I’ve been meaning to give these Raw Revolution bars a shot for a very long time. I happen to love “green superfoods” like spirulina and chlorella so long as they’re not too aggressively bitter, so I thought that I might like this one if it actually tasted like banana, but there’s always that chance that it could end up tasting like a freshly mowed lawn.
I love it when companies make an effort to listen to the dietary needs and wants of consumers by making their products as inoffensive as possible. This one is gluten free, dairy free, soy free, peanut free, vegan, kosher, and contains no artificial preservatives or ingredients to speak of. While I may not necessarily need all of those things, I feel better knowing that this is an extremely “clean” product free of any crap that I don’t need to put in my body.
It clocks in at 170 calories. Not bad, but I tend to feel like 200 to 250 is best for a snack that actually satisfies your hunger for more than a minute. 18 grams of sugar is a little high, but most of the sugars are fruit sugars and the rest is agave nectar, not the worst sweeteners out there. Those are the two things I look at most often when selecting these bars, calorie content and sugar.
Appearance: Darker than expected, definitely from the dates. Looks smooth and ingredients are evenly distributed.
Taste: Mmm! I expected this to taste like banana bread as many banana-based bars do, but it actually tastes like a pina colada! A very present and natural-tasting banana flavor with a twinge of what tastes like pineapple, though there is no pineapple in the bar. And though it’s packed to the gills with green stuff, there really isn’t any bitter or grassy flavor to speak of, just tastes like delicious bananas and dates.
Texture: Smooth and pasty like a Larabar but with little bits of nuts mixed in.
Overall, I loved this one! It’s a really original flavor that I haven’t come across elsewhere. I like that I can take in some healthy green stuff without my mouth tasting like it’s packed full of lawn clippings soaked in algae. And while it has the similar smooth and pasty texture of a Larabar that I love so much, it’s a bit larger and therefore more satisfying than a Larabar. WIN!
Do you prefer smooth or crunchy bars?
A lightbulb went on over my head when I read this. I always feel like I am never full from a bar for a snack, but I always eat the lower calorie ones. Duh. I don’t know why it scares me to eat a 220 calorie bar, when I would eat a 220 calorie snack in general.
It’s so true. Whenever I try to eat a low calorie snack I just end up eating another one later, and the two of them combined is a higher calorie count than it would have been if I’d have just eaten a reasonable snack to begin with.
I’m a big fan of the Raw Rev bars but haven’t tried this flavor. My favorite is the Spirulina and Cashew which only contains, like, 4 ingredients and always makes me feel amazing. In general, I’d agree with you on liking the smoother bars better.