LSP Nutrition Oatking Oat Bar - Natural Energy

What is the Oat King bar by LSP Nutrition?

Oat King is an oat-flake bar in a distinctly more generous format than the aisle average. Each bar weighs 95 g, contains at least 42% oat flakes and provides 393 to 448 kcal depending on the flavour. The manufacturer states that the bars are made by hand, using traditional methods.

This is not a protein bar, and that is the first thing to understand before buying. A protein bar is built around an isolate, with 20 g of protein for 200 kcal. Here the logic is the opposite: oats are the first ingredient, the bar is dense in carbohydrate, and it exists to supply energy over time rather than to cover a protein intake.

The flavours in the catalogue: Big Tasty Chocolate, Chocolat Caramel, Chocolate Coconut, Carrot Cake, Apricot Yogurt, Red Fruits Yogurt, Super Banana, Cherry Almond, Maple Walnut, Peanut Butter and Lemon Poppy, the last of these being the vegan version. The rest of the brand can be browsed in our LSP Sports aisle, and the other snack formats in our protein bars aisle.

What does an Oat King bar contain?

95 g and up to 448 kcal: that is the figure to keep in mind, and it changes how the product is used entirely. A typical bar on this aisle weighs 55 to 65 g for 200 to 230 kcal. Here you are at double that, which is to say the equivalent of a light meal. That is neither a flaw nor a virtue in itself: it is simply a product made for long efforts, not for filling the 16:00 slump.

42% oat flakes is a high proportion, and you can feel it as you chew. The texture is that of a dense cereal bar, not a soft coating around a protein dough. That is why it stays with you better than most of its competitors, and also why it needs to be eaten with water within reach.

We should flag what we do not have: the manufacturer does not publish the nutritional breakdown — protein, carbohydrate, fat, fibre, salt — for each flavour. We will not fill those boxes with approximate values, all the more so as the composition varies appreciably from one flavour to another. The full table appears on the wrapper of the bar you receive, and that is the only reliable source if you count your intake precisely.

In regulatory terms there is nothing to claim, and that is perfectly fine: no health claim is authorised for oats in the area of energy or endurance. Complex carbohydrates act as fuel for exercise, which is basic physiology. Be wary of phrases such as “sustained energy with no blood-sugar spike” that turn up all over this aisle: those are slogans, not authorised claims.

Ingredients list

The full ingredients list is not disclosed by the manufacturer in the data available to us, and it varies with the flavour. It appears on the wrapper of the bar you receive. What we do know: oat flakes account for at least 42% of the recipe and are its first ingredient.

May contain traces of PEANUTS, SOYA and NUTS. Some flavours also contain nuts or peanuts as an ingredient in their own right — that is the case with the Peanut Butter, Cherry Almond and Maple Walnut versions. Oats are among the gluten-containing cereals as defined by European regulation: this product is therefore not suitable for anyone with coeliac disease.

How do you eat the Oat King bar?

Portion: 1 bar, or half a bar as a snack. Drink: a large glass of water, as the bar is dense. Timing: 30 to 60 minutes before exercise, during a long activity, or straight after the session. Frequency: one bar a day is plenty. Duration: there is no notion of a course here, it is a food.

Its best use is long outdoor effort. A bike ride, a hike, a trail run, a day's skiing: this format exists for exactly that. 400 kcal in a jacket pocket, eaten on the move and not melting the way a chocolate bar does, is hard to match.

Before a gym session, reckon on half a bar and 30 to 60 minutes instead. A whole 95 g bar swallowed just before lifting is heavy to digest, and the oats do not help. Cut it in two and keep the rest for afterwards.

During a long effort, eat it in pieces and drink. This is a dry, dense bar; without water it goes down badly and gives that blocked-up feeling cyclists know well. Spread it over thirty minutes rather than swallowing it in one go.

Finally, keep it away from heat: dry and at room temperature. In a southern summer, a bar left in a car turns sticky and holds together far less well. If what you are after is a protein-oriented snack instead, our protein snack aisle answers a different need.

Who is the Oat King bar for, and who is it not for?

It suits someone who does an endurance sport, who is out for long stretches, or who struggles to meet their calorie needs across the day. It also works as a stopgap breakfast: 95 g of oats and dried fruit beats a croissant eaten standing up.

It is not suitable for anyone with coeliac disease, oats being one of the gluten-containing cereals as defined by the regulation. Nor is it suitable in cases of allergy to peanuts, soya or nuts: traces are possible across the whole range, and some flavours contain them outright.

It is poorly suited to a low-calorie diet. At 393-448 kcal a unit, one bar represents a significant share of a day in deficit. This is not a cutting product, and selling it as one would be dishonest. If your goal is weight loss, our weight loss aisle brings together products designed for that.

What not to expect from it. It is not a protein source: it does contain some, naturally present in the oats, but in modest and undisclosed amounts. It does not build muscle, does not improve performance by itself and does not replace a proper meal. What it provides is easily portable energy — and on that ground it is excellent.

Oat bar or protein bar?

This is the real choice facing anyone buying from this aisle, and it depends only on what you are looking for.

A protein bar is made for protein intake: around 20 g for 200 to 230 kcal, in a format half the size. It is the right product after a weights session, or as a snack when you need to hit a protein target without sending the calories through the roof. Our protein bars aisle covers those references.

The oat bar is made for energy: plenty of carbohydrate, enough mass to fill you up, and it holds up well in a pocket. For a long effort it wins hands down — a protein bar over three hours on a bike will not give you the fuel you need, whatever its protein content.

And if your need is purely for carbohydrate, to be prepared at home rather than carried with you, an oat flour or a rice cream works out far cheaper per gram. You pay for the bar's format, not for its composition — worth knowing.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories are in one bar?

From 393 to 448 kcal depending on the flavour, for a 95 g bar. That is roughly double a classic protein bar, which puts it closer to a light meal. It is deliberate: the bar is designed for long efforts, not for filling a small gap.

Which flavours are available?

In the catalogue: Big Tasty Chocolate, Chocolat Caramel, Chocolate Coconut, Carrot Cake, Apricot Yogurt, Red Fruits Yogurt, Super Banana, Cherry Almond, Maple Walnut, Peanut Butter and Lemon Poppy. The last of these is the vegan version of the range.

Does the bar contain gluten?

Yes. Oats, which account for at least 42% of the recipe, are one of the gluten-containing cereals as defined by European regulation. This product is therefore not suitable for anyone with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance.

What is the protein content?

The manufacturer does not disclose the full nutritional breakdown, and it varies with the flavour. We are not going to invent it. Bear in mind that this is not a protein bar: the protein it does contain comes from the oats and the dried fruit, in modest amounts.

Is it suitable before a weights session?

Half a bar, 30 to 60 minutes beforehand, yes. A whole bar right before you start will be heavy to digest: 95 g of dense oats is a lot to carry. For a long outdoor outing, on the other hand, the whole bar makes complete sense.

Is there a vegan version?

Yes, the Lemon Poppy flavour. The other flavours in the range are vegetarian, several of them containing dairy, notably the yogurt-based versions. Check the wrapper of the flavour you choose.

How should it be stored?

Dry and at room temperature, with the wrapper closed again if you do not finish it. Avoid leaving it in a car in full sun: the heat softens the binders and the bar holds together far less well. Check the best-before date before eating.

Where can you buy the Oat King bar by LSP Nutrition?

The bar can be ordered individually from this page, in the available flavours, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is the bar we put into the hands of cyclists and hikers: on the back-country roads, a 95 g bar does more for your outing than a sugary gel. The rest of our selection can be browsed in the sports nutrition aisle.