Snack Review: Gnu Bars
I agreed to review these because I am a sucker for anything with an animal in its name. I have no idea what prompted them to name these bars after large hoofstock - perhaps their herbivorous nature, and, um, very fibrous output was the inspiration? Because the big selling point of the Gnu Bar is, in large type on each wrapper: “Flavor and fiber together at last.”
Now, I was a little concerned about this, actually, when when I also read: “One bar deliciously provides almost 50% of the daily value of fiber.” I mean, these are pretty small. What if I forget and eat three? (And if you think my worries are silly, you might want to read Diana’s review of Fiber One Bars.)
And then I turned the bar over and read the following:
“Visit www.GnuFoods.com - Join the Movement!”
Oh dear. Is that a joke, or is it just me?
Anyway: High fiber, 6 whole grains, only 140 calories, all well and good, but none of it matters unless the claim in large type is true. Is this some wondrous new marriage of flavor and fiber unlike any the world has seen?
I thought about trying the Chocolate Brownie flavor first, but decided that was a bit unfair. I mean, what were the odds that something that good for you would really taste anything like a chocolate brownie? The other flavors are much more reasonable goals, like Banana Walnut and Cinnamon Raisin. Peanut Butter, a classic flavor for the allegedly healthy snack bar category, seemed a fair place to start.
The look of the bar was definitely a bit offputting Did you ever buy one of those bird feeder blocks made of suet and all kinds of seeds? Ugh. Not the sort of thing that I like to have come to mind when I am eating human food.
The bar has a grainy, granola-y taste, with little bits of dried fruit flavor. It was not bad, but I tasted very little peanut butter. In a blind taste test, when my Technical Staff was asked what flavor it was, he chewed for a minute and guessed, “Almond?”
On the bright side, I guess, you might like these even if you don’t like peanut butter much. Basically, this is a moist chewy granola bar. It’s definitely more edible than it looks. However, I did not think anything like “Wow, I can’t believe this is healthy and high fiber!” You didn’t need the label to tell you this was healthy and high fiber.
Of course after this I couldn’t resist trying the chocolate brownie flavor, since now it seemed even more implausible that it would live up to the name, unless it was very, very different.
Fortunately, because of the chocolate color, this bar looked less like bird food. And unlike the nearly imperceptible peanut butter taste of the last bar, you could smell chocolate as you opened it, and you could taste it too. It is mildly chocolate, not overly sweet, and again, with those notes of dried fruit. But it is not likely to remind you of a brownie.
I think they’d be better off not naming this flavor in a way that gets hopes up so high. It is not the miracle snack we all long for that tastes exactly like a brownie but is healthy and nonfattening. It should really be called a name that indicates a chocolate-dried fruit flavor combination - which is a perfectly fine thing. As long as you’re not expecting a brownie, this is really not bad.
As for the other flavors, the orange-cranberry is not my kind of thing - too much of that orange-peely orange oil flavor. The banana walnut has a strong taste of banana flavoring - it’s natural flavor, sure, but it’s still something out of a bottle, with that slightly fake taste of cooked banana. Cinnamon-raisin is about what you would expect; for some reason the texture of this bar seemed a little softer than the others.
My final verdict is that these are worth trying if you like a moist, chewy granola bar. They do not have a distinct flavor of a particular grain like oatmeal, like some bars do; if that sounds like a good thing, give them a try. Don’t expect some wondrous new invention, though, and you’re more likely to be satisfied.
Buy Gnu Bars Online:
- at Amazon.com
2 Comments
san on March 18th, 2009
Peanut butter and chocolate are not good, and I usually love those flavors. But I think the other 3 flavors are GREAT! Very moist, filling and chock full of fiber, with no sugar alcohols to mess you up. TRY them!
Monica on February 26th, 2009
I’ve tried all of these except the peanut butter and I’d pretty much agree with Linda’s assessment, except for one thing: I LOVE the cinnamon raisin bar. LOVE it. I think it tastes as close to an oatmeal raisin cookie as your ever gonna get with healthy, natural, non-cookie ingredients. Enjoy with milk or your preferred dairy alternative.