Review - Health Warrior Chia Protein Bars

Brand:  Health Warrior

Flavor:  Chia Protein Bars

Where to get it: here @ HealthWarrior.com

                I really like chia seeds. They don’t taste like much, but I kind of love how they get stuck in my teeth and then turn just a teensy bit gummy. Don’t judge me, sometimes it’s the little things in a day that make me happy. I am really starting to dig it when companies don’t try to go overboard with their protein products. Your body can really only absorb so much protein at a time before it turns into fat like everything else, anyway.10g of protein in these bars, and all plant-based, so everyone can enjoy it. No weird protein taste like those bars that pack in 20+ grams. They are flavored, but I found the flavors to be totally mellow, just enough to keep them from tasting too plain or too savory. Grams of sugar are totally realistic as well, just 10, same as the protein. This is a great-tasting and super well-rounded bar.

               

Tastes like:   A mellow bar for everyone

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:   Gluten-free, vegan*, vegetarian, Kosher, Non-GMO

*The bars are labeled as 100% vegan, but the Honey Almond flavor contains organic honey, so I don’t see how that could be true in the case of that flavor. Honey does not appear to be present in the other flavors.

What’s in it:

Reiew - Kutoa Bars

Brand:  Kutoa

Flavor:  Various

Where to get it: here @ Kutoa.com

                 I love the packaging, I love the flavor variety, I love that for every bar that they sell, Kutoa donates a meal to a child in need. Unfortunately, I didn’t love the taste. They weren’t terrible - they were just rather bland with an unexciting look, texture, and smell. The Cherry Cashew tasted a little like coffee to me, for no discernible reason. I decided that wasn’t going to give me a fair assessment of the whole product line, so I then tried the Peanut Butter & Jelly bar. It was better, and didn’t taste like anything that wasn’t in the ingredients list, but it was pretty bland.  

               

Tastes like:  Lightly flavored grains  

Taste rating:  4/10

Qualities:  Gluten free, Non-GMO, vegetarian, vegan

What’s in it

Review - Protings

Brand:  Pro Tings

Flavor:  Sea Salt

Where to get it: here @ Protings.com

                Finally, a crisp that’s not just a potato product marketed as health food. This is a legitimately healthy alternative to potato chips. 130 calories in the 1 oz. bag, and a whopping 15 g of (vegan!) protein. To me, the taste was just alright though. The chips are extremely brittle, leaving very few intact chips in the bag, and many, many tiny pieces. Additionally, the picture on the cover looks nothing like the actual product. The cover looks like pita chips. The actual chips are darker brown, studded with flax seeds, and kind of curled up around the edge. As I mentioned before, they’re really brittle, but kind of sog up in your mouth quickly. I think these are probably best eaten with a yogurt dip or pico de gallo of some kind, rather than straight from the bag.

               

Tastes like:  Brittle bean board

Taste rating:  5/10

Qualities:  Gluten-free, Non-GMO, Kosher, Vegetarian, Vegan, Made in the USA

What’s in it:

Review - Yes Bar

Brand:  Yes Bar

Flavor:  Macadamia Chocolate Chip

Where to get it: here @ TheYesBar.com

                 200 calories and 140 of them are from fat, so I guess saying it tastes “seedy” is kind of stating the obvious here. Keep in mind that “low fat” usually really means “high carb” before you start putting your eyebrows up at a stick of anything that isn’t butter with that high of a percentage of calories from fat. Nuts and seeds are our friends, remember? Weirdly enough, I don’t remember ever having a nuts and seeds bar that also had a good dark chocolate presence in it like this one does. The texture is nice and soft without being crumbly, and the bold chocolate flavor is a really nice complement to the nuttiness of it all.

               

Tastes like:  Dark chocolate & seeds  

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:  Gluten free, Non-GMO, vegetarian

What’s in it:

Review - Nutiva O'Coconut

Brand:  Nutiva

Flavor:  O’Coconut Classic

Where to get it: here @ Nutiva.com

                O’Coconut, O’Coconut, I wish you were more than twoooooooo biiiiiiiites. Have you guys tried some of those raw macaroons that are on the market now? The ones that are really super delicious? These little treats make those delicious macaroons seem just average. They are softer, chewier, and every bit as coconutty. If they come in a bigger bag, I don’t think I want to know about it. If they come in more flavors, I don’t think I want to know about that either. Although I bet they’d be good covered in chocolate, or peanut butter…or raspberry jam….Phew. Thanks, Nutiva, these are great little treats, I tell you what.

               

Tastes like:  The guts from an Almond Joy  

Taste rating:  10/10

Qualities:  Non-GMO, USDA Organic, vegetarian, vegan

What’s in it:

Review - Bare Deelights BOA Bar

Brand:  Bare Deelights

Flavor:  Chocolate BOA Bar

Where to get it: here @ TheBOABar.com

                 I think this bar had a more distinct “banana bread” flavor than many other products that I’ve tried that claimed to be “banana bread” flavor. The bananas and oats are a really nice complement to each other there, and this bar doesn’t add a bunch of unnecessary junk to complicate the matter. No pumpkin seeds, no flax (barf), and no weird soy crisp chunks. THANK GOODNESS. I think I would have liked this bar a little better without the chocolate, just because I’m not a chocolate person, but it wasn’t an overpowering presence. That’s not a knock against the bar in any manner, that’s just me. The nutrition is just right for a good little snack, too – 160 calories, 8g fat, 7g protein, and only 4g sugars.

               

Tastes like:  Oaty banana

Taste rating:  7/10

Qualities:  Non-GMO, vegetarian, vegan, Kosher, Gluten free, Made in the USA, USDA Organic

What’s in it:

Review - Stonefire Naan Crisps

Brand:  Stonefire

Flavor:  Naan Crisps

Where to get it: here @ Amazon.com

                I love Stonefire Naan – with butter, with cheese, with peanut butter…I’m definitely a bread head. The struggle is real, though, so I can’t just go eating all the naan that I want with every meal like I’ve got some kind of hamster metabolism (more like a hibernating bear, ugh). These little bags of Naan Crisps have just 60 calories and are the perfect fit for a little snack when paired with your favorite hummus…or even plain (they have enough salt to make them good all by themselves). Totally non-important side note – I really love the packaging as well. I’m not sure if it’s the font or the color scheme, or just the whole thing together, but it gets me interested. (Just in case you’re paying attention out there, Stonefire.)

               

Tastes like:  Crunchy, salty naan

Taste rating:  8/10

Qualities:  Kosher, vegetarian

What’s in it:

Review - Come Ready Cake Batter Bar

Brand:  Come Ready

Flavor:  Cake Batter

Where to get it: here @ SupplementsGeeks.com

                What’s going on? Another bro-bar that I had to MAKE myself stop eating! I will try anything that has the word “cake” in it. Alcohol, snack bars, actual cake…it’s my kryptonite. I’m not sure how much like actual cake batter this bar tastes, but it does have a pleasant vanilla flavor, and I didn’t get that nasty sugar alcohol flavor one bit! The wrapper stresses that it has “NO aftertaste,” and I found this to actually be true. As always, be careful – the whole bar is 320 calories, so if you’re on a weight-loss workout plan, this is not a snack that you would want to eat casually. I would actually, miraculously, DEFINITELY buy this bar again.       

                 

               

Tastes like:  A sweet vanilla protein shake

Taste rating:  8/10

What’s in it: