Review of Cadbury Fry's Peppermint Cream Dark Chocolate Bar

Fry's - Peppermint Cream Dark Chocolate
Overall rating: 2.5/5
Summary: I don't even like peppermint, but this flavoured bar wasn't sooo bad! If the ingredients and nutritional profile weren't so weak, I'd rank it 3.5/5. I actually refrigerated it for a crisp outer layer and cool peppermint filling. Really good, especially if you like mint-chocolate. Alas, I cannot recommend it.

Where to buy: Bulk Barn


Ingredients: fondant (sugar, glucose syrup, glycerol, flavours), chocolaty candy (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, vegetable fat, soya lecithin, polyglycerol esters of interestified castor oil fatty acids.

Nutritional profile
Serving size: 1 bar
Calories: 205
Fat: 6.5g
     Saturated: 3.9
Sodium: 0mg
Total carbs: 34.3
Dietary fiber: .6g
Sugars: 32.2g
Protein: 1.4g

Okay, so the ingredients are basically fat and sugar. Do yourself a favour and keep walking.

Other Fry's varieties:

• Chocolate Cream (reviewed here)
• Orange Cream (reviewed here)

Brand: 

• Not very impressive on the health front...at all.
• No commitment to going GMO free

Review of Cadbury Fry's Orange Cream Dark Chocolate

Fry's Orange Cream Dark Chocolate
Overall Rating: 3/5
Summary: mmm omg mmmm creamy fresh orange flavour, a very light sweet tart flavour, the chocolate is really sweet, just delicious! Taste-wise, this is a 4.5/5. Combined with nutritional considerations, it comes down to a (generous) 3/5. I just couldn't recommend buying this.

Where to buy: Bulk Barn



Ingredients: fondant (sugar, glucose syrup, (glycerol) flavouring, citric acid, vegetable oil, colour), chocolaty candy (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, vegetable fat, soy lecithin, polyglycerol easter of interestified castor oil fatty acids), glucose-fructose, glycerol, flavours.

Nutrition information
Serving size: 1 bar
Calories: 205
Fat: 6.5g
     Saturated: 3.9
Sodium: 0mg
Total carbs: 34.3
Dietary fiber: .6g
Sugars: 32.2g
Protein: 1.4g

Okay, when the first ingredients is fondant/sugar, you know you're in trouble. Add to that 'flavouring' and you likely have artificial ingredients.The nutritional profile is way too sparse to warrant consumption! There's just fat and sugar...next to no fiber or protein. Pass on this!

Other Fry's varieties:

• Peppermint Cream
• Chocolate Cream (reviewed here)

 Brand: 

• Not very impressive on the health front...at all.
• No commitment to going GMO free
• Vegetarian

Review of 'Pacific' Rice non-Dairy Beverage (Original)

Pacific -- Rice non-Dairy Beverage (Original)
Overall Rating: 4/5
Summary: very smooth, medium-thick texture. It has a pleasant scent--ricey sweet. I actually really like this. It doesn't work well added to coffee or tea if you're looking for a nice creamy look, though it tastes good in coffee/tea. It's lightly sweetened (with no added sugar) and I do get the underlying rice flavour, which I quite enjoyed. This project is Non-GMO project certified.

Where to buy: Fortino's


Ingredients: filtered water, brown rice, expeller pressed canola oil, tricalcium phosphate, natural flavour, sea salt, guar gum, xanthan gum, caron bean gum, carrageenan, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 130
Total fat: 2g
     Saturated fat: 0g
     Trans fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 60mg
Total carbohydrate: 27g
     Dietary fiber: 0g
     Sugars: 14g
Protein: 1g
Vitamin A: 10%
Calcium: 30%
Iron: 6%
Vitamin D: 25%

The ingredients are all good, except there's some question about the health impacts of carrageenan, which has been linked to higher rates of colon cancer in laboratory animals 

The nutritional profile is good because the beverage is fortified with vitamin A, D, and calcium. It's also low in fat and sugar, which is great. I'd recommend this product, yet I'm looking forward to more information on carrageenan in the future.

