NRG Bar

A friend of mine is working with NRG Bars to promote them and get them into more grocery stores. Consequently, I scored myself a free sample :D

The makers of NRG Bars pride themselves in the fact that their bars are 100% wheat and gluten free, which is important as the prevalence of Celiacs disease is on the rise. The bars are also made entirely out of organic ingredients.

There are currently 4 varieties available: Chocolate Chip Coconut, Lemon Flax, Cranberry Almond, and Pumpkin Ginger.

I sample the Cranberry Almond and Chocolate Chip Coconut. I will say I preferred the taste of the Cranberry Almond, but due to my recent nut allergy, I was paranoid about eating it so I only tried a nibble.

Both of the bars had a dense consistency. It kind of reminded me of slightly baked cookie dough. It had a little bit of a powdery after taste, and required drinking some water with it. The bars were very homogeneous - kind of like a Lara Bar- rather than having chunks of the various ingredients speckled throughout the bar. It was tasty, not too sweet, but not horribly bland. I had it for breakfast and it seemed fitting for the meal. The bar was very filling. I a generally a volume person, so I don't persay like eating a bar as a meal, but this filled me up and kept me going all morning at work. It would be great for those short on time, or on the go.

The basic run down of nutrition facts is 240-270 calories, 3-4.5 grams of fat, about 50 grams of carbs, 5 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein.

They market the bars as a snack, but at 240-270 calories a pop I would say that is probably more of a small meal, unless of course you are extremely active and need that kind of a snack between meals.

Upon reviewing their ingredients I was surprised to see the Organic Oats were basically their only whole grain. Their has been a lot of conflicting research in regards to whether or not oats affect individuals with Celiacs disease. Orginally it was though that oats were only a problem when they were contaminated by other grains, which occurs frequently. Thus, Organic oats that were kept free of contamination were considered safe, however, with further research, their has been indications that all oats, even those that are not contaminated may still be a problem... so the jury is still out. At any rate, if you do have a gluten sensitivity, proceed cautiously.

Currently NRG Bars are available at Whole Foods surrounding the Boston Area. Keep an eye out!