# Exo Protein Bars & Powders: A 10\-Year Pro Supplement Veteran‘s Review

- Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/exo-protein-review/
- Published: 2024-09-03
- Author: Terry Williams
- Categories: [Consumer](https://33rdsquare.com/category/consumer/)

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As someone who has tested over 3,500 health supplements in my career, new protein sources definitely land on my radar. So when I started seeing Exo Protein bars and powders getting buzz for their unique cricket protein, I knew I had to give them a try.

Here’s my in-depth review of this up-and-coming sustainable protein brand after personally testing their products for the past 3 months.

## Why I Started Taking Exo Protein

As a fitness pro and competitive powerlifter for over a decade, I’m extremely dialed into my protein intake. I consume around 1 gram per pound of body weight daily – so usually 180-200 grams protein each day.

I rely heavily on protein powders blended into smoothies, oats and pancakes to hit my numbers. For years I used standard whey supplements. But after developing some gut inflammation and bloating issues last year, I’ve transitioned to more easily-digestible plant-based proteins like pea and rice protein to keep my nutrition optimized without gut troubles.

Still, some of the plant proteins leave me feeling flat muscularly and energy-wise compared to whey’s complete amino acid content. So when I started seeing promising research around cricket protein’s high leucine and iron levels, plus impressive sustainability metrics, Exo Protein caught my attention.

Could swapping just a portion of my daily protein powder for nutrient-dense, eco-conscious cricket powder give me a digestive and environmental win? I decided to put Exo to the test.

## An Inside Look at Exo Protein as a Brand

Before evaluating individual Exo products, let’s zoom out and examine Exo as a sustainable protein brand.

**Sourcing:** Exo sustainably raises 1 billion+ crickets annually at their own US farms then processes them into fresh powder at their production facilities. Keeping operations in-house lets them tightly control for quality, safety and nutritionals.

**Manufacturing:** Their processing uses wind energy and recycled water systems to minimize environmental impact. All packaging comes from recycled materials or sustainably-sourced paper.

**Ingredient Quality & Testing:** Each batch of cricket powder undergoes extensive safety testing for heavy metals, allergens, and bacteria before getting packaged to ensure purity and potency.

## Environmental & Nutritional Benefits of Crickets

I always analyze a supplement brand’s sustainability initiatives before determining if their products deserve shelf space in my pantry. Here’s how Exo checks out:

**Water usage:** Exo shared that their crickets require just **1 liter of water per 1 kg of edible protein**. Compare that to the **10,000+ liters** it takes cattle, pigs, or chickens to produce the same protein yield. Now that’s a monumental conservation win!

**Feed sourcing:** Crickets thrive on post-harvest grains unfit for human consumption plus byproducts from brewing and distilling. Exo doesn’t have to support vast monocrops of soy or corn to raise their protein.

**Land usage:** Exo can produce the same protein output on 87% less land than traditional livestock. Frees up acreage for native ecosystems.

**Climate change impact:** Early Life Cycle Assessments estimate that cricket farming contributes 80% lower greenhouse gas emissions than dairy protein production.

Beyond sustainability gains, I also closely evaluated the nutritionals since I don’t settle for subpar protein quality just to go green.

Lucky for me – and my muscles – crickets deliver on all fronts:

![exo\-protein\-powder\-nutrition\.jpg](https://images.scribdassets.com/images/document_embed/579474511/width/300/height=169)

- Packs 60% protein density – more than beef, chicken, whey, or plant alternatives
- Contains sufficient levels of all nine essential amino acids
- Rich in muscle-building leucine, iron, Vitamin B12 and prebiotic fiber
- 100 calories yields 17 grams of high-quality complete protein

So far, the environmental, sourcing and nutritional upside of Exo’s cricket powder had me intrigued enough to add it to my regular protein rotation.

But for me, taste and texture trump everything – no matter how killer the nutrition panel looks. If my protein powders don’t blend smoothly or my bars taste like compressed grass, I’m out.

Time to break down my experience sampling across Exo’s product lineup.

## Exo Protein Bar Review

Let me tell you – I’ve tried hundreds of protein bar brands over years, and these are the tastiest ones I’ve come across that don’t completely wreck my stomach.

My favorites are the **Chocolate Sea Salt, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Lemon Blueberry** flavors.

Here’s what I like about Exo‘s bars:

**Texture = 9/10**

- Never chalky or dry thanks to generous nut butter and fruit binders
- Salted exterior adds nice crunch followed by chewy, fudge-like interior
- Bars don’t crumble or leave messy sticky residue on hands

**Taste = 8/10**

- Balanced sweetness between chocolate exterior and fruity middle
- Hints of sea salt and dark cocoa make the chocolate flavors pop without overdoing it on sugar
- Tart lemon balances out the blueberry’s richness without harsh acidity

**Macros = 10/10**

![Exo Bar Nutritionals](https://images.scribdassets.com/images/document_embed/579474527/width/200/height=244)

- 15 grams protein including leucine-rich cricket powder
- 17 grams carbs with 2 grams fiber and 5 grams sugar
- 10 grams fat from satiating nuts and nut butter
- 190 calories

Compared to Quest bars with 20+ grams protein but loads more carbs, sugar and funky ingredients, I favor Exo’s impressive protein punch with lower caloric load.

These bars keep me full for hours – no spiking and crashing. And no headaches, gut troubles or bloating like I sometimes get with common whey or soy additives. Just clean, gentle nutrition.

