FitSugar

Food Review: Forze GPS Shakes and Bars

FitSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:46 -0800

I'm typically wary of fitness drinks with gold packaging; they remind me of the weird muscle-building brands I see at the gym. But when I read the label on Forze GPS shakes and bars, I was intrigued.

This line of snacks, including chocolate and vanilla shakes and four flavors of energy bar, is described as a "weight management tool designed specifically for athletes." They promise to activate your appetite control signals, so they can be used as a between-meal or pre- or post-workout snack. Hear what I thought about their taste and the results.

If You Love Sesame Seeds, You'll Love BumbleBars

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:00:00 -0700

When it comes to food, I definitely judge a snack bar by its package. The bright golden colored wrapper on the BumbleBar is what attracted me to it (I also like cute names). Many energy bars can include lots of crappy ingredients, but when I flipped this bar over and read the nutritional info, I was pleasantly surprised.

After I checked out the website, I discovered that BumbleBars were designed by a woman (wahoo!) named Liz Ward. She lived in the woods and hiked 8 miles every day. She thought it was a crazy oxymoron that hikers were outside in this beautiful environment, but they were eating foods that harmed the planet (she's against non-organic and dairy based foods). So she developed organic, vegan and gluten-free Bumblebars.

I tried the Original flavor. If you want to take a peek at the picture and the nutritional info, and hear what I thought then read more

Serving Size	1 bar
Calories	230
Total Fat	16g
Saturated Fat	2g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	75mg
Carbs	17g
Fiber	5g
Sugar	9g
Protein	6g
Ingredients	Organic sesame seeds, Organic brown rice syrup, organic flaxseed, organic evaporated cane juice, organic peanuts, organic vanilla, organic cinnamon, sea salt, natural vitamin E for freshness.

This bar is all about sesame seeds and flaxseeds. Initially, when you take a bite, it has a delightful vanilla and cinnamon flavor, but that soon wears away and you're left with the earthy flavor of those two seeds. Sesame seeds are not my favorite so I wasn't a huge fan of the seedy aftertaste, but I do like the fact that this bar is made with all organic ingredients. What's more? One bar has tons of protein and fiber. I'm telling you, if you LOVE sesame seeds, this is the bar for you.

My SOYJOY Bars Arrived!!!

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 17:15:00 -0700

Do you remember a little while back I told you about SOYJOY bars. If you gave them your address, they promised to send you 3 free bars.

As exciting as it was to get free treats in the mail, I'm sorry to say these bars are pretty gross. They look homemade which is cool, but they tasted more like cookies gone bad.

First of all, they smelled kind of funky, like the health food stores my gramma dragged me to as a child. When I opened them, they looked dark and brick-like. When I tried all 3 flavors they sent me - Raisin Almond, Berry, and Apple - all 3 of them tasted pretty much the same - yucky!

They were really dense, dry, and truthfully, it weirded me out that "frozen eggs" was listed in the ingredients. Butter was also listed, but I sure didn't taste it.

Looking at the label, they do have 240mg of potassium, 3g of fiber, 4% of your daily iron intake, and 4g of protein from the soy. That's impressive for a tiny 130 calorie bar.

Tell Me: Have any of you ever tried a SOYJOY bar? Did you send away for your free bars? What did you think?

Spread the SOYJOY: They're Free!

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 03:04:09 -0700

I've never actually tried these nutrition bars from SOYJOY, but that's okay because they'll send me (and you too) 3 bars to try for free. They want you to try 1, and promise to share the other 2 with your friends. Give them your info and you should receive the bars in about 3-4 weeks.

These bars are made with soy, butter, frozen egg, dried fruits like raisins, papaya, mango, and pineapple, and almonds. There are 4 flavors that sound very tasty - Raisin Almond, Mango Coconut, Apple, and Berry.

Soy protein is a complete protein, so this could be a great afternoon snack to give you a pep in your step. Not only that, soy enhances bone density and can help to reduce your risk of certain cancers.

Has anyone ever tried them? I'd be curious to know what you thought, so tell me below.

