LÄRABAR Original Fruit & Nut Food Bars
LÄRABAR is the creation of Colorado-based Humm Foods, Inc.*, a company dedicated to “…creating and marketing innovative natural food products that nourish, energize and enliven the body, mind and soul.” The bars are made exclusively from unsweetened dried fruits, nuts and spices. As company president Lara Merriken puts it: “Besides the incredible flavors, I believe consumers will appreciate that we don’t use sweeteners, fillers, chemicals or supplements. LaraBar is unprocessed, uncooked, non-gmo, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, vegan and kosher. It’s the simplest, purest food you can find in a nutrition bar.”
Manufacturer’s Description: LÄRABAR is a delicious blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices – energy in its purest form. Made from 100% whole food, each flavor contains no more than six ingredients. Pure and simple, just as nature intended.
…For LÄRABAR, we source the best possible ingredients. Every time. Every bar. Enjoy.
Product Label:
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Serving Size 1 bar (51g) Calories 220 Fat Calories 120 Total Fat 13g Saturated Fat 2.5g Trans Fat 0g Monounsaturated Fat 5g Polyunsaturated Fat 5g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 0mg |
Potassium 350mg Total Carbohydrate 25g Fiber 5g Sugars 18g Protein 5g Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 6% Iron 8% Vitamin E 10% |
Thiamin 4% Riboflavin 8% Niacin 4% Folate 4% Vitamin B6 6% Phosphorus 15% Magnesium 20% Zinc 6% Copper 20% |
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Ingredients: Ingredients: Dates, Almonds, Walnuts, Unsweetened Coconut, Unsweetened Cocoa Powder |
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Comments: I picked up a one of the Chocolate Coconut (shown above) and the Cashew Cookie bars at my local Fred Meyer store for $1.99 (US) each. They’re also sold online for $20.00 – $27.00 per box of 16.
The bars are slightly smaller than a standard candy bar, and are as simple as the ingredients suggest: uncoated, and composed of entirely of ground dates and nuts. Both bars were moist and fruity-tasting, with a bit of texture provided by more coarsely chopped (vs. ground) nuts. I wasn’t completely smitten by the Chocolate Coconut bar – it was ok, but the cocoa didn’t quite “go” with the dates. The Cashew Cookie bar, however, was excellent.
The bars are high in fiber and minerals (especially potassium), so are certainly superior to candy bars or other processed snack foods. I think the company goes a little too far, however, in suggesting that the bars are “loaded with nature’s own vitamins and minerals,” as the vitamin content is actually quite modest. Likewise, statements like “The essential enzymes, which are necessary for the digestion and utilization of nutrients, remain completely intact in their most natural, powerful state” are lyrical, perhaps, but inaccurate. If there was extensive digestive enzyme activity in the bars, they would almost certainly have a very limited shelf life.
Nonetheless LÄRABARs are wholesome enough, and if you’re interested in energy bars that are based on whole foods and are free from additives/preservatives, then they’d be a great choice.
[usrlist “Taste:4.0” “Quality:5.0” “Efficacy:4.0” “Value:3.5″ avg=”true”]
