bars are very mid. As an occasional snack, they work. Pairing one with a piece of fruit or veggies is probably the sweet spot. Personally, I could go a couple of hours before needing another snack. They aren’t something I’d make a daily staple, though I like that the flavors feel eclectic compared to other protein snacks and the 6 grams of fiber is rare for a snack like this.
Of course, always check the ingredients and nutrition facts for each flavor if you try them. I’m curious which ones you like!