Not a Puzzle to Me: Jigsaw Health Bars

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:00:00 -0800

If you have been reading FitSugar, then you already know that I am a bit of a health/protein bar fanatic. I wouldn't say I am picky, but bars are so hit and miss when it comes to taste and it's just too hard to tell from the packaging. Energy bars can be tasteless -- Apparently it's just not easy making a quick, healthy bar taste good.

Jigsaw ($2.97/bar) goes beyond that as they believe you shouldn’t be satisfied with health bars tasting just “good". Well after twenty-two versions, they think they've got it perfect... all the nutrients you need, none of the sugar found in other bars (they are sweetened with sugar alcohol) and a delicious taste. I am even more impressed with their 100% full-refund satisfaction guarantee, which shows that they stand behind their product.

Tested by me and my picky (and sensitive to texture) taste buds, I can honestly tell you the bars are good and I'll even go as far to say that the coconut almond bar is downright tasty.

What's more? Jigsaw Bars Contain No Gluten, Lactose, Soy Protein, or Casein but they do contain Meg-3 (omega-3 essential fatty acids sourced from fish) and OptiNutrin (immune-enhancing glyconutrients from mushrooms). All good to hear.

You can buy them directly from the Jigsaw site. Guess what else? Since FitSugar readers are so special, Jigsaw would like to offer you all $5.00 off your first purchase online! Just enter the code FitSugar at checkout! Enjoy!

Healthy T-Day Dessert: Pumpkin-Carrot Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting

FitSugar — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:30:05 -0800

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and my love of all things pumpkin is hardly waning. From yogurt to muffins, I relish this tasty flavor of Fall. If you're looking for a pumpkin pie alternative, these pumpkin-carrot bars are delish. The bit of cream cheese frosting adds a deceptive element of decadence.

Low in calories while remaining full of flavor, these pumpkin bars make a great dessert - perfect for potlucks (much easier to share with large groups than pies) and they're relatively guilt-free. They're high in vitamin A - and trust me you cannot even taste the shredded carrot - and a bar only contains 70 calories and less than two grams of fat. With nutritional stats like that, it's OK to go back for seconds.

Check out the recipe when you read more.

Pumpkin-Carrot Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
Modified from SparkPeople

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Earth Balance (or other butter substitute)
2 eggs
2 large egg whites
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin pie filling
2/3 cup finely shredded carrot

Cream cheese topping:
4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon skim milk

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Spray a 15 x 10 jellyroll pan with cooking spray.
In small bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, and baking soda.
In larger bowl, use electric mixer to beat sugar, Earth Balance, and brown sugar until crumbly. Add eggs, egg whites, pumpkin pie filling, and carrots. Beat until well blended.
Add flour mixture and mix until well blended. Spread onto greased pan.
To prepare cream cheese topping: mix together cream cheese, sugar, and milk until thoroughly blended.
Drop teaspoon-fulls of topping over pumpkin batter and swirl and cut mixture into batter with a butter knife.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in pan completely on wire rack before cutting into squares.

Makes 48 squares.

Print recipe with images | without images

Looking for more healthy recipes? Then check out the Healthy Recipe Group - the name pretty much says it all.

You Asked: Energy Bar For a Meal?

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:00:48 -0800

Dear Fit,
I just got off the phone with a friend and I need some advice. She says for breakfast, she eats one Balance Bar. I know some bars are fortified with vitamins, but this doesn't seem like enough to me - calorie- or nutrition-wise. What do you think? Is it OK to eat an energy bar for a meal?
-Concerned Friend

This is an excellent question because I think many people grab a bar for a quick meal because it's quick, easy, and fairly inexpensive. Is it enough, though? To find out what I think read more.

Replacing a meal with an energy bar is not a good idea. For one, most bars contain only about 200 calories. That calorie amount is suitable for a snack, not a meal. Another reason is that those bars were designed to give someone energy before or after a workout, so they tend to be high in carbs and low in fiber. That translates to quick energy at first, but your friend probably feels tired and hungry soon after. The low fiber issue may also affect regularity. The bottom line is that energy bars are not designed to replace a well-balanced meal, since they won't offer the same kind of nutrition. Even the ones that are fortified with vitamins and minerals only offer about 25 percent of your RDI, which isn't very much.

