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Go Raw: Live Pumpkin Bar

admin — Wed, 19 May 2010 15:12:33 +0000

GoRaw Live Pumpkin is definitely one of the healthiest packaged foods we’ve ever eaten. It’s not often that a brand puts its ingredients front and center on the package in large font – clearly, they have nothing to hide. Here’s what it contains: sprouted organic pumpkin seeds, sprouted organic flax seeds, organic date, organic agave nectar, Celtic sea salt. The bar is free of gluten, GMO, Trans-fats, and cholesterol. One of the really interesting aspects to its formulation is that the seeds are technically alive, due to the fact that they were dried at less than 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The bar delivers an incredible 8g of fiber and 14g of protein. Some of the disclosures on the package, while forthright and honest, are a bit unnerving. The manufacture mentions mold, insects, and small rocks as some of the things that this bar is susceptible to due to the uncooked, unpreserved, unprocessed way in which it was prepared. We feel the folks at GoRaw could have been a little more generous with the date/agave mix, as the bar is a bit dry, but we recognize that date/agave can bump up sugar levels in the bar. Goraw clearly chose to land on the side of less is more. Overall, this is a product that should have health nuts jumping up and down and, fortunately for GoRaw, it tastes pretty nice to boot.
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Post tags: agave, flax seeds, healthy, pumpkin, raw

Pure Organic: Chocolate Brownie

admin — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:30:10 +0000

Like the other varieties of Pure Organic bars, this one has undergone a branding makeover, with a more friendly and wholesome looking design to its wrapper. The result is a bar that’s very inviting looking, with two sentences on the front of the wrapper speaking directly at you and giving the bar a not so serious vibe. Inside, you’ve got a product that’s gluten free, vegan, and raw, starting with the dates, agave, nuts and cocoa. It’s a pretty simple product, having only eight ingredients but still managing to deliver big flavor and solid nutrition. In terms of taste, it lives up to being worthy of the chocolate brownie name, with a soft base that’s filled with big notes of cocoa. You can’t taste too much of the date flavor, which is a good thing, while some pieces of nuts give the bar a bit of crunch to the finish. Nutritionally, the bar has 180 calories, 7g of fat, 7g of protein, 4g of fiber, 220mg of potassium, and a fair mixture of vitamins. All in all, this is an extremely enjoyable and satisfying product.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

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Post tags: bar, brownie, chocolate, cocoa, gluten free, organic, raw

Raw Revolution: 100 Calorie Spirulina & Cashew

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:39:38 +0000

Since this is a 100 calorie bar, it’s small, weighing in at only 0.8 ounces and having a shape that’s approximately 1 square inch. In terms of taste, the bar’s USDA Organic certified six ingredient formulation tells the story: cashews, dates, agave nectar, almonds, spirulina, and sprouted flax. It’s nutty, but pasty in consistency, with a mellow note of cashews and almonds. The dates don’t have that much of an impact on the flavor, while the spriluna and sprouted flax add a grassy note (and green color) to the mix. It’s not overly sweet or salty, which is nice, allowing the naturally earthy flavors to shine through. Nutritionally, the 100 calorie bar is more of a “bite” than something with a ton of substance to it. However, there are 3g of protein and 1g of fiber in the mix, as well as iron and calcium. Packaging is a shrunken down version of RAW Revolution’s normal wrapper. Despite the reduction in size, they’ve kept more or less the same amount of text on it, resulting in something that’s extremely busy. Moving, or even eliminating, some of the text might help make the product look more appealing. Overall, it tastes pretty nice and we like the 100 calorie portion, but a little visual help would improve the product.
Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

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Post tags: 100 calorie, cashew, raw, Spirulina

Make Your Own Bars

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:17:34 +0000

Make your own bars with ingredients found at your local grocery store.(...)
Read the rest of Make Your Own Bars (423 words)

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Post tags: almonds, baking sheet, bar, batches, bran, brown rice syrup, cashew, cashews, cherries, Coconut, crunch, cup brown rice, cup oat bran, cup raisins, dried cherries, dried dates, fiber, flavor, flavorings, flavors, flax, food processor, ground flax seed, liking, local grocery store, low speed, meal, meal replacement, mixture, natural, Nutrition, oat, oats, orange zest, peanuts, pecans, Protein, raisin, raw, raw bars, raw cashews, raw ingredients, raw sunflower seeds, refrigeration, rotary blade, salt mix, seed, seeds, snack, workout

