A couple weeks ago Gnu Foods sent me a box of Gnu Bars to review. Their website is very informational, and you can get all your questions answered here. You can also find a store near you here. The following quote from their website sums up their products:
"Gnu Bars are a great healthy snack that pack 12 grams of fiber into one small bar! Each of our bars is made with delicious, all-natural ingredients that keep you feeling great inside and out."
That's a lot of fiber in a 130-140 calorie bar! As for taste, I would describe them as a mix between a Heart Thrive and a Larabar. More moist than a Heart Thrive, and more oaty but not as sweet as a Larabar. Here are some of the flavors I've tried so far:
Lemon Ginger Bar
7.5 of 10. This flavor gets a lower score mainly because I'm not a huge lemon fan. I was happy that the lemon flavor wasn't overpowering, but it was still a bit much for me. The hint of ginger was nice, and I loved the moisture of this bar. It was also quite chewy and somewhat crunchy. It was the perfect sweetness. One thing I didn't like about it though, and all of the Gnu Bars actually, is the fact that it had whole flax seeds. I don't like how they get stuck in your teeth, and I also know that your body can't digest whole flax seeds very well unless you chew them fully, which is hard to do since they're so small. But, hey, that's just my opinion. My humble suggestion would be for them to use ground flax seed instead :-).
Banana Walnut Bar
9 of 10. Great banana aroma! Quite sweet like banana bread, while also being crunchy, soft, and chewy. I definitely enjoyed the pieces of walnuts too. A great treat!
Cinnamon Raisin Bar
9.5 of 10! This was my favorite flavor! It was the perfect blend of cinnamon and raisin - with whole raisins! It was sweet, chewy, and very fresh!
Chocolate Brownie Bar
9 of 10. A mild chocolate brownie flavor, but a slightly bitter and sweet dark chocolate after taste. Nice texture (minus the flax seeds) and the perfect amount of chocolate to satisfy a chocolate craving :-). A truly delicious and nutritous treat!
I'll be reviewing the other flavors within a week or so. Overall, I am quite impressed by these bars. There is one caveat though. These bars have A LOT of fiber... SO if you generally eat a lot of whole grains, fruits, and veggies, you may need to watch your intake of fiber on days you want to enjoy these bars. Also, I wouldn't recommend having more than one of these bars a day unless it's going to be your only source of fiber for some reason. I had two of these bars one day in addition to veggies, fruit, and oatmeal... and I learned that fiber overload is not a pleasant feeling! Just some humble words of wisdom :-).
I can't leave without showing you a picture of my FAVORITE flower that is now in bloom:
wait for it.......
almost there.....
you're going to love it.....
Ha, ha! Just joking ;-). My actual favorite flower is below:
Yes, lilacs!! So beautiful and such a heavenly fragrance!
Have a wonderful week!
And... there's another shopping spree here: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2010/05/01/another-shopping-spreewheeeee/
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Thank you so much for the bar review! I have seen those and wondered how they are. I think I would LOVE the banana.
ReplyDeleteI love lilacs, too! I need to get some for my yard. Hopefully they aren't easy to kill. :-)
I thought maybe your fav flower would be a lily of the valley!!! ;-) Great review of the Gnu bars- good point about flax seeds!
ReplyDeleteI think the lemon ginger bar sounds good!
ReplyDeleteI need to get out and pick some more lilacs since the last batch are wilting. I love to put them in the windows so when the breeze blows in I can smell the flowers!
I've never heard of Gnu bars, but they look and sound wonderful! I like that they're lower in calories than most...more of a snack than a small meal :)
ReplyDeleteI love lilacs too...the smell is intoxicating!