LÄRABAR gets points with me mainly because of its marketing. The name is the first thing I see, and automatically it looks authentic (thanks to the accent above the A). Something about the lettering looks organic and very outdoorsy to me, which makes me believe its many claims on its wrapper.
I used to be suspicious of nutrition bars that claim they add nothing but the real ingredients. If it were that easy, we all may as well walk around with some peanuts and an apple and call it a day. There’s usually something added in fine print—in this case, lime juice concentrate—but still, it’s oddly satisfying to look at the 5 ingredients (concentrate included) and understand what everything is.
I chose this specific LÄRABAR because I was curious as to what a Key Lime Pie nutrition bar could possibly taste like. I figured it was hit or miss; either it would be incredible, or it would suck. After looking at the ingredients and reading about the organic, no added-anything, I have to admit my expectations weren’t too high.
Unfortunately LÄRABAR didn’t exactly pull through for me. It wasn’t a miss, but the key lime concentrate is the only thing that resembles a key lime pie, and that’s something you could find in your fridge at home. But it has to do with the mindset too—I mean if you want key lime pie, you’re clearly not going to find its equivalent in an organic bar; it’s unhealthy for a reason. You can apply this to any of the other flavors—apple pie, cappuccino, snickerdoodle, gingerbread—they sound amazing, but once you’re done, you’re probably just going to want the real thing more.
This particular LÄRABAR contains ¼ cup of fruit and no added sugar, because the ingredients themselves add enough (24g). This bar was 220 calories, and most of the other flavors seem to fall within the 200 ballpark. LÄRABARs generally have quite a bit of saturated fat, but they also include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, mainly through the nuts—in this case cashews and almonds—which is good. They contain some minerals like iron, phosphorus, and magnesium, but I think most people probably look at the calories and fat with priority. In that case, you might be turned off from LÄRABARs - they’re pretty dense.
LÄRABARs aren’t terrible and it’s not that I wouldn’t eat one again…I just wouldn’t go out of my way to buy one. There are so many nutrition bars that all sound the same, and I’m not sure LÄRABAR is necessarily a top contender. But for a dollar at Kroger, I don’t regret it either.
LARABAR Goes Back to Basics