Pure: Cherry Cashew Bar

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:34:14 +0000

This bar is made with ingredients that are USDA Organic, raw, vegan, and gluten free, which helps make it live up to its “for all people” tag line. There’s a pleasant base of date and almond flavor to the mix, which has been sweetened with agave and has a slight crunch from small chunks of walnuts throughout. The cherry flavor is subtle, adding a nice tart flavor to the otherwise earthy tasting bar. We’re definitely pleased to see that they didn’t make it too “fruity” tasting. Nutritionally, this 1.7 ounce bar packs a fair amount in, including 400mg of omega 3, 4g of organic fiber, 6g and protein, 200 calories, 9g of fat, and vitamins and minerals. Packaging has a relatively simple style of presentation to it, with a white wrapper that’s decorated with a yellow illustration of a female face. It’s an appealing design that has a definite vibe of health and nutrition to it. The rest of the wrapper has a lot of text on it, but in this case, it all logically fits together as opposed to creating clutter. Overall, an exceptional tasting bar that delivers the perfect balance of flavor and nutrition.

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

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Post tags: 4g, 6g, agave, almond flavor, almonds, bar, calories, cashew, cashews, cherries, cherry flavor, chunks, crunch, female face, fiber, flavor, flavorings, flavors, gluten, gluten free, health and nutrition, illustrations, Nutrition, omega 3, organic, ounce, perfect balance, Protein, raw, raw vegan, simple style, sweetener, sweeteners, tag line, tart flavor, tastes, usda, vegan, vibe, vitamins, vitamins and minerals, walnuts

Vega Whole Food Energy Bar: Berry Flavor

admin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:20:12 +0000

Like the other Vega Whole Food Energy bars, this one is made from “raw, alkaline, plant based superfoods.” You’ll find dates, hemp protein, almond butter, agave nectar, sprouted whole flax seeds, cranberries, raisins, almonds, sesame seeds, organic sprouted mung beans, organic wheat grass, and a few other ingredients for flavoring. It’s a soft but chewy bar, with a slightly dry texture, especially at the finish. Flavor is really enjoyable, with notes of the fruit and nuts throughout. There’s also a slightly earthy note of flavor to the bar, which is likely from the wheatgrass, mung, and flax. Nutritionally, the bar is a winner, with 10g of raw protein, 250mg of potassium, 6g of fiber, omega 3 and 6, vitamins, and minerals on top of 240 calories. The bar is great as for snacking before a workout – or to help supplement a meal with something that’s sweet but nutritious. Packaging is probably the only area that we’d like to see some improvement, with a look that feels technical rather than inviting. To a degree, the label made us expect a bar that didn’t taste good, which is fortunately not the case. Overall, it’s a very enjoyable product, but kicking up the packaging a bit would definitely help.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Post tags: 6g, agave nectar, almond butter, almonds, bar, calories, chewy, chewy bar, cranberries, cranberry, energy bar, fiber, flavor, flavorings, flavors, flax, food energy, fruit, fruits, hemp, liking, meal, mung beans, nectar, nuts, omega 3, organic, organic wheat, potassium, Protein, raisin, raw, seed, seeds, sesame seeds, snack, superfood, sweetness, tastes, texture, vega, vitamins, vitamins and minerals, wheat, wheat grass, whole food, workout

Vega Whole Food Energy Bar: Chocolate Flavor

admin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:31:46 +0000

As the label states, this bar is made from “raw, alkaline, plant-based superfoods.” So what’s in this bar? Key ingredients include dates, sprouted flax, cocoa powder, almonds, sprouted mung beans, and wheat grass. The resulting product has a decidedly earthy but fruity flavor to it, with a soft but dry base that’s has big notes of cocoa, dates, and sprouted flax. The bar has a nice balance to it, with just the right amount of chocolate to level out the other flavors. It’s really easy on the palate, making it a pretty easy bar to scarf down in a hurry. Nutritionally, this 240 calorie bar has 6g of fiber, 10g of protein, vitamins, minerals, potassium, omega 6, and omega 3. It’s enough to help tide you over in between meals – or to give you a boost before a workout (our preferred use). Packaging is clean and easy to understand, but it lacks in the “biteability” department (meaning it doesn’t whet the appetite). Regardless, this is a bar that we’d pick up again and again for both flavor and to satisfy our hunger.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

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Post tags: almonds, appetite, bar, bar chocolate, calories, chocolate, chocolate flavor, cocoa, cocoa powder, energy bar, fiber, flavor, flavorings, flavors, flax, food energy, fruity flavor, hurry, meal, omega 3, omega 6, palate, potassium, Protein, raw, scarf, superfood, vega, vitamins, vitamins minerals, wheat, wheat grass, whole food, workout

