The Veggie Table: Vegan Snack Bar Review

By: Janel Ovrut Funk

Have you seen the boom in bars at the grocery store the past few years? What was once a tiny section of the grocery store has blossomed into a near-full aisle of granola bars, snack bars, power bars, breakfast bars and energy bars, and some are more nutritious than others.

I love snack bars and always have one handy in my gym bag, purse, or work bag for a satisfying snack when I’m on the go. But not all snack bars are vegan, so I’ve rounded up a few of my favorites that are free of any eggs, dairy, and even honey. Because a snack is meant to tide you over between meals, I’ve focused only on my favorites that have fewer than 200 calories per bar.

Fruition ProBar: These bars are fruit-based and also contain oats, chia seeds, and cashews in six fresh fruit flavors. I’ve never seen a peach flavored bar before Fruition, and its flavor takes me back to warm summer days eating juicy, ripe peaches. Made with organic dates and oats, you won’t find any tongue-twisting ingredients listed, but you will find a mouthful of flavor.

Pure Organic: Pure bars are not only made from organic ingredients, but they’re also gluten-free, vegan, raw, and kosher, appealing to a wide variety of snackers. All of the bars have nutritious nuts added, giving them a boost of omega-3s, fiber and protein. And with flavors like Apple Cinnamon and Chocolate Brownie, you’ll feel like you’re enjoying a decadent dessert. I love the Cherry Cashew bar which has a slightly sweet and tart flavor rolled into one package.

LUNA Bar: LUNA bars clock in at about 170-180 calories each, and include 23 vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that contribute to women's overall health and fitness. There are no animal ingredients in LUNA, which is hard to believe with such sinfully sweet selections like White Chocolate Macadamia, Dulce de Leche and Peanut Butter Cookie. Good thing there are 17 different flavors, because I can’t pick a favorite. Even though these bars are geared towards women, you can enjoy them too, men.

Clif Kid Z Bar: My final favorite is made by Clif and marketed towards kids, but even big kids like me enjoy these dessert-like bars that are made with whole grains. With only 120 calories, sometimes I enjoy these sweet treats as dessert – especially the Honey Graham kind, which has a nice drizzle of frosting on it. Buyer beware: the S’mores Z Bar contains honey, so if you usually avoid that ingredient, go with one of the other five flavors.

TELL US: What’s your favorite snack bar, vegan or otherwise?

Janel Ovrut, MS RD LDN, loves experimenting with vegetarian and vegan cooking. Read her food blog, Eat Well with Janel , and follow her on Twitter @DietitianJanel . Catch up on her previous posts here .

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