Snack Bar, Vol. 2: A Taste of What's Trendy

Street corn, meet popcorn — that the two haven't met sooner seems frankly unfathomable. Inspired by the flavors of elote, a popular Mexican street food where grilled corn on the cob is bedecked with crema, chili and lime, this collaboration between LesserEvil and Thrive Market packs a serious punch. The heat of red chilis, plus the smokiness of chipotle, comes through in a bold, fresh way, though in our opinion slightly dominates the corn flavor that makes elote so fantastic. Still, this is a great choice for spice lovers and a vegan and gluten-free crowdpleaser.

If I told you I loved the Jonas Brothers' popcorn, would you send me straight to jail? Well then lock me up, baby, because even this skeptic is sold. Co-founded by the brothers and Naked Market — in tribute to their family friend Rob’s popcorn that was so addictive it became their backstage go-to — it’s a brand with one certified banger on its tracklist. "Priyanka's Mumbai Nights" (inspired by flavors from Priyanka Chopra Jones' home country of India) is the clear standout of their collection, and an excellent example of how savory spices can enhance blank canvas snacks. Skip the other two flavors and swallow your pride over ordering a celebrity-spouse-branded product — this one got across-the-board raves at our last taste test.

Nothing like a snack with a fifteen-syllable name! Functional ingredients, or compounds designed to perform a specific function internally, can be divided into two wildly popular categories: nootropics and adaptogens. Both are undoubtedly all the rage right now, with nootropics purporting to enhance brain health and cognitive performance. It's worth noting that the FDA has not weighed in on these assertions, and I myself have felt no drastic improvements after eating them, but ingredients like ginseng and B vitamins are widely known to be beneficial. I see no harm in the trend as long as we don't treat it as a cure-all.

Fortunately, these Mindright popped chips are pretty tasty either way. Their cinnamon-y sweetness makes them feel like a guilty pleasure, but the ingredient list is entirely guilt-free. Our initial excitement at the churro flavor was slightly tempered by the aftertaste of cassava and potato (the starches that make up the chips themselves), but we're fans of the product overall, especially for its nutritional stats. When's the last time you found a low-fat potato chip you actually wanted to eat?

On the other side of the functional spectrum we have the ever-buzzy adaptogens: ingredients used to reduce mental and physical stress. They've risen to prominence particularly in non-alcoholic beverages, which rely on herbs like ashwaganda and reishi to mimic alcohol's relaxing effects. But here they are again in Toodaloo's Maple Mix of sprouted nuts and seeds, which has a lovely coconut flavor and a texture much like peanut brittle.

I'll restate that I'm agnostic on the adaptogen debate. No radical devotion here, but I also take zero issue with incorporating these herbs into my diet. Plus you can't even taste them anyway — not in Toodaloo at least — as the combo of nuts, fruits and maple syrup clearly takes center stage. If you like a sweet-skewing trail mix, this is way up your alley. We love a hippie snack that still tastes nice and indulgent.

Energy bars usually live up to their name, giving jolts of alertness when they're most needed. But leading brands are also often packed with sugar, giving an equal and opposite energy crash that's helpful to precisely no one. Enter brands like Quantum, who are using alternative ingredients that deliver steady energy, allowing you to stay plant-powered for longer without the dreaded dropoff.

Full disclosure: I don't do well with caffeine, so I only nibbled on Quantum's Energy Squares, which each pack the caffeine equivalent of one full cup of coffee. But I loved what I tasted, particularly the Salted Peanut Butter Crunch flavor, and had caffeinated friends vouch for the energizing effects as well. The caffeine is sourced from green tea, which often gives a gentler but still pronounced lift, while chia seeds and MCT oil give your body some other sources of oomph.

If you know anyone who's gotten a B12 shot or IV drip in the past, then you know B vitamins aren't messing around when it comes to energy boosting. They're a key ingredient in MOSH's nutrition bars, which also lean heavily on the nootropics mentioned earlier to fortify brain health. That makes these bars a two-trends-in-one specialty, with the added bonus of 12 grams of protein for all you gym rats out there.

Flavor-wise, they're solid if not mind-blowing. I happily munched on them before a few workouts, and appreciated the boost as well as the Lemon White Chocolate flavor. But they have the unmistakable taste of synthetic sweetener (in this case, allulose), which might be calorie-free but isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's just frankly become so common in protein bars that I happen not to mind.