Other non-dairy rice beverages:

• All Natural Rice Vanilla

Brand:

• All natural and organic
• Certified to the Source
• "At our founder's family farms that supply Pacific Natural Foods the milk for our delicious creamy soups, you'll find healthy cows fed an organic, vegetarian diet with room to roam in open pasture."
• Cows are fed 100% an organic, vegetarian die, not given antibiotics or synthetic hormones, and reared humanely and under stress-free environments
•  Awarded for sustainability initiatives
• Engaged in Wetlands Conservation
• Top donor to the Oregon Food Bank
• Supports local community

Review of 'Natura' Organic Fortified Soy Beverage (Vanilla)

Natura -- Organic Fortified Soy Beverage (Vanilla) (vegan)
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Summary: mm, great scent, great flavour! It's lightly sweet. You do get that faint soybean flavour, which is delicious, trust me! Such a good milk for cereal. Highly recommend.


Where to buy: Bulk Barn, Freshco, Sobeys, Metro, Food Basics, Rabba Fine Foods, Foodland, Fortinos, Wal-Mart Superstore, No Frills

 

Ingredients: FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC SOYBEANS, EVAPORATED ORGANIC CANE JUICE, SUNFLOWER OIL, NATURAL VANILLA FLAVOUR WITH PURE VANILLA EXTRACT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, NATURAL FLAVOURS, SEA SALT, XANTHAN GUM, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, RIBOFLAVIN (B2), VITAMIN D2, VITAMIN B12, THIAMINE (B1), NIACIN (B3), VITAMIN B6, PANTOTHENATE (B5).

Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 130
Fat: 5g
     Saturated: .5g
     Trans: 0g
     Polyunsaturated: 2.5g
          Omega-6: 2g
          Omega-3: .3g
     Monounsaturated: 2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 80mg
Potassium: 270mg
Carbohydrate: 13g
     Fiber: 1g
     Sugars: 11g
Protein: 7g
Vitamin A: 10%
Calcium: 30%
Iron: 10%

Check out these recipes:

• Natur-A Shake
• Mocha Chocolate Crepe Tower

Other 'Soy Beverage' flavours (all vegan):

• Chocolate (reviewed here)
• Strawberry (reviewed here)
• Original Light
• Unsweetened (reviewed here)
• Vanilla Light (reviewed here)
• Cappuccino
• Original (reviewed here)

Brand:

• All products are certified organic, kosher, and vegan
• Organic, non-GMO soybeans
• Soybeans are grown in Quebec by certified organic farms
• Gluten-free

Review of 'Larabar' Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

Larabar -- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip (vegan, gluten-free)
Overall Rating: 5/5
Summary:  Super sweet, cookie texture. Super peanut buttery. Lotttsss of chocolate chips. If you're down with nuttyness and chocolate (oh, what a pair!), you won't go wrong with this. And the ingredients are just flawless. Also, there's a very slight hint of bitterness of the chocolate chips which adds a depth of flavour that's just perfection.

Where to buy: Costco, Bulk Barn



Ingredients: dates, peanuts, chocolate chips, sea salt.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 bar
Calories: 220
     Calories from fat: 110
Fat: 11g
     Saturated fat: 3g
     Trans fat: 0g
     Monounsat.: 5g
     Polyunsat.: 2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 60mg
Potassium: 300mg
Total Carb.: 26g
     Fiber: 3g
     Sugars: 19g
Protein: 6g
Calcium: 2%
Iron: 6%

Four ingredients and Fair Trade chocolate :) At 220 cals, the nutritional profile is totally worth it! It's high in healthy fats (awesome), low in sodium, and has a good amount of fiber and protein for a snack. These bars are very filling and heavy and my go-to snack at work.

I highly recommend this brand and this particular flavour. They are an expensive bar, admittedly, but if you can afford these, they're definitely the way to go if you're considerate of health and diet.

Other flavours (all vegan):

• Apple Pie
• Banana Bread
• Blueberry Muffin
• Cappuccino
• Carrot Cake
• Cashew Cookie (reviewed here)
• Cherry Pie
• Chocolate Chip Brownie
• Chocolate Chip Cherry Torte
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
• Chocolate Coconut Chew
• Coconut Cream (reviewed here)
• Ginger Snap
• Key Lime Pie
• Lemon Bar
• Peanut Butter & Jelly
• Peanut Butter Cookie
• Pecan Pie
• Tropical Fruit Tart

Brand (quoted from larabar.com):

• Gluten free
• Dairy free*
• Soy free*
• All natural
• Vegan*
• Kosher
• Fair Trade Certified™ cocoa and coffee
• No added sugars or sweeteners*
• Non-GMO
• No added sulfites
• No preservatives, fillers, or colorings
• Each LÄRABAR® flavor offers at least a ¼ cup  of fruit. Tropical Fruit Tart, Apple Pie, and Cherry Pie each offer a ½ cup of fruit in each full-size bar.

