Soyjoy Nutrition Bars Review

Soyjoy nutrition bars are a good quick snack before or during walking or other moderate-intensity exercise workouts. The all-natural ingredients are easy to understand—fruits, whole soybeans, sugar, butter, and eggs, but no wheat. They are just what you would use to bake gluten-free homemade energy bars. The bars have a low glycemic index, so they won't raise your blood glucose quickly only to have it crash a little bit later.

The texture is easy to bite into and chew, but the bars are not crumbly. They don't have any coatings that will melt in your pack, which is important if you are taking them along on a walk. For those who need a small snack, the controlled portion of 130 to 140 calories is good. It can give you enough of a boost to get started for morning exercise or to keep going on a long walk.

The bars are manufactured by Otsuka Seiyaku in Japan. The company made a big launch in the U.S. in 2007 and had lots of paid advertising, especially targeting women, on TV shows such as "Top Chef" and "30 Rock." They gave out samples of the nutrition bars at athletic events such as the Marathon de Mayo in Reno, Nevada.

However, by 2018 the company no longer was selling Soyjoy bars in the United States. They are still available on Amazon.com but the company will not ship them to the U.S. If you want them shipped to Europe, Asia, or Oceania you can still buy them.

Soyjoy bars are appealing for many reasons, and have just a few drawbacks (other than not being available in the U.S.).

Soyjoy nutrition bars use whole non-GMO soybeans for protein, not highly processed soy isolate like some bars. The rest of the ingredients are also natural and understandable, with 34 to 40 percent fruit. They don't use any artificial colors or preservatives. The flavors they have offered include orange, strawberry, banana, apple, and blueberry.

These bars include 4 grams of soy protein and about as much of fat, with no trans fat. Then there are 17 grams or so of carbohydrate, including 3 grams of fiber. If used as a meal replacement or recovery bar, supplement it with a protein and vitamin source.

If you take walks of two hours or less, this is a good portion-controlled snack bar to provide a bit of energy while not erasing all of the calorie-burning you did on your walk. The balance of carbs, protein, and fat can also make it an acceptable snack between meals.

The texture is very good for eating while you are exercising. You need something you can eat easily without much hard chewing. You also need it to stay together well and not crumble like an old-school granola bar, especially since you are often carrying it a pack where it gets bumped and jostled. Soyjoy bars stay together without crumbling and are easy to bite into and chew.

The real fruit bits can get stuck in your teeth, which can be annoying when you are exercising. Many snack bars have a coating that will melt when you carry it along on a walk, but Soyjoy bars are not coated. If you live in an area where they are available, give them a try.