Raise The Bar Fitness Subscription Review – May 2017

Raise the Bar is a subscription box offering snack bars and protein bars, teas, and samples of other fitness-related supplements (e.g., preworkout powders, etc.).

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

This review is of the Starter, $17.99 a month, box. 

The Subscription Box: Raise the Bar

The Cost: $17.99 for the “Starter Box” with at least 5 protein and/or snack bars, $39.99 for the “Intermediate Box” with 10 bars and 10 teas, or $64.99 for the “Advanced Box” with 20 bars and 20 teas.

The Products: Protein and snack bars, immune boosting teas, and occasional other fitness supplement samples, all designed with your personal health goals in mind.

Ships to: US (free)

Check out the Fitness Subscription Box Directory for more health and fitness oriented subscription boxes and make sure to add Raise The Bar to your subscription list or wishlist!

The information for this box did not have a list of items, probably because the boxes may differ depending on your answers to the sign-up quiz. For example, I chose “Health Maintenance” since I am at my goal weight, and “vegetarian.” (You can also choose weight loss or muscle building type goals, can choose a kosher box, and can list food allergies separately.)

There was also some product literature for Vital Body, one of the companies whose products were in the box.

Manna Bar in Cherry Almond Chocolate Chip (1.86 oz) – Value $5 (or buy a pack of 12 for $60)

This is a new brand for me. I am always happy to find new brands since that is why I subscribe to a lot of boxes! These are advertised as tasting like a smooth and chewy trail mix, and I’d say that was accurate. These have almond butter instead of almonds, and the almond butter modifies the texture of the date part of the bar. I like it! I think the chocolate is just at the right level not to be overwhelming with respect to the other flavors.

Manna Bar in Cacao Cashew Brownie (1.86 oz) – Value $5 (or buy a pack of 12 for $60)

Like the other kind up above, these are new to me, too. I did not notice a ton of cashew flavor although these had a little bit of a different texture than a date bar. Most of the flavor that I could detect came from cacao. These are kind of expensive to buy on a regular basis, though – most of the bars I consume cost about half as much (though this company donates clean water to those in need with some of the proceeds).

Justine’s Peanut Butter Choc Chip Protein Cookie (2.3 oz) – Value $2.89 USD

This is a product that’s made in New Zealand.  I can’t seem to find it for sale in a US-based shop so I’ve linked to the manufacturer and converted the price to US dollars. I do like the opportunity to try products like this that I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. As for the texture, well, it feels like eating about 75% protein powder held together by some binders, which is basically what it is. Although the taste is not bad, it is super dry. I’ve provided a shot of part of the back; apparently if you eat too many of these, it can have a laxative effect! (These contain maltitol, a sugar alcohol which is known for that sort of thing.)

Vicia Almond Noir (1.83 oz x 2) – Total Value $6 (buy a box of 12 for $36)

I think I have received about 8 of these from subscription boxes at this point. It’s a good thing that I do like them. They are a little spendy for bars, but they taste pretty good (probably because they have 15 grams of sugar per bar, which is kind of a lot!). These are vegan and organic (but are processed in a shared facility with some common allergens) and it was quite nice to see the chocolate wasn’t melted. I also like the chewy-but-not-crumbly texture.

Pukka Clean Green Tea (2 bags) – Value $0.47?

So this variety isn’t listed on the Pukka website (only something called “Clean Matcha Green” which may or may not be the same). I also can’t find it for sale in the US. I have given it a value consistent with other Pukka teas from this website. Sadly, after trying one bag, I am pretty sure this contains licorice, which is coming up all the time in teas from subscription boxes lately and which I do not like at all.

Sante Matcha (2 g) – Value $1?

This company requires registration to see information in their store, so the value is an estimate based on other matchas I found online (this is culinary grade, meant to be consumed in baked goods, smoothies, etc.). Matcha is something I like to put in my morning smoothies and this was perfect for that. You get a lot more antioxidants from eating matcha than from just drinking green tea.

Vital Body 47 Fruits and Veggies + Probiotics & Enzymes (1 serving) – Value $1.98 (buy a bag of 30 servings for $59.50)

All right, this is a type of product I buy regularly. I started using fruit/veggie/probiotic/enzyme blends because I received a lot of samples of them in fitness subscription boxes. I put something like this product in my morning smoothies, but I do change up brands a lot. I used about half the packet this morning (I don’t like green smoothies and didn’t want to chance an overwhelming vegetable flavor) and thought it blended well. I would consider this for my next purchase of this type of product.

Valentus Prevail Energy (1 serving) – Value $2.50 (buy a box of 24 packets for $59.95)

I’m linking you to Amazon instead of the Valentus site because this company appears to operate via some sort of MLM scheme where you have to sign up for an account and give a name for who gave you a referral. I like that this is low in sodium, has potassium, and has a little bit of fiber. However, it has what looks to be a lot of caffeine and other stimulants in it, and I have had some days this week where I have been really jittery from caffeine, so I am going to hang on to this for a time when I am feeling not quite so wired.

Vital Body DBR BCAAs in Pink Lemonade (1 serving) – Value $1.98 (buy a bag of 30 servings for $59.50)

I always love discovering new BCAA products (BCAAs are branched chain amino acids and can help with post-workout muscle recovery and delayed onset muscle soreness). This also has lots of minerals and is caffeine free (yay, since I work out at night). But, I’m not sure I would buy this regularly because, even though it doesn’t taste that bad to me, it has creatine, which can cause you to gain quite a lot of water weight. (Creatine is also proven effective to help build muscle.)

Verdict: I calculated a value of $26.82 for the May Raise the Bar. That is a wonderful value for a box like this. Usually food-based subscriptions come in a lot closer to the price of the box. My husband and I had fun trying the bars (I cut them in half to share) and the teas and other samples were pretty much extras, as far as I was concerned. I was happy to be able to customize this for my own dietary needs (and to be able to have a few things with dairy or egg ingredients, not just vegan items…).

What did you think of the May Raise the Bar?