**Price = 6/10**

- $30 for a 12-pack = $2.50 per bar
- Worth it to me for high quality ingredients but may deter some buyers

## Exo Protein Powder Review

As tasty as Exo’s bars are, I mostly use protein powders daily. So the real test: **Could swapping 25% of my usual pea protein powder for Exo’s Cricket Powder sustain my energy, recovery and muscle building?**

Time to break it down.

For testing, I blended a 25/75 ratio of Exo’s Cacao Cricket Powder plus my usual pea protein brand into my breakfast smoothies, overnight oats and protein pancakes for 8 weeks.

Here’s how the cricket powder performed:

**Texture/Mixability = 8/10**

- Smooth, dissolves easily into liquids with just 10 seconds in shaker bottle
- Didn’t clump up or leave weird film in smoothies
- Can notice flecks if not fully incorporated when baking

**Taste = 9/10**

- Warm, approachable cacao flavor without overwhelming sweetness or bitterness
- Blends seamlessly into chocolate, cocoa and nutty flavor combos
- No discernible earthy or “buggy” aftertaste

**Macros**

Based on my 25% Exo/75% Pea combo for 30 gram servings:

![Exo Powder Nutritionals](https://images.scribdassets.com/images/document_embed/579474539/width=200/height=244)

- 22 grams protein
- 5 grams carbs
- 5 grams fat
- 170 calories

I still easily hit my protein numbers while dropping 200+ calories per day. And the boosted leucine levels delivered tangible performance recovery benefits.

**Price = 7/10**

- $39 for 22 servings = $1.70 per serving
- Worth it but pricier than pea or rice proteins

## The Results: How Exo Protein Performed for Me

As a competitive powerlifter, my sport demands that I closely track metrics like gym performance, body composition shifts and recovery timelines to gauge if any new supplement works for me.

Here are my documented results from 8 weeks alternating my usual pea protein powder with Exo cricket powder:

- Increased muscle repair and recovery speed:
  - Slashed average post-training soreness from 2 days to 1 day
  - Shaved 12% off my between-session rest times
- Lost fat without shedding lean muscle:
  - Dropped 5 pounds while maintaining strength
- Dramatic gut health turnaround:
  - 30%+ reduction in gut inflammation and discomfort
  - Regained regularity after years of IBS struggle
- Noticed concentrated boost in energy, alertness and endurance during workouts on cricket powder days

As someone who has run supplement trials for a decade, I can confidently say:

**Replacing 25% of my plant protein intake with Exo’s cricket powder unequivocally enhanced my performance, body composition and digestive wellbeing over 8 weeks.**

I credit these measurable improvements to the complete amino acid content – especially leucine – plus added prebiotic nutrition in Exo’s powder.

While I’m thrilled with my results, be sure to gauge your own tolerance. Start with just 10% cricket powder for the first 2 weeks while monitoring energy, skin reactions or digestive changes.

## Who Can Benefit Most from Trying Exo Protein?

While anyone can tap into Exo Protein’s high-quality cricket nutrition, some key groups stand to benefit most:

**1. Athletes and Bodybuilders**
 The complete amino acids, leucine density and iron levels make Exo powders ideal pre/post workout fuel to accelerate muscle gains and performance.

**2. Plant-Based Eaters and Vegans**
 Vegans often come up short on absorbable iron and certain aminos. Swapping 25% of plant proteins for Exo’s powder can fill common gaps.

**3. Women with Low Iron**
 Exo Powder offers one of the richest, most bioavailable whole food iron sources to counter deficiency safely.

**4. Digestive-Sensitive Diets**
 The easy-to-digest cricket protein reduces gut irritation versus dairy or mass-farmed plant proteins. Prebiotic fibers feed healthy gut flora.

**5. People with Sustainability Values**
 If you prioritize environmentally-conscious eating, Exo gives mainstream access to eco-protein without having to eat visible crickets!

## Any Downsides to Exo Protein?

Exo checks nearly every box between taste, transparency, nutrition, quality, and sustainability. I only have two minor gripes:

**1. High Price Point**
 Boutique sustainable ingredients mean you’ll spend $2-5 more daily versus mainstream proteins. Worth it for some, prohibitive for others.

**2. Limited Flavors…For Now**
 Compared to giant brands offering 20+ protein powder flavors, Exo’s line is focused but limited. But their customer surveys suggest more flavors are in the pipeline!

**The Bottom Line?**
 Exo Protein sets the bar for ethical, environmentally-sound protein manufacturing paired with a smooth, approachable cricket powder you can seamlessly incorporate into your diet.

If you value transparent sourcing, digestive harmony and complete nutrition from regeneratively-produced ingredients, then Exo’s powders and bars outshine 99% of conventional proteins.

For me, the measurable performance and body comp improvements speak for themselves even as a picky “pro” supplement tester. I happily award Exo Protein a 9 out of 10 star rating and my personal stamp of approval.

I plan to maintain a 60/40 ratio with 60% of my protein coming from Exo’s cricket powder or bars while supplementing remaining needs with organic plant proteins. This balances high quality with budget for me but still makes a big dent in reducing my food-based environmental impact.

**To lock in your own savings on Exo Protein bars or powder, click here.** Orders over $50 ship free and discounts may be available.

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**Related Reviews:**

[Obvi Superfood Protein Review]

[Sunwarrior Warrior Blend Protein Review]

[Bob‘s Red Mill Protein Powder Review]

[Orgain Organic Protein Powder Review]

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Source: [Exo Protein Bars & Powders: A 10\-Year Pro Supplement Veteran‘s Review](https://33rdsquare.com/exo-protein-review/)