Labrada Lean Body Cookie Bars
Lean Body Cookie Bars are manufactured by Labrada Nutrition, a company well-known to the bodybuilding world. The company was founded by Lee Labrada, who holds 22 professional bodybuilding titles, including the IFBB “Mr. Universe.” The “Lean Body” line of products includes a range of meal replacement shakes and 4 different varieties of bars: Lean Body Gold, Rockin’ Roll, Lean Body Granola Bars and – of course – the Cookie Bars. The Cookie Bars come in three flavors: Oatmeal Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Apple Cinnamon and S’mores. Men’s Journal Magazine named them the “Best Breakfast Bar” and “Best Overall” bar in the Dec. 2005 issue.
Manufacturer’s Description: The New Lean Body® Cookie bar will change your idea of what a protein bar can be! Enjoy the homemade goodness of a fresh-baked cookie while building muscle at the same time. Each bar contains 30 grams of protein, 0 trans-fats and low sugar – the perfect snack for training athletes and dieters alike. For a special treat, pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds for a fresh-from-the-oven treat anytime!
Product Label:
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Serving Size: 1 bar (91g) Total Calories 360 Calories From Fat 120 Total Fat 13 g Saturated Fat 3 g Trans Fat 0 g Cholesterol 60 mg Sodium 310 mg |
Total Carbohydrates 30 g Dietary Fiber 2 g Sugars 13 g Protein 30 g Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 5% Iron 3% |
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Ingredients: LeanPro® Protein Blend (Cross-Flow Micro Ultra Filtered Whey Protein Concentrate, Cross-Flow Micro Ultra Filtered Whey Protein Isolate, Soy Protein Isolate, Agglomerated Egg Protein), Sorbitol, Glycerin, Maltitol, Margarine, Chocolate Chips (Sugar, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Dextrose, Whey, Soy Lecithin), Sugar, Gelatin, Liquid Whole Egg, Graham Pieces (Wheat Flour, Sugar, Canola Oil, Honey Powder [Maltodextrin, Honey], Sodium Bicarbonate, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor, Caramel Color and Annatto Color), Marshmallow Nuggets (Sugar, Maltodextrin, Glycerin, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Rice Flour, Dextrose, Gum Arabic and Natural Flavors), Corn Syrup, Palm Oil, Natural Flavors & Artificial Flavors, Mono & Diglycerides, Baking Soda, Salt, Potassium Sorbate, Konjac Flour, Sucralose. |
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Comments: I picked up a couple single cookie bars from Netrition.com for $2.29 (US) each. This is a considerable savings from the the Labrada web site ($3.29 per bar, sold in a box of 12). Each bar is pretty good-sized: 3.2 oz each. This is approx. 50% larger than a “standard” 2 oz candy bar or large bakery cookie.
I tried the S’mores (above) and Oatmeal Apple Cinnamon flavors. Both were uncoated, dense, rectanglar bars of baked cookie dough…there are no layers, just bits of cookie/candy corresponding to each bar flavor (graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow in the S’mores; and apple-flavored and cinnamon-flavored chips in the Oatmeal Apple Cinnamon) interspersed throughout.
Each bar was thick, dense and somewhat chewy. They were decent at room temperature, but even better after 10 – 15 seconds in the microwave (as recommended on the package). Warming the bars made them softer, moister and more flavorful…the Oatmeal Apple Cinnamon (which was more spicy than fruity) was especially good with a cup of black coffee, which offset the almost-too-sweetness perfectly.
The bars were also quite filling. They supply a solid whack of protein (30 g of blended whey and soy proteins), and are more moderate on the carbs and sugar than many traditional breakfast pastries. They are, unfortunately, rather light on the fiber, and provide relatively little in terms of vitamins and minerals, so fall somewhat short of a true meal replacement product. Thus, while I agree with the Men’s Journal assessment that they’re “…better than the standard fallback bagel or doughnut,” I’d still be inclined to put them into the “snack” or “treat” – rather than “breakfast bar” category, as the magazine did.
[usrlist “Taste:4.5” “Quality:4.0” “Efficacy:4.0” “Value:3.5″ avg=”true”]
