Friday, May 18, 2012

Product Review: The Gluten Free Bar



We all know how hard it is to find a protein or meal bar that meets all expectations - I myself usually end up eating a protein bar with dairy because there aren't other options. The folks at the Gluten Free Bar were kind enough to send me some samples to try - and I'm always happy to try samples!

They sent me three flavors: peanut butter, peanut butter chocolate, and cranberry almond. That stats for these bars are quite impressive: vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, with 12 grams of protein. They're also a decent size, which is important. Usually bars like this are "raw-" in other words, made mostly of nuts and dried fruit, which makes them very high in calories (sometime upwards of 400 cals/bar).



If I compare them to the bar I normally eat in the morning at work (some form of this) they stack up pretty well, though clearly they don't have as high amounts of protein and fiber. They do however have less saturated fat, sodium, and carbohydrates.

However, the big difference here is the ingredients: the gf bar is dairy-free. This is huge - it is extremely different to find a protein bar that doesn't use dairy. I can tolerate small levels of dairy, but there are days when I just can't add any extra irritants into my system (don't we all have those days). They're also quite tasty, with a texture that falls somewhere between a lara bar and a power bar. The bars are chewy and slightly-sweet - the peanut butter chocolate and the peanut butter are the best flavors. What I also liked was that they were rolled out into a large, thin squares which took longer to eat than the typical bar-size. They kept me full till lunch, and no stomach ache!

The only con: they aren't available in any stores in the bay area yet, so you have to buy them online, and they are a little expensive - about $28 for a box of 12. I imagine if you find them in stores they will cost you more. But if you have the means, definitely check them out.

In all, a strong A.

Buy them here

3 comments:

  1. Very nice site, thanks for share this article with us

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  2. Gluten AND dairy free, for less than 250 calories? Very impressive. I'm wondering if these are available anywhere in Australia. I suppose they would be quite expensive over here but probably worth it!

    Emma

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    1. For now I think they are only available in stores in the US, mostly in the East (I've never seen them in California) but it looks like you could order from their website directly!

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