Say what you will about diet crazes (and then wait six months to say it again about the next fad), but I think one of the prime benefits of the paleo and raw movements is the push for simple, natural ingredients in things. One of the reasons I like taking Lärabars with me on hikes (besides the deliciousness) is that you’re basically getting a good combination of fruits and nuts that’s a different flavor and texture from your basic trail mix or GORP.
Several companies have since capitalized on the success of Lärabars, but when the team at Raw Revolution reached out to me I was surprised to learn they’d been at this for 12 years. Founded by a husband and wife team in upstate New York, they began cooking raw, vegan bars in their kitchen back in 2004 and have since graduated to a small family-owned factory 30 miles north of New York City.
That factory now produces the #1 selling USDA-certified organic energy bar on the market and unlike some other bars, many of them also have sprouted chia and flax seeds or spirulina alongside the standard dates and nuts.
They sent me four different flavors: Spirulina Dream, Almond Butter Cup, Cranberry Almond and Coconut, and Chocolate Coconut Bliss and all the flavors were pretty dang delicious, although I liked the Chocolate Coconut Bliss and Almond Butter Cup the best. The bars are calorie dense (220-240 a piece) and went a long way toward curbing my hunger on the trail over the past few weeks – but if you’re looking for a quick snack they also sell smaller 100-calorie bites, too.
I will say that if you are trying to eliminate sugars from your diet you should be aware that many of these bars do have unrefined agave nectar as an ingredient – but when compared to Lärabars they actually have fewer grams of sugar per bar. (The Raw Revolution Chocolate Coconut Bliss has 12 grams while Lära’s comparable Coconut Chocolate Chip has 20).
All the bars are vegan, uncooked, gluten-free, Kosher, GMO-free, and contain Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids – as well as still being from a small, family owned company here in the States. I’ve been eating these both on the trail and in the morning before I head to CrossFit and they’ve been great at keeping my energy levels up and hunger levels down.
The bars are available at Whole Foods and on Amazon.com
Raw Revolution provided the bars to Modern Hiker for free but did not exercise editorial control over this post or provide compensation for its publication.
Tags: bar, food, raw revolution, Review