Thursday, July 22, 2010

Kardea Bars

If you’ve been reading then you will know that I received 4 Kardea bars to try last week. Well, all of them have made their way to my belly and now I’m ready to let you know what I thought of them! A little bit about the bars first (info from the website).

-each bar has 7g of fibre, 7g of protein and 4.5 healthy fats (from the almonds)
-each bar weighs in at 150 calories each (2.5 points if you are on Weight Watchers)
-they’re low glycemic and 1 diabetic starch exchange
-they deliver 4 ingredients with proven heart benefits:
-1g plant sterols
-oats
-psyllium
-vegan proteins
-they are also low in saturated fats & sodium and have no trans fats.

Kardea bars are all kosher certified and vegan, to boot!

Okay! I’ll list them in the order that I tried them in.

BANANA NUTIMG_2535
-as soon as I opened the packaging it smelled like my kitchen does after baking a loaf of banana bread. Awesomeness right there. Much to my delight, it tasted just like banana bread, too! This was my favourite of the 4.

LEMON GINGERIMG_2557-this one smelled just like a lemon tart/square and had strong overtones of ginger. I found it to be very refreshing and light tasting.

CRANBERRY ALMONDIMG_2641
-This one seemed to have larger pieces of almonds in it than the rest. Not complaining…just saying! While eating it I was convinced that it was cherry almond because cherries were all I could taste. I checked the wrapper to see and lo and behold it’s cranberry! HA! Again, not complaining!

CHAI SPICEIMG_2649
-I left this one for last because I LOVE chai anything. I was thrilled to be met with the scent of a Starbucks Chai tea latte when I ripped the wrapper off. I have to admit to being a little disappointed in the flavour, though. I would have liked it to be a lot stronger and at points I almost felt like it was a bit bitter. I have to say that it ended up being my least favourite. I wonder if I set my expectations too high for it?

As an overview; I found all the bars to have a wonderful chewy, dense texture. The addition of almonds gave a nice crunch so for a texture gal like me, I really enjoyed eating them! They seem to be widely available in the US, but unless the Canadian Whole Foods or GNC Stores sell them, I think us Canucks are SOL. Have any Canadians out there seen them around?? Because I would buy them if I could find them.

So tell me, have you tried Kardea Bars? What did you think? Which was your flavour of choice?

12 comments:

  1. I have not- but I am putting them on the list! Especially that lemon ginger- that is a flavor I know I can get behind. Thank you for the review Krista. Happy (almost) Friday

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  2. I've never seen them in stores which is a real shame because I'm OBSESSED with Chai Spice and Cranberry Almond.

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  3. Great review! I'd love to try these bars! ;)

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  4. I have not tried them, but they are on my list of things that I really want to try!

    Have a fabulous day!

    xo

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  5. I bet the banana one would have been my favorite as well--great review!

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  6. I've never tried them and I'm not sure if I've ever seen them... going to be keeping my eye out now though!

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  7. I really liked the Kardea bars I tried, particularly the chai flavor. I recommend them crumbled on top of oatmeal!

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  8. I have seen these bars but was never intrigued to buy them, but glad to hear they are yummy!!!

    Oh yes, you are the oatmeal queen and I love that about you!!!!


    Im telling you, post stuff on your blog you want your husband to see that you love or want, and you just might get it!! love it!!

    xoxo

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  9. OooO psyllium in them too? thats fabulous!! i need to tell the manager at the health food store to seriously get these in stock!!

    xoxo

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  10. Hiyah Krista! I haven't tried them, but after reading your review about the banana one I'm totally going to. Thanks girl!

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  11. Mmm, the cherry almond sounds so amazing! How many sugars are in that, by the way? I love energy bars but I'm always leery of the sugar content.

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  12. Hi Everyone,
    Glad to hear the rave reviews!

    We are expanding our availability so please ask at your local health food store if you don't find Kardea bars. Or, you can always purchase Kardea bars on our website www.KardeaNutrition.com/bars/ (use promo code DISCOUNT15 at checkout for a 15% off discount).

    Thanks again for your great feedback!
    - Rob from Kardea

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