LÄRABAR Original Fruit & Nut Food Bars - Functional Foods

LÄRABAR Original Fruit & Nut Food Bars

LÄRABAR is the creation of Colorado-based Humm Foods, Inc.*, a company dedicated to “…creating and marketing innovative natural food products that nourish, energize and enliven the body, mind and soul.”  The bars are made exclusively from unsweetened dried fruits, nuts and spices.  As company president Lara Merriken puts it: “Besides the incredible flavors, I believe consumers will appreciate that we don’t use sweeteners, fillers, chemicals or supplements. LaraBar is unprocessed, uncooked, non-gmo, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, vegan and kosher. It’s the simplest, purest food you can find in a nutrition bar.”

Manufacturer’s Description: LÄRABAR is a delicious blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices – energy in its purest form. Made from 100% whole food, each flavor contains no more than six ingredients. Pure and simple, just as nature intended.

…For LÄRABAR, we source the best possible ingredients. Every time. Every bar. Enjoy.

Product Label:

Serving Size 1 bar (51g)
Calories 220
Fat Calories 120
Total Fat 13g
Saturated Fat 2.5g
Trans Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 0mg
Potassium 350mg
Total Carbohydrate 25g
Fiber 5g
Sugars 18g
Protein 5g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 6%
Iron 8%
Vitamin E 10%
Thiamin 4%
Riboflavin 8%
Niacin 4%
Folate 4%
Vitamin B6 6%
Phosphorus 15%
Magnesium 20%
Zinc 6%
Copper 20%

Ingredients: Ingredients: Dates, Almonds, Walnuts, Unsweetened Coconut, Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Comments: I picked up a one of the Chocolate Coconut (shown above) and the Cashew Cookie bars at my local Fred Meyer store for $1.99 (US) each. They’re also sold online for $20.00 – $27.00 per box of 16.

The bars are slightly smaller than a standard candy bar, and are as simple as the ingredients suggest: uncoated, and composed of entirely of ground dates and nuts. Both bars were moist and fruity-tasting, with a bit of texture provided by more coarsely chopped (vs. ground) nuts. I wasn’t completely smitten by the Chocolate Coconut bar – it was ok, but the cocoa didn’t quite “go” with the dates. The Cashew Cookie bar, however, was excellent.

The bars are high in fiber and minerals (especially potassium), so are certainly superior to candy bars or other processed snack foods. I think the company goes a little too far, however, in suggesting that the bars are “loaded with nature’s own vitamins and minerals,” as the vitamin content is actually quite modest. Likewise, statements like “The essential enzymes, which are necessary for the digestion and utilization of nutrients, remain completely intact in their most natural, powerful state” are lyrical, perhaps, but inaccurate. If there was extensive digestive enzyme activity in the bars, they would almost certainly have a very limited shelf life.

Nonetheless LÄRABARs are wholesome enough, and if you’re interested in energy bars that are based on whole foods and are free from additives/preservatives, then they’d be a great choice.

[usrlist “Taste:4.0” “Quality:5.0” “Efficacy:4.0” “Value:3.5″ avg=”true”]

* Now owned by General Mills, Inc.

Author: elissa

Elissa is a former research associate with the University of California at Davis, and the author/co-author of over a dozen articles published in scientific journals. Currently a freelance writer and researcher, Elissa brings her multidisciplinary education and training to her writing on nutrition and supplements.

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *