MOSH Bars Review

5 Reasons MOSH Bars Won’t Make You a Genius (But They Might Drain Your Wallet)

Let’s get real. Do you want to spend a fortune on your next bar? I know I don’t. But MOSH bars are making a big splash, claiming to be THE snack for optimal brainpower. Are these bars going to make you smarter? More productive? Immune to Alzheimer’s, even?

If it seems too good to be true, it’s probably because it is. Spoiler alert: I’m calling bull on MOSH being the “Brain Brand” touting “Brain + Body Fuel.” Let’s dive into see what the hype is all about, and why they don’t live up to it. Here are 5 reasons MOSH bars aren’t fueling your brain or body.

1. The MOSH Mission: Heartfelt, but Does it Translate?

MOSH is a mission-based company focused on brain health. Founded by Maria Shriver and her son, Patrick Schwarzenegger, MOSH’s heartfelt dedication to Alzheimer’s awareness and research is commendable. While the brand has good intentions, it doesn’t mean the end product delivers on the brain-boosting benefits it claims.

Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if Maria and Patrick really believed their product would be able to deliver, but didn’t understand nutrition science well enough to know it wouldn’t be able to until it was too late. According to Jonathan Jarry, M.Sc., “Shriver and her son can’t claim that eating the bar prevents Alzheimer’s disease or that it treats it: in fact, their website says they cannot make these claims.”

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2. Brain Fuel? More Like False Advertising

MOSH aggressively markets its brand as “The Brain Brand” and its bars as “Brain + Body Fuel,” but where’s the proof? This kind of sweeping claim deserves to be scrutinized. In reality, a healthy brain thrives on a consistently balanced diet rich in various nutrients.

As Uma Naidoo, M.D. points out in her book, This Is Your Brain on Food, an important relationship exists between what we eat and our brain. “This synergy has immense consequences for our mental health, as well as our intellectual and cognitive function. When we eat a healthier diet, we nurture our gut microbes and allow them to function at their peak.”

Let’s be clear: I’m not saying MOSH bars are entirely unhealthy. However, there’s no question that MOSH’s marketing oversells the true impact of how their bars can benefit and nourish your brain.

And while MOSH Bars are not entirely unhealthy, read our review, which proves that Quest Protein Bars are not healthy.

3. The Bitter Truth

MOSH hypes up their so-called Brain Blend (Flaxseed, Bovine Collagen, Lion’s Mane, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, KSM-66, Ashwagandha®), trendy ingredients they claim could have potential brain health benefits.

I’m going to focus on Lion’s Mane and Ashwagandha because they are currently the most hyped. While some Lion’s Mane and Ashwagandha can be found in these bars, are there significant amounts that can make a difference?

Let’s talk dosage. According to some studies, a therapeutic dose of Lion’s Mane and Ashwagandha should be around 500-1000mg daily. But that dosage remains questionable as research on humans overall is minimal, according to registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD, LD. “So, we can’t really say if the potential benefits for humans are reliable in the long term, and we have no real guidelines for consumption.”

While MOSH bars contain traces of Lion’s Mane and Ashwagandha, the amounts are likely insignificant. You’d need to eat multiple bars to reach a potentially beneficial dose. Unfortunately, even that wouldn’t help because Lion’s Mane and Ashwagandha are incredibly bitter in large quantities. If MOSH bars contained enough to make a difference, they’d taste terrible.

I had a chance to taste 4 different flavors of MOSH bars and to be perfectly honest, these bars don’t taste great. The Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch bar was dry and left a lingering aftertaste.

The Blueberry Almond Crunch bar had a fake blueberry flavor, and the texture was far too chewy. The Cookie Dough Crunch bar just reminded me of a bad candy bar.

And finally, the Lemon White Chocolate Crunch bar was an odd flavor combo, to say the least. But don’t take my word for it; I’m not the only one who doesn’t enjoy MOSH bars:

4. MOSH Bars Nutrition Facts

MOSH bars have some positives:

• Calories: 160 calories make them a reasonable snack option.
• Protein: 12g of protein is a solid amount for a bar this size.
• Sugar: Only 1g of sugar is excellent for blood sugar control.

But there are downsides:

• Fiber: 7g of fiber sounds good, but the quality of fiber isn’t.
• Net Carbs: Just 3g net carbs is misleading, since it has tapioca starch, a hidden form of Isomalto oligosacharrides
• Portion Size: The bar is small for the high price and won’t fill you up.

While MOSH Bars contain some good vitamins like B12 and D3, let’s look at the rest of the ingredients. Bovine Collagen is listed as part of the “Brain Blend” on the ingredients list, but its cognitive effects haven’t been proven. However, according to a recent study, Bovine Collagen has been shown to help improve gut health, so we’ll give them points for that. But again, I doubt there’s enough in this bar to help your gut.

Instead of table sugar, MOSH uses allulose, a natural sugar alcohol with minimal impact on blood sugar levels, which is good news for diabetics. As Elizabeth Traxler, MS, RDN, LD points out, “Allulose is low calorie and doesn’t raise insulin or blood sugar levels, so it can be helpful for weight management and diabetes.” And even if you’re perfectly healthy, Allulose is without question the best available sugar-free sweetener, which is why we use it in Human Food Bar.

However, some MOSH bars like the Lemon White Chocolate Crunch bar use the sugar alcohol erythritol and artificial sweetener stevia (stevia is not as natural as it sounds). But when it comes to carbs and fiber, MOSH Bars lists both Tapioca Fiber and Tapioca Starch in their ingredients. Because it’s not listed as Prebiotic Tapioca Fiber, it could well be a hidden form of IMO, which means it can potentially raise blood sugar levels. Tapioca Starch is a carb that may offer quick energy boosts but can also cause blood sugar spikes.

5. Don’t Be Fooled: MOSH Bars are a rip-off

MOSH Bars are not cheap! Let’s talk numbers. A pack of twelve costs a hefty $44, which works out to about $3.67 per bar! At that price, you’d expect premium ingredients and a truly exceptional snacking experience.

Comment byu/supercarr0t from discussion inAwesomeFreebies

Looking for other Keto/Low Carb Protein Bars? Read our Quest Bar review for an alternative to MOSH Bars.

Don’t Believe the Hype

The truth is, these bars are more likely to drain your wallet than boost your brainpower. MOSH’s clever marketing falls short. Ultimately, you’re paying for slick branding and a feel-good story, not a snack bar that offers a true cognitive advantage. But don’t worry, there are plenty of other bars on the market that offer a better balance of protein, fiber, healthy fats, and moderate sugar content for a much more reasonable price. We’ve tried a ton of bars, and while they’re not all winners, check out the best keto/low-carb bars. And hey, while you’re at it, why not give our own Human Food Bar a try? Trust us, it’s way better than those pricey MOSH bars 😉

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