TRIMSPA Froodia™: Hoodia Supplement in a Bar
TRIMSPA’s Froodia bars complement the company’s X32 fat burner, which functions primarily as an appetite suppressant: the primary ingredients are glucomannan (soluble dietary fiber) and Hoodia gordoni.
Hoodia is a cactus-like plant used by the San people in the Kalahari to stave off hunger. It’s one of those ingredients that looks great on paper, but has yet to realize its potential, thanks to poor quality control and the use of counterfeit material by unscrupulous manufacturers. TRIMSPA, however, claims their Hoodia is the real deal, and includes 400 mg of it in each Froodia bar.
Froodia is designed to be a more convenient and satisfying way to take Hoodia. As the label describes it: “‘I have to remember to take my Hoodia’ is no longer a task, but a very convenient ‘I can’t wait’ moment of ‘mm-mm’ indulgence.”
Manufacturer Description: “FROODIA™, clinically demonstrated to cause weight loss, is the first-ever fruit based bar in the US to contain 400 mg of authentic African Hoodia Gordonii. Now you can stave off hunger just like the San tribe, but in a delicious, flavorful, fruit-based bar.
Fat Free. Low Glycemic Index. Good Source of Fiber. 100 calories per bar! Available in 4 delicious flavors: Strawberry, Cherry, Apricot, Summer Thunder
Product Label:
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Serving Size: 1 Bar 33g (1.1 oz.) Calories: 100 Total Fat: 0g Total Carb: 24g Dietary Fiber: 3g Sugars: 13g Protein: 1g |
Vitamin A: 268 IU 6% Vitamin C: 2.4mg 4% Calcium: 20mg 2% Iron: 1mg 6% Sodium: 20mg Hoodia gordonii (whole plant) 400mg |
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Other Ingredients: Dried Apricot, Dried Pear, Dried Apple, Fine Cellulose, Natural Flavoring and Sulfur Dioxide (for color retention) |
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Comments: I tried two different Froodia bars: “Apricot Ambush” and “Savage Strawberry”—which were sold open stock at my local supermarket. Both were quite tart and tangy and not particularly sweet—which I rather liked. The flavors reminded me of “Fruit Rollups,” although the bars had a better texture: dense, moist and chewy.
I didn’t feel like they had any effect on my appetite, however. This may be due to the dose: 400 mg isn’t very much. According to a review by Consumer Lab, a typical dose of dried Hoodia is 3000–4000 mg. On the other hand,—according to Amie’s review of another Hoodia product—it may take some time for Hoodia to “build up” in the body, so perhaps a greater effect would be seen if the bars were eaten every day.
In line with this last point: TRIMSPA claims to have conducted a clinical trial in which 22 overweight women (BMI 25–40) lost an average of 4.4 pounds after eating 1–3 Froodia bars/day over an 8 week period, without changing anything else.
Thus, it’s possible that Hoodia could be effective long-term. On the flip side, however, there’s nothing in the brief study description to rule out a) a placebo effect; or b) some effect of the fruit bars themselves—minus the Hoodia. Dried fruit has a low glycemic index and provides extra fiber, which can be satiating, after all…I could think of worse things to snack on.
Price-wise, the bars aren’t bad when compared to other energy bars…but they’re on the high end w/respect to the Hoodia. For example, the Hoodoba hoodia in Amie’s review costs approx. $1.00 per 400 mg serving…but drops under $0.60 when the bottles are purchased in bulk (3 or more at a time).
In contrast, I paid $1.50 for the same 400 mg at the store. TRIMSPA does advertise an “exclusive” price of $11.95 for a box of 12 bars (approx. $1.00 each)—but the company recently stopped taking online orders, and I was unable to locate another retailer selling the bars in bulk.
Here’s how I rate this product (out of 5 stars):
[usrlist “Taste:4.0” “Quality:4.0” “Efficacy:2.5” “Value:2.5″ avg=”true”]
