by Matt Weik
I’m a sucker for protein bars. The problem is, some of them, unfortunately, still have the taste and texture of a piece of cardboard. In my opinion, that’s completely unacceptable these days. For a while there, I was downing The Best Bar Ever like it was going out of style (until it literally did) and then once Marc Lobliner dropped The Outright Bar, it’s been game over ever since. But now RYSE, of all brands, is launching their own whole food meal replacement bar and it has me slightly intrigued. In fact, when it launches, I absolutely need to get my hands on them to see how they compare to The Outright Bar.
For those who haven’t noticed, my standard was set with The Outright Bar. Everything else is judged based on how it compares to The Outright Bar. Sure, it’s a unique bar and drastically different from other protein bars and nutrition bars on the market, but in a sense, that’s what makes it so special. Is the profile the cleanest if you are looking for a low-carb or low-fat option? Heck no. But it’s delicious AF and in my eyes is an awesome snack (especially if you have a sweet tooth).
The Outright Bar’s claim to fame is that it’s a real food bar. The foundation of it is some kind of nut butter depending on the variety you go with. I can honestly say, I haven’t found a flavor I haven’t liked. Sure, I have my favorites, but overall if someone held a gun to my head and said eat even my least favorite flavor of The Outright Bar, I’d do it with a smile on my face.
A Whole Food Meal Replacement Bar from RYSE?
So, where does RYSE come into play with this whole food meal replacement bar? This is unchartered territory for RYSE as they have never entered the edible item realm since its inception and they have pretty much stayed in their lane. Now, they’re testing the waters with a whole food meal replacement bar (as well as a beverage that I won’t be touching on in this article).
If you are a fan of the Loaded Protein by RYSE, I can only assume that the whole food meal replacement bars will be similar in flavor – I’m putting two-and-two together since both the protein powder and the whole food meal replacement bars both don the “Loaded” name.
As you would probably assume, similar to The Outright Bar, the RYSE Loaded whole food meal replacement bar is a nut butter-based bar – peanut butter to be exact. There’s not a ton of information out there on these whole food meal replacement bars but I did find a few other tidbits. Along with the peanut butter being the main ingredient, RYSE also added whey protein isolate, sweet potato flour, MCT oil, and allulose to list of ingredients.
There will be three flavors when they decide to launch the product – Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Cookie, and White Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter. For me, I’ll rock with all but the white chocolate (not a fan). But we may need to sit on our hands for a little longer as RYSE mentioned they won’t be launching their whole food meal replacement bar until late May or June.
What Does the Profile Look Like?
Where do we stand in terms of the profile? Fancy marketing or legit competitor to The Outright Bar? First things first… Directly on the label, it claims the whole food meal replacement bar is non-GMO, contains no fillers, is gluten-free, has zero artificial flavors, and (what I like to see) no sugar alcohols.
Each of the whole food meal replacement bars has a slightly differing profile based on the variety (flavor) of the bar, but in general, you are looking at around 250 calories, 13g of fat, 26g of carbohydrates, 10g of sugar, and 15g of protein. All-in-all, that profile looks to be pretty similar to The Outright Bars. The only question then becomes… How do they taste? Only time will tell.
Is This a Good Move By RYSE?
Look, I’m no expert but I’ve been in the game for a long time. Take my opinion and thoughts for what they are worth. But I believe this is a good move by RYSE. I see a lot of brands working on whole food meal replacement bars in the background as well and the sooner many of these brands can get to market the better before it becomes overly saturated.
Do I think the brands who launch a whole food meal replacement bar will steal market share from The Outright Bar? Maybe a little. However, The Outright Bar is the originator and is literally growing by the day. Marc has positioned his brand in such a way that it can be sold anywhere and everywhere – and it is!
Now, does that mean RYSE or any other brand launching a whole food meal replacement bar is doomed? Absolutely not. But if the bar doesn’t take on a level comparable to The Outright Bar, it’s only going to strengthen The Outright Bar brand and solidify its brand loyalty.
I wish RYSE the best with their launch and when it happens, I want to get my hands on the bars and give them a try. As I said, I’m going to be the first to be hyper-critical of this whole food meal replacement bar due to how many Outright Bars I consume (at least one each day). I’m excited to see what RYSE has in store for these as well as if the taste and texture are on par with what I’m used to.
Will you try the RYSE Loaded whole food meal replacement bar? Or will you stick to bars like The Outright Bar? Let us know down in the comments.
