Finally a "Perfect" Meal Replacement/Energy Bar!
Note: This review is for the Red Raspberry Perfect Food flavor.  Sometimes reviews get listed on other flavors as well, so keep this in mind as not all the aspects will apply to other flavors<br /><br />I've personally tried a lot of energy/meal replacement bars, and been let down by most of them.  Typical bars are loaded with soy, refined sugar, and ingredients that are incomplete or simply harmful.  In the Garden of Life bars I've finally found something that tastes great, fills me up, and is amazingly healthy.  There are a lot of things to like about these bars, and very few not to:<br /><br />A balance of Meal  Necessities - The bars include 40g of (good) Carbs for quick energy, 6g of Protein for sustained energy, and 6g of good fats for a satisfied feeling after eating.  It's important to understand that the fats and carbs in this bar are for the most part completely good for you, they are not empty carbs or bad fats that are typically avoided in diets.  The result is a nice satisfied feeling after eating one.<br /><br />Provides 5g of fiber per bar - Most people don't get enough fiber, and definitely not the quality fiber in these bars.  3g of that fiber is soluble, the best kind.  It's very rare to find this in a bar, and a great way to add needed fiber to your diet.<br /><br />All the benefits of a green drink, in a portable and tasty format - While those green foods drinks are great for you, I personally can't stomach them, and don't have the time to mix and drink them all day.  These bars are made from exactly the same thing as GOL's Perfect Food and Super Seed Mixes, giving you all the healthy fruits, veggies, sprouted grains and sprouted nuts, sweetened with honey and put in a convenient portable format.<br /><br />Sweetened with Honey, NOT sugar - One of my biggest complaints with energy bars is that they're usually loaded with sugar, which gives a temporary rush of energy, and then a crash, tweaking out you insulin levels in a way that is not healthy.  The GOL bars are different in that while they are roughly 20% sugar, the only sweetener used is Honey, which is a complex sugar that doesn't affect your body negatively the way refined sugars do.<br /><br />Probiotics in the Bar - Garden of Life is known for their probiotics, and they have included some in the bar, to give you not only a balanced nutrition supply, but also some helpful bacteria to digest it with.<br /><br />Finally, possibly most important of all, Taste! - The taste is a lightly sweet, pleasantly textured faint raspberry flavor.  Biting into the bar is a satisfying feeling; it is soft but there is a "bulk" to it.  There isn't a gooey or crunchy feeling like other bars, and no nasty chemical taste.<br /><br />There are a lot of things to like about these bars, and very few not to.  Try one out - you'll be pleasantly surprised at how great a meal bar can be!
Rating: 5 stars