Healthy Nutrition Bar Guide

Suzanne Weaver-Goss
Healthy Nutrition Bar Guide
36 comments

When I was a young mother there was no such thing as healthful bars of any kind, let alone nutrition bars! These days, there are a million different ones available at health food stores, drug stores, and even gas stations. Different bars fit different diet trends: Paleo; high protein/low sugar; athletic fuel (high carb); gluten free; whole foods; raw foods; macrobiotic; etc. It’s amazing how much the bar market has evolved since the 1970s, when I started paying attention to food and nutrition!

People of all dietary needs and preferences have come to rely on bars as an easy way to get some nutrition while on the run. My son, Graham, is a personal trainer. Through talking with him and spending time at the gym myself, I’ve learned that a lot of fitness-oriented people love bars. And I see why—if you eat the right bar after a workout, you feel great.

Since nutrition bars are so popular, we asked you, our readers, which bars you wanted us to review. Then I went and did some ingredient research and taste testing. If bars are a regular part of your diet (and/or your kids’), read on to learn which ones are Good Stuff, Okay Stuff, Sneaky Stuff, and just plain Bad Stuff. (Oh, and if you want to make bars yourself, here’s my favorite recipe.)

Bad Bar Ingredients to Avoid

As you probably guessed, there’s a lot of questionable stuff out there in the nutrition bar world. Here are some of the ingredients that raise red flags for me:

  • Soy ingredients are popular in many nutrition bars as a source of protein (like soy protein isolate) and product-enhancing additives (like soy lecithin). Soy is problematic for many reasons: non-organic soy is likely genetically modified; many soy ingredients are highly processed; soy can be estrogenic; soy can be difficult to digest; and soy is a common allergen. I avoid soy except in some traditional forms, like tempeh and miso, and I recommend that you avoid the more processed, modern versions of it, especially if they’re not organic.
  • Non-organic dairy, eggs, and meat, which are all sources of ingredients you can find in many bars, are problematic because conventionally raised animals are typically exposed to higher levels of agricultural chemicals, environmental toxins, hormones, and antibiotics.
  • Peanut plants are really good at taking up toxins from soil, so non-organic peanuts (and ingredients derived from them, like peanut butter and peanut flour, which you’ll find in many bars), are usually more toxic than their organic counterparts.
  • Casein and casein derivatives (like calcium caseinate and sodium caseinate) are cheap, highly processed and readily available sources of milk-derived protein. They can be contaminated from the source (see non-organic dairy, above) and processing. Also, high levels of these proteins can interfere with mineral absorption in the body.
  • Added sweeteners, like corn syrup, are often highly refined, meaning they add sugar without any redeeming nutrients.
  • Maltodextrin is a common carbohydrate in mainstream sports nutrition products because it’s technically a complex carb, but can be absorbed quickly, giving the body an energy boost. It’s also cheap and readily available. I don’t like it because it’s highly processed, can be derived from problematic sources (like wheat or corn), acts like more refined sugars in the body, causes digestive problems in some people, and can actually have dehydrating effects (which is exactly what it’s not supposed to do).
  • Artificial sweeteners like sucralose (Splenda) have a lot of negative research data against them, and the ones that have been around the longest tend to have the worst reputation. But there’s also “evidence” to defend their continued use in foods. I know people who are sensitive to artificial sweeteners– they get headaches from even the smallest doses—and that’s evidence enough for me to avoid them and suggest that you and your kids do the same. Like sugar alcohols (below), artificial sweeteners are also problematic because they can make sugar cravings worse– because you aren’t digesting real sugar, your brain isn’t getting satiety cues, so the sugar craving rages on.
  • Sugar alcohols like xylitol, maltitol and erythritol are supposed to be safer, more natural alternatives to artificial sweeteners—they provide sweetness with few calories and are derived from natural sources. But of course you can’t have your cake and eat it, too! Sugar alcohols are often highly processed, can cause digestive problems and headaches, and they can backfire by perpetuating sugar cravings. They can also induce an insulin response just like regular sugars.
  • Added oils are often of poor quality, and one of the more common oils—canola—is extra problematic. Non-organic canola is usually genetically modified. Even organic canola oil is the product of a lot of processing, involving chemicals and high temperatures that can compromise the fatty acids, even hydrogenating some.
  • “Natural” flavors are often anything but natural, even if they’re organic! They are usually highly processed and can have a lot of concerning additives that are not listed separately. Be especially wary of bars with flavors that are trying to mimic other foods, like cookies, cakes, and pies.
  • Added vitamins and minerals are common in bars that are trying to seem more nutritious than they really are, and they’re usually of unknown origin and quality. Many added nutrients can’t even be absorbed by our bodies. You’re best off getting vitamins and minerals from whole food sources. (Here’s more on my feelings about vitamins.)

