Good granola/cereal bar?
Posted by Lizardluver on Mar 06, 2007 · Member since Mar 2007 · 68 posts
I was just wondering if there are any decent vegan granola or cereal bars out there? I'm looking for something packaged (bleh, I know) to take while traveling. I don't really want those gelatin sprinkled !?! peanuts on the plane or the nastly, day-old, probably-made-with-junk muffins at a motel small enough they look like they came out of the tiniest easy bake oven. Are Luna and Clif bars vegan, or just some varieties?
I don't know about Clif or Luna bars, but Lara bars are vegan, raw, and unprocessed. The ingredients are always minimal, and there are a bunch of different flavors. They average 200 calories a bar, and are somewhat high in fat (if that is a concern) because they usually contain almonds, walnuts, cashews, or some combination of nuts, along with dried fruit and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.) These are my staple - I always keep one in my purse for hunger emergencies! They sell them everywhere - I've seen them at WF, Stop & Shop, Shaw's (I live in New England), as well as at health food stores.
Are Luna and Clif bars vegan, or just some varieties?
From their website:
Q: Are there any animal products in CLIF BARS?
A: No, there are no ingredients derived from animals.
Q: Are CLIF Nectar bars vegan/vegetarian?
Nectar fits into BOTH a vegan and vegetarian eating plan!
Q: Is MOJO Bar vegan?
A: No. MOJO Bar contains organic honey, a product of bees.
Q: Are CLIF BUILDER'S bars vegan?
A: The ingredients sourced for CLIF BUILDER’S bars do not contain animal byproducts. However, our bakeries cannot guarantee 100% dairy-free because trace amounts of dairy from processing other products may remain on equipment after cleaning.
Q: Are there any animal products in LUNA bars?
A: LUNA bars do not contain animal products or ingredients sourced from animal products.
So...there is that disclaimer about sharing equipment to make products that contain dairy (i.e. they are kosher dairy). I understand that the equipment is cleaning very thoroughly, but they have to include that, just in case...
I'm a pretty hardcore vegan, but I do eat these. To exclude foods that share equipment with other foods that contain dairy would be so restrictive, and I believe they do clean the equipment thoroughly.
I second Clif bars.... they are yummy. :) Also, I just came across Prana Bars. These are great too if you can find them.
Yup, they're vegan, and pretty tasty too. I like black cherry and almond and peanut butter buzz. (I think that's what they're called.) You get more sustenance from Clif bars (for the money) than the Luna ones-- they both have 10g of protein, but Luna's are the "women's bar" so they're lighter in fat. :P (They can keep their feminine bars-- I LIKE fat. :D) If you want one that really sticks with you, Clif makes a Protein "Builder Bar," as well, with 20g of protein. They're made for weightlifters/athletes and whatnot. They're pretty much decadent candy bars, taste-wise. (Lots of cocoa butter and saturated fats, so if you're diets already high in coconut oils or something, you might want to stay clear. But as a substantial meal-on-a-plane kind of bar, they're pretty good. If you keep track of that sort of thing, they're 270 cal per bar.) I don't really like eating a lot of soy protein isolate/concentrate, which is the protein ingredient in all 3; but they are vegan, and pretty tasty.
On a related note, has anyone seen a bar a lot like these with less sugar? They taste so "candy" like sometimes, when I'd rather have something that actually tastes like it's good for you.
On a related note, has anyone seen a bar a lot like these with less sugar? They taste so "candy" like sometimes, when I'd rather have something that actually tastes like it's good for you.
Lara bars have no added sugars...just raw stuff. For example, I believe the Cherry Pie bar is just unsweetened cherries, dates, and almonds. That's it. All the flavors are like that - the only sweetness is natural sweetness from fruit (bananas, apples, cherries, dates) depending on the flavor.
I hate lara bars, and most vegan bars in general because they are all made with dates and for some reason anything with dates in it makes me gag, I don't know if it's the texture or the flavor...
Though I absolutely love Luna bars! My favorite flavors are peppermint chocolate, tropical (though I think it's discontinued), dulce de leche, toasted nuts and cranberry, and smores. I find it sad that they always discontinue my favorite flavors. Too many chocolate flavors, where does that leave all the people among us that aren't into chocolate?
Lara bars are my favorite packaged bars. I just love the fact that they are completely unprocessed. Cherry pie is my favorite :D so good.
You could also make your own and just put them in baggies. I find this more cost effective if that is a concern.
Thanks all for the info!
Hey I want to try all the larabar flavors before I buy by the box from larabar.com
Is there somewhere I can buy them online individually??
Hey I want to try all the larabar flavors before I buy by the box from larabar.com
Is there somewhere I can buy them online individually??
Larabar's website has a store locator. I've gotten them at Trader Joe's and Wild Oats, and I think I've seen them at Whole Foods and maybe even Kroger's...
I've found them at Krogers too, I'm not sure if there is anyplace in germany that sells them or not. These would be pretty easy to make your self if you wanted to give it a try as long as you have a food processor. Theses would be great to send with your hubby.
Hey I want to try all the larabar flavors before I buy by the box from larabar.com
Is there somewhere I can buy them online individually??
Oh, I'm sorry...I just looked at your profile. You're in Germany! Well, I found a website that sells individual Larabars, as well as lots of other vegan items. It's http://www.veganessentials.com/ They say they ship just about anywhere! Hope that helps!
Thanks kittymommy, yep I have to buy them online.
I spent the morning going through Larabars online retailers and found a few who sell them individually and Celtic Sea Salt had the best price of the companies who will ship to me all the way over here. :) Yum! I can't wait to try all the little yummy kinds! ;D
Tanevab, I have a vitamix... then I'd have to dehydrate them I guess(?) since they are raw they obviously aren't cooked. I guess I really need a dehydrator now! LOL maybe it's easier to just buy these!
Actually you can buy the ingredients dehydrated. The main body of the bar is dates and all of the bars only have 3 or 4 ingredients. I think the cherry pie is only dates, almonds, and cherries. You just blend the already dried ingredients and then shape into bars. You can also roll them in coconut, which is a nice addition.
If you eat honey, kashi also has some good bars.
Nature Valley's Apple Crisp is their only vegan option. It's a crunchy granola bar. It's so good, I just ate one.