Frequent late-night snackers
If the bar would be eaten at bedtime, timing matters more than the number of bars in the cupboard. Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust advises avoiding sugary foods and drinks at bedtime.
Who is choosing a multipack?
Households buying several portions
A pack count may refer to portions rather than individual pieces. Check the total weight and what one wrapper contains before deciding how the multipack fits occasional evening use.
Buyers with dietary or allergen requirements
Protein content or a vegan or gluten-free description may help narrow the options, but the exact flavour’s ingredients, sugars and allergen declarations still matter.
What matters when choosing?
Decide when you would eat the bar, then compare portions and labels across the packs that meet your ingredient requirements.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Eating time | Check whether the bar contains sugars and whether you would eat it at bedtime or earlier as part of a meal. Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust advises avoiding sugary foods at bedtime. | I’m looking for something to eat just before sleep; a sugary bar may not fit that plan. |
| Pack and portion size | Compare total weight, wrapper count and serving size. The Nature Valley Crunchy Variety Pack has 10 × 42 g portions, with two small bars in each portion, according to Nature Valley UK. | Will one wrapper be the portion I intend to eat, or does it contain more than one piece? |
| Nutrition label | Use per 100 g figures to compare differently sized bars, then read the per-bar or per-portion figures for sugars and any nutrient you specifically want to compare. Nature Valley UK explains the distinction between these label measures. | I want to know what my usual portion contains, not just how two differently sized products compare. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the exact flavour’s ingredients, highlighted allergens and any “may contain” statement. Do not treat a dietary description for a brand range as the declaration for every bar. | If I need to avoid an ingredient, I need the label for the pack I’m buying, not another flavour’s details. |
Mistakes to avoid
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Assuming oats, fruit or protein make a bar suitable for bedtime
The checked Nature Valley, TREK and nākd. bars all declare sugars. Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust advises avoiding sugary foods and drinks at bedtime because saliva flow is lower.
If you want a bar, consider when you will eat it rather than making a multipack your routine bedtime supper. For food eaten immediately before sleep, consider a non-sweet alternative.
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Treating a free-from or protein description as an allergen check
Ingredients and precautionary allergen statements differ between products and flavours. A vegan or gluten-free description does not address every allergy.
Read the current label for the exact bar, including its ingredients and any “may contain” statement, before choosing a multipack.
Relevant brand ranges
These brand examples help distinguish bar types; check the individual product rather than applying a range description to every flavour.
Nature Valley
Its Crunchy Variety Pack contains 10 × 42 g portions, each made up of two small bars, according to Nature Valley UK.
- The portion format makes it worth checking both wrapper count and individual bar count.
- The checked pack declares 11.3 g sugars per 42 g portion, contains oats and soya, and may contain wheat, peanuts and nuts.
TREK
TREK offers Protein Flapjacks and High Protein Bars. Its range descriptions give different protein amounts, so compare the exact product.
- Ocado lists 9.8 g protein per 50 g bar for the checked Biscoff Protein Flapjack.
- That bar also declares 12 g sugars per 50 g; protein content alone does not settle the late-night choice.
nākd.
The range includes fruit-and-nut and protein bars; claims for one range should not be applied to another.
- Tesco lists 7.6 g protein and 6.8 g fibre per 45 g checked Peanut Butter Protein Bar.
- The same bar declares 13 g sugars, contains peanuts and may contain soya and nuts. “No added sugar” does not mean sugar-free.
Graze
Graze describes its Oat Boost range as wholegrain-oat flapjacks.
- The flapjack format offers another type of bar to compare by portion and ingredients.
- Check the nutrition and pack details of the particular Oat Boost product rather than applying a range-wide description to every bar.
Eat Natural
Its range includes nut-and-fruit bars and individually wrapped protein-bar multipacks.
- Eat Natural states 8.0 g protein per 40 g checked Peanut, Almond and Cocoa bar.
- That bar contains peanuts and almonds and may contain other nuts, milk and soya; inspect the exact flavour’s label if these ingredients matter.
Snack-bar multipacks on Joybuy
These listings cover protein-bar multipacks and a nut-bar multipack for comparing an occasional earlier-evening snack. Pack size does not establish whether a bar suits eating at bedtime.
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Grenade Soft Core Double Chocolate, 12 × 50 g
A 12-bar protein multipack to consider for an earlier-evening snack. Check the exact wrapper’s sugars, ingredients and milk and soya declarations before choosing it.
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Grenade Soft Core Golden Caramel, 12 × 50 g
This Golden Caramel variant comes as 12 × 50 g bars for portion-by-portion comparison. Read its own nutrition and allergen label rather than relying on the Double Chocolate variant’s details.
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Grenade Soft Core Peanut Butter, 12 × 50 g
The Peanut Butter variant is a 12 × 50 g protein-bar pack. Check its peanut, milk and soya declarations on the exact product label if any of those ingredients need to be avoided.
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Grenade Oreo Flavour Protein Bar, 4 × 60 g
This four-bar pack has 60 g bars, so compare its per-bar label with the 50 g variants rather than assuming equal portions. Check the current ingredients and allergen declaration.
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KIND Caramel Chocolate Peanut, 12-bar pack
For a peanut-bar option rather than a Grenade protein-bar variant, compare this pack’s portion size and per-bar sugars. Check the exact ingredients and nut-allergen declaration before buying.
Common questions
Is a snack bar a good supper immediately before bed?
A sugary bar is not a good default at bedtime. Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust advises keeping sugar-containing foods and drinks with meals rather than between-meal snacks and avoiding them at bedtime, when saliva flow is lower. If you need supper at that time, consider a non-sweet option instead.
Does a pack of 10 portions contain only 10 bars?
Not necessarily. Nature Valley UK describes its checked Crunchy Variety Pack as 10 × 42 g portions, with two small bars per portion. Check both the portion description and the number of pieces before comparing it with another multipack.
Does “no added sugar” mean sugar-free?
No. The checked nākd. Peanut Butter Protein Bar carries a no-added-sugar description but declares 13 g sugars per 45 g bar, according to Tesco. Read the “of which sugars” figure for the portion you would eat.
What should I check if I have an allergy or intolerance?
Read the ingredients, highlighted allergens and any “may contain” statement on the exact current pack. Nuts, peanuts, cereals, milk and soya appear in or are flagged on different checked bars, so another flavour’s label is not a substitute.
Does protein content make a bar suitable for bedtime?
No. Protein content does not settle when to eat a bar: Ocado and Tesco list 12 g sugars per 50 g checked TREK Biscoff bar and 13 g per 45 g checked nākd. Peanut Butter Protein Bar. Compare the whole portion label, and follow Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust’s advice to avoid sugary foods at bedtime.