*Does not include the Chocolate Chip varieties. Chocolate chip flavors are made with a simple, 4-ingredient chocolate chip that consists of Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla. While no dairy is used to make our chocolate chips, they are made on a line that also produces chocolate chips made with dairy and soy.

Review of 'Toufayan' Plain Bagel

Toufayan -- Plain Bagel
Overall Rating: 1.5/5
Summary: a heavy bagel that's pretty tasty, but with a slight background taste that I didn't care for. I'm not sure what it is. I had it untoasted to test the versatility. It has a soft outer and a nice chew to it, because of the large size. Because it's  plain, it pretty much will pair well with everything. Because of the crazy high sodium and the brand great (no transparent website with nutritional info), nor are the ingredients impressive (e.g. enriched flour, preservatives linked to stomach ulcers, behavioural changes, headaches).

Where to buy: U.S. grocery stores (Florida, Maryland)



Ingredients: enriched wheat flour (contains niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B1], riboflavin [vitamin B2], folic acid, water, sugar, salt, malted barley flour, cornmeal, yeast, mono- and diglycerides, preservatives (calcium propionate, potassium sorbate), guar gum, molasses, corn syrup solids, ammonium chloride, ascorbic acid, soybean oil, L-cysteine, azodicarbonamide (ADA).

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 bagel
Calories: 240
     Calories from fat: 10
Total Fat: 1g
     Saturated: 0g
     Trans: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 425mg
Total Carbohydrate: 53g
     Dietary fiber: 2g
     Sugars: 5g
Protein: 8g
Calcium: 6%
Iron: 16%

Well, I can't get on board with these ingredients at all. Just click the links to find out more information about the links to health issues.

The nutritional profile is just okay. It's nothing to get excited about. It's 240 calories, so it should have a better profile in my opinion. It's low in fat, but so high in sodium for just 1 bagel. It doesn't have as much fiber as I normally look for (probably because of the refined white flour). The only good thing is the 8g of protein and 16% iron.

I definitely can't recommend this brand or this product. Try to opt instead for 'whole grain wheat' when you're buying your baked goods. And, of course, try to stay away from all those preservatives, even if it may mean storing the bread in the fridge (which doesn't compromise the taste or texture for most breads if you're toasting).

Other Bagel flavours:

• Everything (reviewed here)
• Whole Wheat
• Cinnamon Raisin
• Smart Bagels
• Single Bagels
• Mini Bagels

Brand:

• Uses enriched flour, meaning its refined (been stripped of natural nutrients)
• All of Toufayan products are Kosher Parve or Dairy
• Does not list nutritional information online
• Does not mention GMO status online

Review of 'Archer Farms' Pomegranate Fruit Strips

Archer Farms' Pomegranate Fruit Strips (vegan)
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Summary: I really liked that these weren't sticky, like many fruit strip snacks. Most other brands tend to stick to my teeth. This one tasted fresher as well...very light. It's sweet and mildly tart at the same time. I really enjoyed these and I'm going to recommend them! Archer Farms Simply Balanced is a Target brand.

Where to buy: Target



Ingredients: Organic Apple Puree Concentrate, Organic Apple Juice Concentrate, Organic Pomegranate Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavor, Citrus Pectin, Vegetable And Fruit Juice (Carrot, Blueberry) for color, Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 strip
Calories: 45
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 5mg
Potassium: 85mg
Total Carbs.: 11g
     Dietary fiber: 1g
     Sugars: 9g
Protein: 1g
Vitamin C: 10%

Great ingredients (organic!) and a pretty good nutritional profile as well--it's super low-calorie and has 1g of fiber and 10% vitamin. Now this is something I'd be happy recommending, especially if you're looking for snack ideas that would appeal to kids.

Other Fruit Strip flavours:

• Strawberry
• Wild Berry
• Raspberry
• Apricot
• Strawberry Banana.

Brand:

• No Artificial Colors, No Artificial Flavors, No Preservatives
• No Sugar Added, Fat Free, Cholesterol Free
• USDA Organic