Product Reviews

Gnu Foods Flavor & Fiber Bars
www.gnufoods.com
Review by Caroline Yoder

Alright, I'll admit it. At times I am a lazy cook, especially when it comes to baking. I often crave a fluffy muffin, a decadent cookie, or perhaps a moist slice of banana bread. However, due to my distaste for cumbersome measuring cups and tedious half-teaspoons, I often forego baking treats for myself in favor of purchasing them. Not only is this habit of laziness expensive, but it's not exactly beneficial for the maintenance of overall health. Thus my options were seemingly limited to 1) sacrificing my health for my taste buds, 2) (gasp!) actually making some healthful treats for myself, or 3) resigning to a joyless life without baked goods.

Upon discovering Gnu Foods, however, I gained another option. Gnu Foods produces a selection of high fiber bars that only taste indulgent; in reality, these bars could not be farther from the junk food genre. The bars are made from only natural ingredients, baked with organic whole wheat flour and sweetened with fruit juice. They are dairy-free and contain no corn syrup or hydrogenated oils. Plus, each bar contains a mere 130 Calories yet still manages to pack in a whopping twelve grams of fiber! The website has a nifty chart that compares Gnu bars' fiber content with that of several leading snack bars and cereals. Gnu has no peer in the world of fiber—in order to get the amount of fiber in one Gnu Bar, you would have to consume four bowls of Cheerios! Clearly, there is no way that I could feel guilty about consuming these treats. There are four varieties: Banana Walnut, Cinnamon Raisin, Orange Cranberry, and Chocolate Brownie. Thus far I have tried only the first two. The Banana Walnut reminds me of Sunday morning banana bread; the Cinnamon Raisin is reminiscent of a steaming bowl of oatmeal or perhaps a freshly baked bagel. I look forward to sampling the other two flavors in the near future.

The drawbacks of these fiberful delights include high price and limited availability. Gnu bars are allegedly sold at select stores, but I have yet to ever encounter them in a store; I ordered my bars online. The website sells the bars individually, in packs of five, and in packs of sixteen for $1.99, $7.89, and $23.99, respectively. Although these bars are not cheap, it's nice to have a convenient, tasty, and healthful snack. Whenever I crave Mom's banana bread, I can simply unwrap a Gnu bar, and the mixing bowls can stay in the cupboard. Any snack that lets me do that is worth the extra cash.

Caroline Yoder is currently a student at Duke University, studying English and Psychology. She hopes one day to become a writer in the health field.

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