Elevate Me!: Espresso Cocoa Crunch

admin — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:00:58 +0000

Billed as “The world’s simplest protein & fruit energy bar”, the flavor of this bar certainly lives up to this intention. Blending whey protein isolate, dates, organic raisins, apples, almonds, cranberries, cocoa, and coffee beans, the product has a very “raw” and homemade flavor to it. It has a dry but chewy consistency, with pleasant notes of dried fruit and nuts, followed by decent note of cocoa and a hint of coffee to the finish. All in all, it’s a very pleasant and satisfying bar to eat. Nutritionally, this bar has 230 calories, 6g of fiber, and 16g of protein, which is certainly enough substance for us. That leaves us with the packaging, which is the largest area for improvement. Specifically, there’s something that’s unappealing about the design, especially compared to the better designs of other players in the category. We’d probably say the same for the name, which sounds like something that’s more appropriate for a supplement product. Overall, very enjoyable flavor and nutrition, but needs work on the packaging.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Post tags: almonds, amp, apple, apples, bar, blend, blends, calories, chewy, cocoa, coffee beans, consistency, cranberries, crunch, dried fruit and nuts, energy bar, espresso, fiber, flavor, flavorings, flavors, fruit, fruits, homemade flavor, intention, liking, Nutrition, nuts, organic, Protein, raisin, raw, supplement product, whey

Go Raw: Real Live Flax Bar

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:00:39 +0000

Made with sprouted organic flax seeds, organic apricot, organic raisin, organic date, and organic lime juice, this bar is a tour de force of the organic and raw way of life. The bar itself eats like something that’s on par with “fruit leather”, those chewy pressed fruit snacks that most of us had as kids. However, that’s where the similarities end, for this is a far superior product in just about every aspect. Flavor comes in the form of dried fruit, which is a mixture of apricot, raisin, and date flavors, and the sprouted flax seed. It has noticeably earthy flavor to it, which is to be expected given the use of flax. Nutritionally, this vegan, non-GMO, USDA Organic bar has a nice hit of protein, fiber, and omega-3, plus the benefits of eating raw and unprocessed food. Packaging is busy, but effective, with an extremely text heavy design that works for some strange reason. However, we do think that calling attention to the fact that it’s made in a solar powered production facility might be a marketable benefit. Overall, a stellar bar – definitely one to try.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Calories: 164
Fat: 7g
Fiber: 7g
Protein: 5g

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Post tags: apricot, bar, calories, chewy, dried fruit, earthy flavor, fiber, flavor, flavorings, flavors, flax, flax seed, food packaging, fruit, fruit leather, fruit snacks, fruits, gmo, liking, lime juice, marketing, mixture, omega 3, organic, Protein, raisin, raw, s, seed, seeds, snack, stellar bar, strange reason, usda, vegan, way of life

WildBar: Mountain Mint

admin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:00:53 +0000

Made with raw cacao and wild blue green algae, this gluten free, vegan, and USDA Organic bar is designed to be the “ultimate meal in a bar.” The bar, which is dark in color and has a dry but chewy consistency to it, has a lot of flavor to it, including cacao, mint, and macadamia nuts. Unfortunately, these flavors aren’t balanced well, resulting in a harsh, almost off putting, mint flavor that leaves a bad taste in your mouth (and a lingering aftertaste). Conceptually, we think it’s a good one, and some refinement to the recipe might make this a better tasting product. Otherwise, this bar is likely going to appeal to someone who’s really hell bent on adding blue algae (Crystal Manna and Blue Manna) to their diet. On the packaging front, this product’s wrapper design made us expect something very different than what was inside it. Specifically, the bright colors and emphasis on the mint leaf seemed to be somewhat of a head scratcher, while there are no visual aides to call out the other ingredients in the bar. That seems like a big mistake, especially since mint isn’t something that’s likely to whet the palate of too many bar shoppers. Overall, this bar needs work, both in packaging and flavor.

Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Calories: 185
Fat: 2g
Fiber: 14g
Protein: 5.5g
Vitamins: Vitamin B5: 9%, Vitamin D 3%, Vitamin E 8%, Magnesium: 2.5g, Copper 26%, Zinc 12%, Selenium 16%, Molybdenum 37%, Phosphorous 60%

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Post tags: 5g, aftertaste, bad taste, bar, bright colors, calories, chewy, consistency, copper, fiber, flavor, flavorings, flavors, free vegan, greens, liking, macadamia, macadamia nuts, magnesium 2, manna, meal, mint flavor, mint leaf, molybdenum, mountain mint, nuts, organic, palate, Protein, raw, raw cacao, tastes, usda, vegan, visual aides, vitamin b5, vitamin d, vitamins, wild blue green algae, wrapper design