PROBAR Fruition Gluten-Free Bars Review + Giveaway! (+ discount code!)


I have to be honest, I didn't even know what gluten was last year. I knew it was in our food, but that's about it. If you don't know, gluten is found in many foods (especially cereal, bread, grains, etc) that helps keep the elasticity intact in foods during the fermentation phase of food production. It also prevents foods from having a sticky, doughy-like texture. Gluten is a hard-to-digest protein called gluten, that even a healthy intestine can not completely break down.

Recently, a lot of people have become aware of Celiac disease, a condition that causes can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea, but can eventually lead to decreased absorption of nutrients that can cause vitamin deficiencies that deprive your brain, organs, bones and more of vital nourishment. Even though the exact cause of Celiac disease is unknown, gluten is highly believed to be a leading factor. It’s estimated that 1 out of every 133 people are affected by this condition and generally speaking, around 18 million Americans have some degree of gluten sensitivity.

For these reasons, PROBAR is proud to announce that they are moving away from gluten as much as possible. PROBAR’s first certified gluten-free product debuted in March 2012: a fruit-dense, superfood snack bar. Fruition is designed to deliver 1 serving of fruit in every bar and is built from a 100% vegan, organic, non-GMO, gluten-free medley of dates, oats, chia seeds, and cashews.

When PROBAR asked if I would like to try their new Fruition bars and to help spread word about why they are not only good, but good for you, I said yes...no questions asked!

REVIEW
I've never actively purchased or eaten organic, vegan or gluten-free foods, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I received a sampler box containing each of 7 flavors the bars come in: Blueberry, Cherry, Cran-Raspberry, Peach, Lemon, Strawberry and Chocolate Orange.

The first thing I did was read the nutritional information. I was very happy to see that most bars were around 150 calories and 3g fat. There are tons of healthy bars on the market, but the one thing that prevents me from buying them is the fat content in particular. They can have 50 different vitamins and minerals, but I just can't bring myself to eat a small bar that has 10+ grams of fat! I was also super happy to see that each bar contained a full serving of fruit, something I'm sure I don't get enough of.

The next thing I did was read the ingredients. I'm not gonna lie, when I saw the first one was "organic raw date paste", I was a little scared! I have never seen this ingredient before and it just didn't sound appetizing. Another thing I noticed, was that almost every ingredient listed had the words organic, natural, or raw in it. Other than the first one, every ingredient was recognizable, something I can't say about most foods I eat.

I decided to try one that I was sure to like, Peach. When I opened it, I was surprised at how it looked. It was very dark in color, with flecks of what I could tell were oats and nuts. I have to repeat what I said in the last paragraph, not very appetizing. Then I smelled it...smelled like peach, mmm! I took it out, ready to take a bite, and was surprised that I couldn't. I was extremely sticky and I had to kind of peel it out of the wrapper. Since I had read up on gluten-free foods before I got the bars, I immediately knew that this was due to the fact that it was gluten-free, since gluten prevents foods from getting sticky. I also noticed that it was extremely dense, literally packed with goodness!

After all my "inspection", it was finally time to try it! I took a bite and at first was a little surprised at the texture. It was indeed sticky and chewy, and like I just mentioned, dense. After a few chews though, it almost melted in my mouth, aside from the oats, seeds, etc. Even with all those "hard" ingredients, it was quite easy to chew and get down. It was full of peachy flavor. It didn't taste like an artificial peach either, I could tell it was all real.

Another important thing I should mention is that these bars were quite filling. I'm a big snack eater. I have a tendency of eating a snack, followed by another one a few minutes later. I am very happy to report that one bar was satisfying enough for me! Over the course of a week, I tried every flavor. I can honestly tell you that every one was delicious! If I had to choose my most and least liked, I'd say my favorite was Cran-Raspberry and the least was Lemon. I must say though, I'm not a big fan of lemon flavored anything.

Final Word: Hands down, I would highly recommend PROBAR Fruition bars! The only turn off about them for me was the appearance, which I very quickly got over once I tried them. These would make great, healthy snacks for anyone, including children. They are packed with true, natural flavor and can satisfy an appetite until it's time for lunch or dinner.

PROMO CODE!
PROBAR  is offering my readers a whopping 40% off your first order! To enjoy this discount, click here to visit their online store and enter the code BLOGGER at checkout. (this is a one-time use code)


GIVEAWAY!
PROBAR would like to give one lucky winner the same item I received to review, a sampler box containing every flavor of Fruition bars! Giveaway ends at 12:01am EST on 5/30/12.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

2 comments:

wisedup1 said...

Sounds yummy. Thanks for the review, giveaway and discount too.

Anonymous said...

I would like to try the Chocolate Orange flavor.

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