Energy Bar Reviews

Review: LaraBar

The purpose of these bars is to provide a healthy snack without gluten and with a minimum of sugars. And in this, they excel. Most of the bars are simply compressed nuts, grains and fruits with a small amount of added sugar in the form of sucrose (cane sugar — the best kind in moderation). This and the excellent price tag and decent taste makes Larabar one of the best contenders on the market.

Manufacturer’s Description

LÄRABAR firmly believes that the foundation of a sound mind, body and spirit is derived from what you eat. And what you eat is healthiest and most satisfying when it’s in a whole, natural state. Our company name comes from an ancient belief that food falls into two categories:

BECKONING FOODS
which beckon consumption again and again, sapping the body of energy without any real health benefits, Today, they’re called “junk foods.”

HUMM FOODS
on the other hand, resonate with energy in a whole, natural state. When consumed, they cause you to feel vibrant and alive.

You can expect an unmistakable urge to humm after every LÄRABAR bar you eat. Let the humming begin!

Products in This Line

Taste

Compressed nuts and grains gives Larabar a slightly chewey, cookie-like texture with plenty of nuts and taste. The bars are medium sweet, not sour. Overall, they have a very pleasant taste.

Nutritional Facts

click image to enlarge

Proteins: 5g
Carbs: 26g
Calories: 230

Pros

Gluten free bars with good flavor and texture. Excellent price.

Cons

These bars do not pack the nutrition that some bars do.

Price

45g (1.25 oz)
Price per bar = $1.59 (in packages of 16)
Serving size = 45g
Price per serving = $1.59
Price per gram = $0.04

Where to Buy

LaraBars at Amazon
Online on manufacturer’s site

Add comment December 30th, 2010

Review: WineTime Bar by ResVez

This is an amazing combination of ingredients that features taste and the benefits of red wine extract and resveratrol. This is not your average bar…it contains tons of chocolate and fruit powders. It’s sweetened with both sugar and brown rice syrup, which are excellent and well-thought-out choices. I prefer both sugar and brown rice syrup to ALL of the alternatives, including agave nectar AND honey, for both health and taste (except for diabetics, obviously). Everything in this bar is well chosen and well made, down to the crisps that are made from tapioca (from the manioc root), soy, and cocoa. This is an excellent way to get your anti-aging supplements while snacking. The price is slightly higher than other bars, but for what you’re getting in this bar, the price could easily have been even higher.

Manufacturer’s Description

What makes the Resveratrol WINETIME bar™ so special?

• It’s the first—and only—gourmet nutrition bar containing Resveratrol.
• More Resveratrol than 50 glasses of red wine
• Rich dark chocolate, harmonized with dates and almonds
• Sinfully delicious
• 7 extra “super fruits”— cranberry, noni, pomegranate, goji berry, acai, mangosteen and blueberry.
• 2 sources of Resveratrol
  • 1. 99% pure trans-Resveratrol
  • 2. Premium French red grapes from the Rhône valley
• High fiber—7 grams per bar
• No trans fat, hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup.
• No artificial flavors, sweeteners, colors or preservatives.
• No cholesterol
• No dairy
• No gluten

Products in This Line

ResVez Original

Taste

Not available at this time.

Nutritional Facts

INGREDIENTS: Dates, almonds, dark chocolate parve coating (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soya lecithin [added as an emulsifier], vanilla extract), semi-sweet chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), brown rice syrup, chicory root extract, chicory fiber, apple pectin, cocoa soy crisps (isolated soy protein, cocoa, tapioca starch), natural flavors, cranberries (cranberries, pineapple syrup, sunflower oil), cocoa powder, BioVin® Advanced French Red Wine Extract (containing 5% red wine trans-Resveratrol and 30-35% red wine polyphenols), noni powder, pomegranate fruit powder, goji powder, acai powder, Mangosteen powder, blueberry powder, resVida™ trans-Resveratrol.

Contains soy, tree nuts. Manufactured in a plant that also processes milk, egg and peanuts.

Proteins: 4g
Carbs: 30g
Calories: 190

Pros

Excellent blend of healthy ingredients and the added benefit of Resveratrol.

Cons

Slightly more expensive than other bars.

Price

50g (1.25 oz)
Price per bar = $2.99 (in packages of 10)
Serving size = 50g
Price per serving = $2.99
Price per gram = $0.06

The manufacturer’s site sells in packages of 10 bars for $29.90 and packages of 40 for 89.70 ($2.24 per bar).

Where to Buy

Wine Time Bars at Amazon
Online on manufacturer’s site

Add comment May 7th, 2010

Review: Granola Gourmet Energy Bars

These are great tasting bars that are designed for diabetics, but are great for anyone. Granola Gourmet uses Agave and honey as sweeteners to keep these bars low on the Glycemic index, and while other bars use Agave that are not specifically marketed to diabetics, the Granola Gourmet bars are designed specifically to reduce their glycemic footprint.

This bar will surely please in the energy, taste and calorie departments. They are marketed as “Energy Bars,” and they do, in fact, deliver a boost of energy. Although these are not superfood nutrition or protein bars, you will get nutrients from the seeds, nuts and grains in most of these bars, plus antioxidants from cocoa powder and vitamins from the fruits in selected bars. The price is slightly above average at $0.04 cents per gram (since the bars are smaller than most, it’s difficult to compare price-per-bar).

Manufacturer’s Description

Granola Gourmet has created a unique and much needed product that will appeal to everyone. Finally, a substantial energy bar that is tasty, chewy and crunchy and portion controlled. Satisfying your hunger and fulfilling your sweet tooth. Granola Gourmet uses ingredients that are low or very low on the Glycemic Index, because of this Granola Gourmet Energy Bars convert to sugar more slowly.

Products in This Line

Chocolate Espresso
Brownie
Very Berry
Spiced Orange Cranberry

Taste

These are delicious bars…among the best tasting on the market. They are nutty with pieces of nuts and grains that make them slightly chewy, but on the dry and flaky side. They are quite sweet but the chocolate, berry, and other flavors really come out strong!

Where to Buy

Online at manufacturer’s site
Whole Foods Markets in Southwest USA
Selected natural foods stores

Nutritional Facts

Ingredients: Organic Oats, Organic Blue Agave, Chocolate Chips (evaporated cane juice, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter), Honey, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Flaxseeds, Almonds, Olive Oil, Natural Vanilla Extract, Cocoa Powder

Proteins: 4g
Carbs: 20g
Calories: 150

Pros

Great tasting bars that are low on the Glycemic index and deliver a boost of energy. Bars are low in calories.

Cons

High amounts of Agave nectar and honey may not appeal to those who are trying to avoid Fructose. This bar will not appeal to those looking for high nutritional value or high amounts of protein from a bar.

Price

35g (1.25 oz)
Price per bar = $1.39 (in packages of 10)
Serving size = 35g
Price per serving = $1.39
Price per gram = $0.04

The manufacturer’s site sells in packages of 10 bars for $13.95.

1 comment April 4th, 2010