PRODUCT REVIEW
Billed as the UK's first paleo bar, these were designed by nutritionist Suzie Walker, which is probably the reason why it feels like a lot of thought has gone into developing them. There are five flavours available:
- Almond & Cashew
- Apple & Pecan
- Brazil Nut & Cherry
- Coconut & Macadamia
- Hazelnut & Cocoa
WHAT DO I LIKE ABOUT THEM?:
- Free from: Gluten, all grains, dairy & soya
- Ingredients: a short list of just a few 'real food' ingredients i.e. you would recognise and be able to pronounce everything that they use to make their bars.
- They use dried fruit that is free from: added vegetable oil (although they do use a little almond oil in the product), added sugar and sulphites - having developed snack food products myself I know how hard that can be!
- Vegetarian and vegan friendly
WHAT DON'T I LIKE ABOUT THEM?
Sugar: don't be fooled by the 'no added sugar', these are not low or sugar free products. All the bars have dates as the number one ingredient (it is listed first on the ingredients list and therefore is the largest component of the bars). Dates are a concentrated form of sugar. The bars range from around 15-17g of sugar per bar, that's around 4 tsp of sugar* in each.
WOULD I RECOMMEND THEM TO THE PEOPLE I SEE IN MY CLINIC?
YES - I think that they tick a lot of the 'free-from' boxes and are a good clean product. They stand up well against many of the so called 'health' bars. However, I would certainly not be encouraging people to eat them everyday. They make a good emergency option or an occasional treat.
WOULD I EAT THEM MYSELF?
MAYBE - it is all about personal preference and I am not a 'smooshed' bar fan. What do I mean by that? - the soft sticky mixes of dried fruit and nuts / grains; generally I find them too sweet. However, if I was travelling and needed something to stash in my bag or planning a long hike then I would be happy to pack this product.
*when you read a label take the amount of sugar in grams and divide by 4 as there are approximately 4 grams of sugar in a teaspoon.