Friday 7 September 2012

Review of Odwalla's Chewy Nut Bar (Sweet & Salty Almond), Protein Bar (Chocolate Peanut Butter), and Super Protein Bar

Odwalla -- Chewy Nut Bar (Sweet & Salty Almond) (vegan)
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Summary: perfect sweetness, crunchy almonds, chewy oats makes for a great light and convenient snack! The ingredients are wholesome and packed with nutrients, so no guilt! I didn't give it a five-point rating simply because I personally prefer chocolatey bars that are heavier and sweeter, being the fat-brained animal that I am :)

Where to buy: US (Harris Teeter)/Canada


Ingredients: Dry Roasted Almonds, Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Oats, Brown Rice Flour, Organic Invert Cane Syrup Syrup, Organic Invert Cane Syrup, Organic Dried Oat Syrup, Organic Soy Nuts, Crisp Rice (Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Rosemary Extract), less than 2% of: Vegetable Glycerin, Calcium Carbonate, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Natural Flavor, Vitamic E (Tocopherols, D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate), Beta Carotene and Folic Acid.

This product contains 24% organic ingredients This product contains almonds and soy.

Nutrition*: 
Serving: 1 bar
Calories: 220
Total Fat: 11g
      Saturated fat: 1g
      Trans fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 65mg
Potassium: 210mg
Total Carbohydrates: 22g
     Fiber: 6g
     Sugars: 8g
Protein: 7g
Vitamin A: 10%
Vitamin C: 10%
Calcium: 25%
Iron: 8%

*Complete nutritional info available here.

 These are definitely better than your average grocery store snack bar, which tends to be mildly flavourful and kinda cardboardy in my opinion. This bar was sweet, chewy, almondy, and satisfying!

Odwalla -- Protein Bar (Chocolate Peanut Butter)
Overall rating: 5/5!!!
Summary: mmmmm. With bits of peanut butter chips in a brownie-like chocolate body, this bar is a big hit. It's soft and chewy, rich in chocolatey and peanut buttery goodness, and a decent sized serving that satisfies.


Ingredients: Isolated Soy Protein, Organic Invert Cane Syrup, Brown Rice Syrup, Peanut Butter Chips (Dried Cane Syrup, Fractioned Palm Kernel Oil, Partially Defatted Peanut Flour, Isolated Soy Protein, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor), Plum Puree, Peanut Butter (Peanuts and Salt), Date Paste, Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Oat Flour, Peanut Flour, Dutch Cocoa (processed with Alkali), Chocolate Liquor, Natural Flavors, Calcium Carbonate, less than 0.5% of: Soy Lecithin, Salt, Organic Soy Nuts, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Baking Soda, Vitamin E (D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate), Beta Carotene, Niacinamide, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Lemon Bioflavonoids, Green Tea Extract, Riboflavin, Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Mononitrate), Biotin, Chromium Picolinate and Vitamin B12.

This product contains 18% organic ingredients.  This product contains peanuts and soy.
Nutrition*:
Serving: 1 bar
Calories: 200
Total fat: 11g
     Saturated fat: 1g
     Trans fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 160mg
Potassium: 260mg
Total Carbohydrates: 26g
      Fiber: 2g
      Sugars: 17g
Protein: 12g
Vitamin A: 10%
Vitamin C: 10%
Calcium: 25%
Iron: 10%
*Full nutritional profile accessible here

Now THIS is my kinda bar--super duper chocolatey and as a peanut butter lover, the bits of peanut butter chips were deeeelightful! I sat munching on this in an Asian shopping mall (how else could I sit in there for an hour doing absolutely nothing?).


So, although the ingredients in the two products are similarly wholesome, the Chocolate Peanut Butter has more sugars (boo!). Still, both are relatively healthy snack choices and super duper convenient when you're out and about. I tend to have some kind of snack bar every time I go shopping.

Odwalla -- Protein Bar (Super Protein)
Overall Rating: 2.5/5
Summary: this had a bitterish taste that I didn't enjoy. The flavour was subtle and nothing special, really. There were raisins but not enough cinnamon flavour to complement them. On the plus side, it was a pretty decent-sized bar and so it was pretty filling.



Ingredients: Isolated Soy Protein, Raisins, Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Soy Nuts, Grape Juice Concentrate, Date Puree, Organic Soy Butter (Organic Soybeans, Organic Soy Oil, Sea Salt), Soy Protein Crisp Rice (Isolated Soy Protein, Rice Flour, Malt Extract), Vegetable Glycerin, less than 2% of Dried Unsulfured Unsweetened Coconut, Organic Rolled Oats, Barley Flakes, Calcium Carbonate, Barley Malt Extract, Natural Flavor, Cinnamon, Soy Lecithin, Oat Fiber, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Baking Soda, Beta Carotene, Vitamin E (D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate), Lemon Bioflavonoids, Folic Acid, Green Tea Extract, Niacinamide, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B6 (Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride), Riboflavin, Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Mononitrate), Biotin, Chromium Picolinate, and Vitamin B12.
This product contains 20% organic ingredients.
This product contains soy and coconut.
*Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 1 bar
Calories: 210
Total fat: 4.5g
     Saturated fat: 1g
    Trans: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 150mg
Potassium: 370mg
Total Carbs: 30g
     Fiber: 4g
     Sugars: 17g
Protein: 14g
Vitamin A: 10%
Vitamin C: 10%
Calcium: 25%
Iron: 10%

* Full nutritional profile here.

Aw, I had such high hopes for this bar after the first two were so good. The texture was good. It has soy protein crisp rice, soy nuts, and raisins for a fun, hearty chew. But...the flavour just wasn't doing it for me. There was a distinct bitterish taste and only a very subtle sweetness. Even if it weren't bitter, the taste was pretty uninteresting and  bland. I liked that it was a hefty portion because it made for a filling snack...but at 210 cals (even with a really good nutritional profile), I just don't think it's worth it.

I definitely wouldn't buy this flavour again.

All of these products were purchased stateside and I think you can only buy them there (unless you order online, of course).

Other flavours:
Brand (quoted from odwalla.com):
  • "...more than 98% of all our trash is recycled."
  • "...30% of our electricity needs have virtually zero emissions, which significantly reduces our carbon footprint."
  • "Odwalla has made multi-year donations to the Organic Farming Research Foundation and Conservation International to help with sustainable agriculture."
  • "Odwalla contributes to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® to help fund breast cancer research worldwide."
  • Non-GMO
  • "To help Haiti recover from its devastating 2010 earthquake, we donate 10 cents from every 12 oz. Mango Tango smoothie to the Haiti Hope Project."
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