Good Bar Ingredients to Look For

The best bars are basically those you could make in your kitchen with ingredients that are readily available at your local grocery or health food store. When I was reviewing ingredients, I looked for:

  • Real, whole foods like nuts, seeds, and meat (popular in some of the Paleo friendly bars).
  • Organic and non-GMO ingredients, especially when it comes to peanuts and animal-based ingredients.
  • Carbohydrates from whole-food ingredients like grains, nuts, and fruit.
  • Added sweeteners should be as unrefined and high-nutrient as possible, like coconut sugar and honey.

What’s the Healthiest Kind of Protein in Bars?

Protein ingredients are tricky because even natural ones tend to be highly processed. Ideally, the protein in your diet is from whole-food sources like organic meats, dairy, nuts, seeds, or beans, so you don’t need bars as a major protein source. That’s my two cents. But I know that some people are on high-protein diets or are trying to use high-protein bars to recover from workouts. So here are my tips for finding the best protein ingredients in nutrition bars:

–>For animal-based proteins, look for organic meat and cold-processed whey. Beef collagen (a.k.a. gelatin) is an increasingly popular animal-based protein right now. Collagen tends to be easy to digest and has a lot of potential health benefits. The best stuff currently available is from grass-fed cows in Brazil. (I do I wonder if the cows are 100% grass fed, if their food is organic, and what kind of processing is involved to extract the collagen from the bones and other tissues, but that’s a topic for another day!)

–>For plant-based protein, skip soy-derived protein, even if you’re not allergic or sensitive to soy; even organic soy protein isolate is highly processed. Protein from sprouted brown rice is a good choice if you’re not concerned about the arsenic controversy and can tolerate grains. Pea protein is also popular, and it doesn’t raise any red flags for me. One bar company, Grow Protein, is using protein from watermelon seeds; I call these bars Good Stuff.

You’ll notice below that I’ve linked a bunch of ingredients to Thrive Market. Thrive is a Costco-meets-Whole-Foods-meets-Amazon model, with hard-to-find healthful foods delivered, for free, at steeply discounted prices. I encourage you all to give it a try!

Nutrition Bar

Bearded Brothers

Skout Organic - GIMMETHEGOODSTUF20 for 20% off

Good Stuff

88 Acres

With only real food ingredients and natural sweeteners, these are yummy bars that avoid all the Bad and Sneaky ingredients, like highly processed soy, cheap oils, and flavor enhancing synthetics like maltodextrin. 

Cost per bar: $3.22

Ingredients: (Banana Bread) Pumpkin Seeds, Banana, Maple Syrup, Brown Rice Syrup, Cinnamon, Sea Salt

Buy from Amazon Buy from Thrive Market
88 Acres

Bearded Brothers Bars

These small/batch bars are all organic and contain just a handful of ingredients. Definitely a good choice for packaged snacks.

Cost per bar: $2.25

Ingredients: (almond butter chocolate) Organic Dates, Organic Almonds, Organic Cacao Nibs, Organic Dark Unsweetened Chocolate, Organic Chia Seeds, Organic Cacao Powder, Sea Salt

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Bearded Brothers Bars

Epic Bar

This Paleo bar is the original meat, fruit, and nut bar. I bought one and gave it to my son to try, because I’m not big on meat. He said it was good. If you’re looking for animal protein combined with fruit and nuts, then this is your bar!

