Tropical Fruit Tart
5 Stars
This bar is very refreshing with a wonderful fruit and citrus flavor and soft chewy texture.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
2 Stars
I'm not a fan of this flavor. The bar would be much better without the chocolate chips that somehow leave a funny aftertaste.
Coconut Cream Pie
5 Stars
Oh my I do love coconut, and this bar was better then I expected it to be. Wonderful texture and not too chewy. This would be a great replacement for the raspberry coconut zingers I'm addicted to!
Cinnamon Roll
3 Stars
This one didn't blow me away or disappoint so I am giving it an average review. The bar was a little harder then I would have preferred and the Cinnamon flavor could have been stronger. It should just be called Cinnamon as it does not have any flavors that could hint as being a healthy bar flavored like a cinnamon roll. If you like cinnamon you will probably like this bar but if you are indifferent to cinnamon I would skip this one.
Cashew Cookie
3 Stars
This one's ok... Good texture, not nearly the amount of cashew flavor I expected for something called "Cashew Cookie", and it almost had a stale flavor even though it was eaten well before the best by date.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
5 Stars
This bar definitely hit my sweet tooth. Great texture, no funny aftertaste like some of the other chocolate Larabar flavors and I would definitely put this on the list of candy bar replacements!
Pecan Pie
5 Stars
Not overwhelmingly sweet, great pecan pie flavor, perfect soft, slightly chewy texture.
Lemon Bar
5 Stars
Very nice Lemon flavor and a wonderful chewy texture that reminds you of an actual Lemon Bar! The Lemon lingers in your mouth quite a while.
Banana Bread
1 Star
This bar was bitter. There's only 3 ingredients: Almonds, Dates, and Unsweetened bananas. Well bananas are naturally sweet so what was so bitter in this bar? Some people might not find this as bad as I did, but I couldn't get past the first bite.
Apple Pie
5 Stars
Another favorite flavor. It tastes like apple pie with a few nuts. It's just perfect.
Ginger Snap
5 Stars
Wonderful Ginger snap cookie taste! This is probably the sweetest one I've tried. Good texture, chewy and crunchy, and delicious.
Peanut Butter & Jelly
3 Stars
This bar had a great texture but only a so-so flavor. I would not purchase a full box of these bars, but I would pick it over some of the others if I had a limited choice.
Key Lime Pie
5 Stars
This was a nutty bar, which is to be expected, but the subtle hint of lime was delightful. I could stand to use even more lime flavor but the soft chewy texture and lime flavor make this one of my favorites.
UPDATE w/Additional Flavors:
Blueberry Muffin
5 Stars
Oh, I think I've found a new favorite! This bar has a wonderfully rich blueberry flavor without being too sweet and it reminds me of a Blueberry Oatmeal Muffin.
Chocalate Coconut Chew
3 Stars
As a huge fan of the Coconut Cream I had high hopes for this bar but after eating it the only thing I could say was "Where's the coconut?!" I definitley missed the coconut texture and flavor. The chocolate flavor of this bar however was not too sweet, not overpowering, and overall the bar will suffice for a chocolate lovers craving.
Some people say these are a high fat , high calorie , high glycemic , glorified candybar. I say otherwise. Concerning fat, not all fats are equal , some being healthy . Since this bar is raw all of the fat,protein and sugar have not been denatured which means you get the full health benefit. As far as being high calorie , considering how nutrient dense these babies are I don't consider 200 calories high in calories at all. For me 200 calories is a perfect number allowing it to be used an nutrient dense snack or a quick meal on the go.
Concerning these supposedly being high glycemic , sure , if you were to eat the dates in these by themselves it would be , but the nuts in them bring the glycemic load of the entire bar way down , which is another benefit of the healthy fats in these bars , it allows for the sugars to be released slower and for it to digest slower making you feel full and satisfied longer.
As far as these not being any better than a candybar I say noway! No preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup , etc, in these babies , just a healthy combo of fruit and nuts. How many nutrients does a candybar have ? Now look at the nutrient in these , loaded with minerals . Also, unlike many other foods these aren't naturally low in nutrients and then "fortified" with man made vitamins and minerals to make them then appear healthy. All the nutrients in these are naturally occuring which gives you the benefits in a synergistic way where other healthy compounds such as flavonoids and phenols work together with naturally occurring vitamins and minerals.