I think it's best to ask your friend why she's only eating an energy bar for breakfast. Is she short on time? Is she trying to lose weight? Does she think it's healthy? Once you find out her reasoning, you can suggest healthy breakfast ideas that suit her needs. There are plenty of tasty options that are high in protein and fiber to offer sustained energy, are easy to make, and won't break the calorie bank.

Snickers Energy Bars?

FitSugar — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:30:06 -0700

Clif, Balance, and Luna are a few of my favorite brands when choosing energy bars, but the popular packed-with-peanuts candy bar company wants to get in on the action too with their Snickers Marathon bars. I know what you're thinking. Snickers? Making energy bars? Yep. They were designed to give good tasting energy to active, healthy people, and they come in three varieties - Energy, Nutrition, and Protein.

I find it ironic that the ingredients couldn't be found anywhere on the entire website. Wouldn't health-minded people want to know what they're eating? Seems a little sneaky. Then when I did some research, I discovered these bars contain corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup - just what I expected from a food that has Snickers on the label. The website did include the nutritional labels, so to see how these bars measure up, read more.

	Calories	Sat. Fat (g)	Chol. (mg)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Energy: Multigrain Crunch	220	2.5	5	210	31	3	17	10
Energy: Chewy Chocolate Peanut	210	3	5	200	26	5	15	13
Energy: Chewy Peanut Butter	210	3	5	240	25	4	15	14
Nutrition: Dark Chocolate Crunch	150	2.5	5	140	22	7	9	11
Nutrition: Honey & Toasted Almond	150	2	5	125	22	7	10	10
Protein: Caramel Nut Rush	290	5	5	190	40	10	22	20
Protein: Chocolate Nut Burst	280	3	5	340	37	11	18	21

I was wondering, have any of you tried these Snickers Energy bars?

Food Review: Cascadian Farm Fiber Right Bars

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:02 -0800

Women need between 25 and 30 grams of fiber a day, and sometimes meals alone won't bring you to your daily quota. I'm always looking for quick snacks that are high in fiber, and when I came across these new Cascadian Farm Fiber Right Bars ($4) at the store, they looked like a tasty way to help me reach my goal.

To find out how these Almond Butter Crunchy Granola Bars taste and see how many calories are in one serving continue reading

Food Review: Dr. Melina Protein Bars

FitSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 06:00:00 -0700

When it comes to pre-workout snacks, I like to mix things up, so when I spotted a new-to-me brand, Dr. Melina Protein Bars, at my corner store the other day, I snapped one up.

I was excited to learn that the brand was created by a female doctor who resides in Sugar's fair city of San Francisco, an internist and nutritionist named Dr. Melina Jampolis. To find out how they taste, read more.

These protein-packed bars come in four flavors: chocolate peanut, double chocolate acai, lemon raspberry, and cinnamon almond, which I tried. Fans of Luna Bars will love Dr. Melina bars too; they're pretty comparable in terms of flavor, sweetness (note the hint of icing), texture, and nutrition.

The bar I tried had a bit more crunch than Luna, sort of like a Rice Krispie treat, which was a nice touch. The cinnamon and almond flavors tasted very natural and not overly sugary, and with 14 grams of protein, the bar left me feeling very satisfied. Check out the chart below to see how it compares with a similarly flavored Chai Tea Luna Bar.

	Dr. Melina Cinnamon Almond	Luna Bar Chai Tea
Serving Size	One bar (45g)	One bar (48g)
Calories	180	190
Total Fat	6 g	5 g
Saturated Fat	2 g	2.5 g
Cholesterol	5 mg	0 mg
Sodium	80 mg	95 mg
Carbs	21 g	26 g
Fiber	5 g	3 g
Sugars	11 g	12 g
Protein	14 g	9 g

Aside from a few key differences, these bars are pretty comparable. Interested? You can buy Dr. Melina bars by the box here. If you've tried this or any other flavors, let me know what you think.