Cost per bar: $2.35

Ingredients: (Venison Sea Salt) Venison, Sea Salt, Encapsulated Lactic Acid**, Water, Black Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Cultured Celery Powder. **Not From Milk

Buy from Amazon Buy from Thrive Market
Epic Bar

Go Macro

This was one of my favorites for taste and ingredients, but Maia doesn’t like it because it has brown rice syrup, which, like other rice products, can have elevated levels of arsenic. It was delicious and it’s organic with real food ingredients. I tried the Morning Harvest bar with apples and walnuts. With 15 grams of sugar, it’s very sweet, but some of that sugar is from the fruit ingredients. I loved the Thrive flavor– it has ancient seeds and is sweetened with coconut sugar and only has 6 grams of sugar. Every ingredient is organic and it had 7 grams of protein. As an old macrobiotic student, I really liked this one; you can decide how you feel about brown rice syrup and sprouted brown rice protein.

Cost per bar: $2.61

Ingredients: (Banana Almond Butter) Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Almond Butter, Organic Protein Blend (Organic Sprouted Brown Rice Protein, Organic Pea Protein), Organic Puffed Brown Rice, Organic Bananas, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Walnuts, Organic Coconut Sugar, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Natural Flavor.

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Go Macro

Grow Protein

This line of bars is from Go Raw, an online resource for the raw-food lifestyle, including great recipes. The Grow Protein bar is the only protein bar using watermelon seeds as a source of protein, with 12 grams of plant-based protein in each bar. They come in four flavors and each one is made from eight organic ingredients or fewer. I tried the Lemon Zest. It is sweet from the dates and contains 11 grams of sugar, but the protein helps balance out the sweetener. These bars are especially a good pick for those of you looking for a grain-free option.

Cost per bar: $3.12

Ingredients: (Spirulina Sesame) Banana (Organic Ingredient), Sprouted Sesame Seeds (Organic Ingredient), Dates (Organic Ingredients), Coconut (Unsulphured) (Organic Ingredient), Spirulina (Organic Ingredient), Sea Salt.

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Grow Protein

Lara Bar

Reading the ingredients on Lara Bar wrappers is refreshing because there are only a few ingredients, and they are all just food! I tried the Cashew Cookie one and it is very sweet because it’s just dates and cashews. It was actually too sweet for me, but it’s a good choice to satisfy a sweet craving; there are 18 grams of sugar in one bar. The Apple Pie flavor has apples, dates, raisins, almonds, and walnuts. I love the fact that there is no processed sugar and no weird ingredients. However, most of them are not organic, so I wouldn’t be comfortable eating the ones that aren’t organic everyday, especially with apples as an ingredient. Lara Bar’s Organic with Super Foods line is the best choice. I tried the Hazelnut, Hemp, and Cacao flavor, and it was delicious. My 18-month-old grandson loved the date and cashew bar.

Cost per bar: $0.98

Ingredients: (Cashew Cookie) CASHEWS, DATES.

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Lara Bar

Perfect Bar

I like that these bars are made mostly from real-food ingredients, and most of the ingredients are organic. Although these bars are Good Stuff, they aren’t totally perfect—they do use vegetable oils (olive and sunflower), so if you’re avoiding added oils, these wouldn’t be a good choice. They also use honey rather than fruit for sweetener, so if you’re avoiding added sweeteners, then choose another bar (these have 13-18 grams of sugar per bar). They are not dairy free or grain free and contain nonfat dry milk powder. But overall, they are Good Stuff, and I love their inspiring story.

Cost per bar: $1.92

Ingredients: (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough) Peanut Butter, Cashew Butter, Maple Syrup, Nonfat Dry Milk, Honey, Dark Chocolate (Chocolate†, Cane Sugar†, Cocoa Butter†), Rice Protein, Dried Whole Egg Powder, Vanilla Extract, Sea Salt, Dried Whole Food Powders (Kale, Flax Seed, Rose Hip, Orange, Lemon, Papaya, Tomato, Apple, Alfalfa, Celery, Kelp, Dulse, Carrot, Spinach), Flax Seed Oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Olive Oil, Pumpkin Seed Oil.