People need to let go of the old dogma which makes them think all fat is bad but if it's sugar free then it MUST be good. If that were true then cotton candy , pepsi and skittles would all be great for ya !Fruit and nuts makes for a good healthy breakfast or snack. I'll eat my greens/green smoothies in the other meals of the day. A person shouldn't eat only fruit and nuts during the day but they shouldn't only eat greens either . These bars help make it easy to strike a balance in your diet on the go. Larabars, Pure bars , SmartMonkey bars and ThinkOrganic bars are all healthy brands of raw bars that amazon sells and all worth a try . Experiment and see what flavors you like best , or make your own !
Buy Larabar Fruit and Nut Food Bar, 1.7-Ounce Bars (Pack of 16) Now
These bars are one of my favorites. They are the lowest in calories of all the Larabars, too. The cherry pie bar contains just Dates, Almonds, and Unsweetened Cherries. Total calories = 190. Total fat = 9 gm. No sodium. Total carbs = 24g (4g fiber, 17g sugars)
Read Best Reviews of Larabar Fruit and Nut Food Bar, 1.7-Ounce Bars (Pack of 16) Here
(NOTE: I purchased this box on July 8, 2012 -not May 2012. Amazon must have used the date of a prior Larabar purchase.)
I think Larabars are healthy; I've been eating them almost daily for years, but I like only a few flavors, and ginger snap is the best! But beware when they have a strange, sharp flavor (it tastes almost chemical to me)! This was the third box I have purchased that had this problem (out of about 8 boxes total). It always affects every bar in the box. I was able to get a refund for the first two boxes, but not this box from Amazon (I don't know why not), so I am going through the manufacturer (now General Mills), but it is not easy (I have to mail back all the wrappers I have).
After finding mold on one of the bars, I had two of the bars tested by a food research company. I was told that the problem is the water content, the Aw, which was .717 on the moldy bar (from one lot) and .687 on the other bar (from a different lot), which tasted bad but had no visible mold (other bars in that box were later found to have mold as well). These bars still had more than 7 months before their expiration date.
Here's a quote from the food researcher: "Pathogens cannot survive below water activity (Aw) 0.86 so food borne illness is not a risk below this Aw. Between Aw 0.60 and 0.70 the microorganisms of concern are xerophilic molds and osmophilic yeasts...In summary, the Lara Bar labeled "Bad" had an Aw high enough to support growth of mold and yeast. The other Lara Bar sample also had fairly high Aw, high enough to support growth of mold & yeast. As a standard practice, we target an Aw of less than or equal to 0.60 for all shelf stable products (with pH >4.2) in order to avoid growth of all pathogens and spoilage organisms. All manufacturers should be targeting an Aw of ≤0.65 unless they are adding preservatives."
I don't know if I will give up on these bars yet, because when they do it right, they are really good!
(Dec 16, 2012 Update) After calling Amazon, my money was refunded for the third box. I called LaraBar (General Mills) and they stopped the refund in process... But their check arrived too, a few weeks later. So no complaints there! I bought another box a few months ago from a local store, and they were great! But the store no longer carries them, so I just ordered 2 more boxes directly from the LaraBar website, since Amazon stopped carrying them too (I don't blame them). LaraBar assured me they would refund my money for problem bars purchased directly from them.
(Feb 22, 2013 Update) My last order directly from General Mills' Larabar website was cancelled by them. I think they may have stopped production of the ginger snap flavor. Too bad. I have switched to other flavors; apple pie is the closest I can get, but not very close.
Want Larabar Fruit and Nut Food Bar, 1.7-Ounce Bars (Pack of 16) Discount?
Read about Larabars in a diet book, and I went Larabars' website. I got several boxes including a variety box. The Pecan Bars are out of this world, tasting amazingly like a pecan pie!
Also great was their cinnamon bun bars. They were very nice in processing and helping me with these orders...BUT
The GREAT NEWS is Amazon has these bars for $5-6 cheaper!
Order through Amazon!
I am using this product as a meal replacement sometimes, and it has been a great hit.
The cranberries' tartness is a nice counterpoint to the bar's sweetness. These are much improved by warming them up: remove from wrapper, microwave for 10-15 seconds. Made with lots of good stuff and having lots of fiber and protein; they also contain plant sterols, which supposedly help lower cholesterol.
