When 100 ingredients meet 6 ingredients: How Chia Charge stacks up vs Joe Wicks’ Killer Bar

Walk into any gym or supermarket and you’ll find shelves stacked with protein bars promising to fuel your recovery, build muscle, and fit your macros. But if you take a closer look at the ingredients, it quickly becomes clear that not all protein bars are created equal.

We recently compared three salted caramel bars — Chia Charge, Grenade Carb Killa, and SiS PROTEIN20 — and the results speak volumes. While all three deliver a similar amount of protein, the ingredients, processing, and nutritional quality vary widely.

🏋️♂️ Why the Chia Charge Salted Caramel Protein Bar Stands Out

• Convenient Size with Substantial Protein
  Chia Charge's Salted Caramel bar delivers a solid 21.3g of protein in a 60g bar — enough to support post-exercise recovery, or simply tide you over when you’re out and about.

• A Better Carb-to-Protein Balance
  With 21g of carbohydrates and 21.3g of protein, the bar closely matches the 1:1 ratio recommended for recovery nutrition — helping replenish glycogen and repair muscle tissue efficiently (JISSN, 2017).

• Supports Recovery Without the Extras
  Protein after exercise plays a key role in muscle repair and growth. Chia Charge delivers this without the usual extras like artificial fibres, polyols, or protein isolates.

• Only 6 Ingredients — and All Recognisable
  This bar is made with real food: roasted peanut butter, golden syrup, chia seeds, sea salt flakes, and soy protein crispies. No chemical-sounding sweeteners, no synthetic binders.

That simple ingredient list is a big deal. Many protein bars — even well-known brands — are built from long lists of additives, flavourings, and sweeteners. Let’s take a closer look at how Grenade and SiS compare when it comes to what’s actually inside the bar.

🌱 Ingredient Quality and Processing: A Clear Divide

• Chia Charge: Straightforward and Transparent
  With just 6 ingredients the label reads more like a recipe you might make at home. Chia Charge keeps things simple. There’s no maltitol, no mystery “flavourings,” and nothing ultra-processed. You know exactly what you’re eating — and your body does too.

• Grenade: Heavily Processed with Additives
  Grenade’s Carb Killa bar contains over a dozen ingredients, including artificial sweeteners (maltitol), synthetic fibres, palm fat, and flavouring agents. While it uses dairy and collagen for protein, the overall formulation is far from natural — and the packaging even carries a warning about potential laxative effects from excessive consumption.    Here is Carb Killa ingredients list  

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• SiS: Long Ingredient List, Minimal Transparency
  The SiS PROTEIN20 bar uses isolated plant proteins, sugar alcohols like maltitol, glycerol, gum acacia, and multiple emulsifiers. The bar is marketed as vegan and low in sugar — but it relies heavily on processed and industrial food components. Like Grenade, it also carries a digestive warning due to its high polyol content.

Here are the SIS ingredients from their website

If you're trying to eat well, recover properly, and still recognise the ingredients in your food, Chia Charge offers a clear alternative.

It delivers real food protein, with a nutrition profile that supports recovery — and it does so without leaning on synthetic sweeteners, chemical fibres, or ultra-processed shortcuts. Whether you're recovering from a workout or just want a protein snack that doesn’t feel like a chemistry project, Chia Charge keeps it clean and simple.

⚖️ Nutritional Comparison (Per Bar)

🔍 Key Nutritional Takeaways:

• Chia Charge has the highest natural sugar content because it uses golden syrup, not polyols — but also the highest energy, making it ideal for active recovery or fuelling.

• Grenade and SiS keep sugar low by using sugar alcohols (maltitol), which can cause digestive discomfort in some people (and require a laxative warning). Killa Carb isn't actually low carb, it's just low sugar, with moderate amount of carbs and a laxative warning.

• All three bars offer similar protein (20–21.3g), but Chia Charge does it with real food ingredients, while the others rely on isolated proteins and additives.