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Perfect Bar

Raw Rev Glo

These bars are made from high-quality ingredients and are packed with protein (11 grams) while having only two to three grams of sugar per bar. The only downside to their super-food blend is that it contains non-organic peanuts. But otherwise, all ingredients are organic and there are no added sweeteners in most of the Raw Rev Glo flavors. I tried the Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate bar, which had 3 grams of sugar due to the chocolate; the other flavors have no added sweetener. Like the Primal Kitchen bars, these ones have the prebiotic fiber IMO, which I’m not crazy about, but overall I’m calling these bars Good Stuff.

Cost per bar: $2.06

Ingredients: (Peanut butter Dark Chocolate) PEANUTS, ISOMALTO-OLIGOSACCHARIDES (PREBIOTIC FROM TAPIOCA),PROTEIN BLEND (PEA PROTEIN ISOLATE, BROWN RICE PROTEIN, ORGANIC HEMP PROTEIN, FLAX PROTEIN), ORGANIC DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPS (CANE SUGAR, CHOCOLATE LIQUOR, COCOA BUTTER, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLA EXTRACT), ORGANIC CHIA SEEDS, SUNFLOWER LECITHIN, ORGANIC UNREFINED EXTRA VIRGIN COCONUT OIL, ROASTED PEANUT EXTRACT, SEA SALT.

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Raw Rev Glo

Rickaroons

The company calls these “energy bars that taste like dessert,” and I agree. Aside from being delicious, Rickaroons are made from the kind of healthy, wholesome ingredients that I would use in my own kitchen. They’re organic, vegan, gluten free, Paleo friendly, and sweetened with coconut palm nectar. These are a slow-burning fuel, so they provide a nice lift without a sugar crash. Rickaroons come in several flavors– Megaroon, Chocolate Blonde, Mint To Be, Mocha, and seasonal varieties. They have 9-10 grams/sugar per ‘roon–all from from healthy sources. I’m no fat-phobe, but these guys do pack a whopping 20 grams of that in each cookie–which is great for my picky and skinny grandson, Wolfie!

Cost per bar: $1.99

Ingredients: (Chocolate Blonde) Shredded Coconut, Blended Almonds, Coconut Palm Nectar, 70% Dark Chocolate Chips, Coconut Oil, Ground Vanilla Beans.

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Rickaroons

Okay Stuff

Green Plus Energy Bar

These bars were difficult to review because there are a lot of ingredients. Most of the ingredients look okay, and many are organic. There are some soy ingredients. The other issue is many flavors have 23 or 24 grams or sugar, but other ones have only six grams. I’m calling the flavors with less sugar Good Stuff.

Cost per bar: $2.91

Ingredients: (Energy Chocolate) Organic Dates, Organic Almonds, Organic Dark Chocolate (Organic Cocoa Liquor, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter), Organic Tapioca Syrup, Pea Protein, Chicory Root Fiber, Greens Plus Advanced Blend [Lecithin (from GMO-Free Sunflower), Organic Barley Grass, Organic Spirulina (arthrospira platensis), Organic Wheat Grass, Organic Apple Fiber, Organic Chlorella (chlorella vulgaris), Organic Alfalfa Grass, Algae Calcium (lithothamnion spp.), Camu Camu Berry (myrciaria dubia), Organic B-Complex (from Guava, Holy Basil, and Lemon Extracts), Vitamin E (as D-Alpha Tocopheryl Succinate), Astragalus Root Extract (astragalus membranaceus), Licorice Root Extract (glycyrrhiza glabra), Siberian Eleuthero Root Extract (eleutherococcus senticosus), Organic Beet Root (beta vulgaris), Milk Thistle Seed Extract (silybum marianum), Organic Dunaleiella Salina Algae, Polygonum Cuspidatum Extract (20% Resveratrol), Green Tea Leaf Extract (camellia sinensis), Vitamin A (as Beta-carotene), Bilberry Fruit Extract (vaccinium myrtillus), Vitamin D3 (as Cholecalciferol), Fulvic and Humic Acids], Organic Quinoa, Organic Brown Rice Crisps (Organic Brown Rice, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Salt), Organic Purified Stevia Extract, Mixed Tocopherols (Natural Vitamin E).

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Green Plus Energy Bar

Health Warrior

At only 5 grams of sugar per bar, these are lower in sugar than most others. If you’re watching your calories, you’ll also like that these have only 100 calories per bar. They are definitely not the most delicious bars I tried. I like that they use real-food ingredients, but not everything is organic, and they use brown rice syrup and agave syrup as sweeteners–both of which are controversial.

Cost per bar: $1.89

Ingredients: (Acai Berry) White Chia Seeds, Cashew Butter, Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Brown Rice Crisps (Organic Brown Rice, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Sea Salt), Chicory Root Fiber, Cranberries (Cranberries, Apple Juice Concentrate, Sunflower Oil), Strawberry Powder (with Rice Flour and Sunflower Lecithin), Arabic Gum, Rolled Oats, Freeze Dried Acai Powder, Vanilla Extract, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Mixed Tocopherols (Natural Vitamin E).

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Health Warrior

Lola Bar

These are granola bars and the ingredients are real food. They are gluten free and contain no GMO’s. Because nothing is organic, I call these Okay Stuff. They contain 13-14 grams of sugar and are sweetened with honey.

Cost per bar: $2.45

Ingredients: (Blueberry Almond) GLUTEN FREE OATS, TAPIOCA SYRUP, SUNFLOWER SEEDS, COCONUT, ALMONDS, FLAXSEED MEAL, PROBIOTIC CULTURES (ORGANIC INULIN, BACILIUS COAGULANS GBI-30 6086) BLUEBERRIES (BLUEBERRIES, PURE CANE SUGAR, SUNFLOWER OIL), COCONUT OIL, CINNAMON, VANILLA

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Lola Bar

RX Bar

This one is one of my son’s favorites because of the higher protein content (12 grams). I had one of these bars when I was famished after a workout, and it really did hit the spot. I like that these are made with real food and don’t contain any weird ingredients or processed sugars. My only concern is that nothing is organic; they use egg whites, which, like other animal-based foods, ideally would be organic.

Cost per bar: $1.78

Ingredients: (Chocolate Sea Salt) Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Cashews, 100% Chocolate, Sea Salt, Natural Chocolate Flavor

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RX Bar

Bad Stuff

Unfortunately, what we’re listing here is just a small sample of the bad bars out there. In some ways, all of these could be called “Sneaky Stuff,” since anything that calls itself an “energy” or “nutrition” bar is positioning itself as a healthful food. Still, the brands below tend to be even worse than the ones you’ll find under the “Sneaky” tab.

Nugo Bars: These are made with some questionable ingredients, including soy protein isolate and soy fiber, which are both highly processed. These bars also contain condensed milk. I would not recommend these, even as a treat. They do have an organic line, but the protein is still from soy.

PowerBar: They were some of the very first bars on the market, and some of their products are non-GMO Project Verified. But when I took a closer look, I was shocked by all of the highly processed, low-quality ingredients. For protein, they rely on combinations of soy, casein and whey ingredients. I looked at three different peanut butter flavored products, and all had non-organic peanut ingredients. In the peanut butter flavor of their PowerBar Performance Energy bar, sugar is the first ingredient (they call it their “carbohydrate blend”), including maltodextrin. They also use added vitamins and minerals of unknown origin and quality. The chocolate peanut butter flavor of their PowerBar ProteinPlus bar has soy protein isolate and soy lecithin, “natural flavor”, and sucralose, a sugar alcohol. The peanut butter chocolate chip flavor of the PowerBar Harvest Energy bar has added sugar from “cane invert syrup” and brown rice syrup, fractionated palm kernel oil, “natural” flavors, and soy lecithin. Needless to say, I didn’t sample any of these bars!

ThinkThin makes several different kinds of bars. I looked at their Chunky Peanut Butter High Protein Bar, and the first red flag was “0g sugar”—instead of any natural sugar or other carbohydrate ingredients, they use maltitol, a sugar alcohol. The whopping 20 grams of protein per bar comes from questionable soy protein isolate, calcium caseinate, and whey protein isolate. In addition to processed, non-organic soy ingredients, there are non- organic peanuts and peanut flour, as well as “natural” flavors and added canola oil. Sadly, I don’t have anything nice to say about these bars!

Sneaky Stuff

Clif Bar: The original Clif Bar Energy Bars were not as bad as I thought they would be; when I first saw organic ingredients, I was intrigued. But in the Crunchy Peanut Butter bar I looked at, they use soy protein isolate, soy flour, and soy nuts, “natural” flavors, and added vitamins and minerals. Also, the peanuts and peanut flour are not organic, even though they start with organic ingredients (including organic peanut butter). If you want good Clif Bars, look for their Kit’s Organic Fruit + Nut line, which is kind of like organic Lara Bars. My grandsons love Clif’s ZBars, and while these are organic, they contain soy products as well as cane sugar–and lots of it!

Kind Bar: Kind makes a lot of different types of bars. They are delicious and are definitely better than most candy bars (I compared a Hershey almond bar to a chocolate-and-nut Kind Bar, and at 19 grams of sugar, Hershey has much more than Kind’s 5 grams!). But I’m not a fan of the added sugars (from glucose syrup, white sugar, and honey), and some of the flavors have much more sugar than others (Blueberry Pecan has 9 grams of sugar and Almond and Apricot has 10 grams). These are okay as a treat, but I wouldn’t call them “nutrition” bars because they don’t have a lot going for them when it comes to health benefits.

Luna Bars: Luna calls their products “Whole Nutrition Bars” and I do like that they use a lot of organic ingredients, are non-GMO, and gluten free. But a closer look reveals that “whole nutrition” is misleading. To get the nutrition profiles and flavors they’re going for, they use a lot of non-whole foods like soy protein isolate, soy lecithin, whey protein concentrate, and “natural” flavors. They also use added sugars, added oils, added fiber, and added vitamins and minerals. And as I mentioned, there are several soy ingredients in them. So these bars, although mostly organic, are also made of a lot of processed stuff.

ProBar: I tried the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip flavor of the ProBar Meal bar, and I loved the taste, but one bar has 21 grams of sugar! Some of that sugar is from fruit ingredients (dates, dried pineapple, and dried papaya), but the rest comes from added sweeteners (brown rice syrup—first ingredient, molasses, and dried cane syrup). These sweeteners are not the worst—they’re better than refined cane sugar—but that’s still too much sugar for one bar. ProBars have the non-GMO seal, although none of the ingredients is organic. I give them some points for having a decent amount of protein (10 grams) and fiber (6 grams). But they also use canola oil. ProBar Meal bars are better than a bad meal, but I wouldn’t eat them on a regular basis, especially with so many better bar options out there.

Quest Bar: These were easy to review because they have relatively few ingredients. Quest Bars are Sneaky Stuff because Quest makes itself out to be a company on a health-enhancing mission but uses highly processed, non-organic ingredients in their bars. The big dose of protein in their bars comes from a mix of milk protein isolate and whey protein isolate. They add soluble corn fiber to reduce the “net carbs” and use a combo of sugar alcohol (erythritol), artificial sweetener (sucralose—a.k.a. Splenda), and stevia for sweetness. The taste mostly comes from “natural” flavors (how natural can the flavor be in the a S’mores bar?). In the peanut flavors, the peanut ingredients are not organic. They also use palm oil, and some bars have xanthan gum and cellulose gum, which are highly processed and problematic for some people.

Author's Signature

Author's Signature

Suzanne, Certified Holistic Health Coach

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Tags:Grocery Guides, Recipes & Healthy Eating

36 comments

John Goss

See above response.

John Goss

While it is good that Lead Safe Mama is helping folks be aware of lead, many professional who actually work in real labs find her to be way off base.
The following is just one of many comments about her, sent by an actual testing professional….

“Okay, so I actually work in a lab and have worked with a variety of x-ray techniques on actual multi-million dollar equipment. I’m also a trained XRF operator and literally do this for a living as well as teach (not for product testing, different industry). She uses extremely inflammatory language (as you would expect), and seeing her pictures of her using the thing I’m not terribly impressed with her technique (though that’s partially that the USA has terrible standards). The certificate she has is from the company itself, not a federal body. (Literally anyone off the street can pay for a one-day training course.) She doesn’t really follow ALARA, I don’t see a dosimeter or anything, and just…yeah. She argues she’s the only one who can do non-biased testing because everyone else is in industry’s or government’s pockets? I’m not, I work at a university and let me tell you, no one is giving me money for shit, lol. Testing labs aren’t all nefarious entities. If you’re so concerned, go to an actual testing lab. I believe she does do so on occasion, but carrying an XRF gun like a vigilante through Home Depot? Yikes on bikes. I’ve even done knitting needles for kicks and they came up with a lead signal. I put them into my microscope with far, far better resolution and sensitivity (because XRFs honestly kind of suck) and there’s nothing there. The instrument and software aren’t perfect and there’s uncertainties and error she doesn’t even touch on because it would be against her motives. XRF in the actual science world is the utterly opposite end from “highly accurate” or anything she describes. It’s a rapid, non-destructive field technique. So maybe she found some lead and other metals, but I wouldn’t think of her as highly trained, rational scientist doing “the good work”. Her angle makes her money and strokes her ego. Not a fan."

Alison Steele

LaraBars have also tested positive for lead: https://tamararubin.com/2024/08/larabar-in-lemon-flavor-tests-positive-for-an-unsafe-level-of-lead-july-2024-lab-report/

Alison Steele

Go Macro bars tested positive for Lead, Arsenic, and Cadmium: https://tamararubin.com/?s=go macro

Melissa C

Do you have any recommendations for nut-free nutrition bars/snack bars?
Thanks!

Suzanne Weaver-Goss

Sounds like Good Stuff!

Roselina Londhe

anew company has got granola bars made from raw honey no sugar available on their website.

Peri Stone-Palmquist

Check out Stokka bars. My new fav!

shove it deeper

I like pie

shove it deeper

I like pie

Daddy pig

Daddy,
I like kind bars cause they have gooooood stuff in it

Daddy pig

Daddy

j nicole

Thank you for reviewing all of these bars!! I like to switch up my “go-to quick snacks” and rarely take time to do this much needed research beforehand. Next thing you know, I find myself in the mood for change and it’s out with ol’ faithful and in with little sneaky snacks! …Time to stop grabbing kind bars and lenny and larry bars while I’m waiting for my car at the wash (guilty smirk).

Also, have you guys (or readers!) shared any homemade recipes for snack bars? I have tried so many terrible recipes on pinterest and would love a recommendation! Thank you!

Kelly T.

What are your thoughts on Organic Aussie Bites? Ingredients are: Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Oat Flour, Organic Unsalted Butter, Organic Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Organic Dried Apricots, Organic Sugar, Organic Cane and Invert Sugar, Organic Raisins, Organic Flax Seeds, Organic Honey, Organic Shredded Coconut, Organic Quinoa, Organic Chia Seeds, Sea Salt, Baking Soda, Organic Vanilla.

Suzanne Weaver-Goss

Hi Lenka, The Vega bar is plant based and that’s an important component for vegans. However, many of these bars have a fair amount of sugar. The meal bar has 18 grams, the protein bar, 12 grams, and the snack bar has the least with 7 grams. The sugar is not from fruit (except for one did have dates) most of the sugar is from cane sugar, agave and tapioca. Also,the list of ingredients is long so to me that’s a lot of processed ingredients. I prefer to eat food closer to it’s natural state. I am not a big fan of bars because of that but at least the ones that are just fruit and nuts are food that I can recognize. Certainly as an occasional snack or in a pinch these are fine but I wouldn’t recommend them daily.

Lenka Glassman

What do you think about the VEGA line of bars? I really love them but have a feeling they could be sneaky stuff!

Rita Walden

What do you think about, Marigold bars, and, Papa Steves bars?

Suzanne Weaver-Goss

The ingredients look fine but they do have Agave and some have sugar cane. And if you look at the grams of sugar, they have around 15 to 20 grams which is a lot when it’s from Agave or sugar. They are more like a sweetened cookie or candy. There are other bars that are just fruit and nuts.

Daniella

Have you looked at Pure Organic? They sell them at Thrive Market and they look pretty good! Would love to hear your thoughts.

Lisa

Hello again, just wondering if you could comment on these bars, thanks!

Travis

Thank you for your reply! I’m glad to hear this is considered The Good Stuff as i have been eating them and also feeding them to my kids. I travel a bit for work and I was able to buy a bar in Chicago last month and Denver just last week so it shouldn’t be only available in just California.

Suzanne Weaver-Goss

Hi Travis,

I had not heard of these but I just did a quick check and they look great! Definitely Good Stuff with good ingredients. Of course be careful of the chocolate ones that have sugar but I am wondering if they only available in California. Thanks for the tip. Suzanne

Travis

Hi,
What do you think about 18 Rabbits bars? I’m interested on your thoughts on both their Nutritional Bars and their children’s Jr. Bars.

Thanks

Lisa Cook

What do you think about the CLIF Nut Butter Filled – Organic Energy Bar – Coconut Almond Butter? Thank you

Suzanne Weaver-Goss

Hi Megan,

The Happy Tot bars are organic but they do have 7 grams of processed sugar from Agave. I would prefer the bars that the sugar is from fruit rather than Agave.

Megan Haselden

Could you comment on Happy Tot fiber and protein bars made by Happy Baby Organics? I am looking for a snack bar for my toddler and I notice quite a few of the bars above have high amounts of sugar for him.
Thanks

Suzanne Weaver-Goss

You’re right and it’s so hard to rate the bars because it depends on what your priorities are and whether they’re for children or not. The primal bars are mostly chocolate so I wouldn’t recommend them for children. They have a lot of nuts so the organic issue isn’t as crucial. I agree (especially for kids) organic is important. It is one of my concerns with the Lara Bars, but they’re mostly dates and nuts. It’s so complicated and people have to decide for themselves. I never ate bars until I did this review and I personally like the primal bars because they aren’t sweet and sugar is a big issue for me. Bars are a manufactured food and therefore I am skeptical about eating any of them on a regular basis!

Merle

It’s funny, you complain about the other bars not being organic but rave about the primal kitchen bars. They would be amazing if only they were organic :(

Suzanne Weaver-Goss

It wasn’t on our list but it looks great! Enjoy!

Sheila

How about Organic Food Bars?

Suzanne Weaver-Goss

Hi Neg,

I hadn’t heard of them but I took a quick look and I would say that they are sneaky. They are presenting like they’re healthy because they’re vegan and non GMO, however, nothing is organic and they do have some questionable fats and other ingredients. And plain processed sugar and flour.

Neg

Hi, what about Lenny & Larry’s cookies? Are those sneaky?

Suzanne Weaver-Goss

Hi Kim,

Square bars weren’t on my radar but I just gave a quick look. The ingredients look good and they’re organic but I have a hard time recommending them as Good Stuff because they have processed sugar and the ones I looked had 11, 12, and 13 grams of sugar per bar which is high. Certainly, for a treat but I wouldn’t recommend on a regular basis. Regards, Suzanne

Suzanne Weaver-Goss

Hi Erin,

Yes, it can be tricky and I have never been one to eat bars but so many people like them for a quick convenient food. Whenever, we choose convenience we are compromising to an extent. And people have different boundaries as to what they will compromise on. So, I am glad you found it helpful. It’s always better to make your own snacks from food in your own kitchen in my opinion. Regards, Suzanne

Erin

Very informative. I really love this site because it introduces me to new products to try and be healthier. Unfortunately I am quite picky so the only bar on the good stuff list I really want to try is the Go Raw one. All the others ones have ingredients I don’t like either for taste or ethical reasons. It makes hunting for healthier products to try quite a challenge sometimes but I’m still trying!

I read the other list and it always cracks me up when companies only use half organic ingredients. It completely defeats the purpose! Artificial sweeteners ( and sweeteners derived from sugar) also get on my nerves but it’s more from a taste perspective. As far as my personal health gooes, I am comfortable with real sugar and I’m just trying to have it in moderation and try to get organic when I can. Artificial sweeteners just taste off to me and I know that aspartame can cause digestive issues. And thank you for reviewing Luna bars, it’s really the only one I like but if I eat them I will just have it as a treat not for nutritional value. Honestly I need to educate myself more on the processed foods and why they’re bad though I know that whole foods are probably better because your body will absorb nutrition better from them. And I get that some processed foods are processed with chemicals I just want to research more in depth about that. I definitely want to get away from icky chemicals!

Kim

How about square bars?

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