Can Healthy really be Tasty?

Product Review by Product Review by FBWorld Team and Michael Perkin

I've never used engery bars the way they are supposed to be used. After all, I'm not really an athlete. I write about food. Now, I try to get some exercise each week in an effort to stay under the 200 pound mark, but the amount of effort I put into my workouts would hardly constitute eating a special diet or buying specially formulated food to provide me with more energy. So, as far as the topic of how effective the Pure Fit bars are at aiding performance during a workout, I can't really speak to it. Clearly, I'm not all that qualified.

What I can talk about is taste. I feel plenty qualified to do that. Before I sat down to sample the line of Pure Fit bars, which includes Peanut Butter Crunch, Chocolate Brownie, Almond Crunch, Berry-Almond Crunch, and Granola Crunch, I read a little bit about the bars. Founder and CEO Robb Dorf didn't want to make just another energy bar. He considered most of them "candy bars," full of sugar and hydrogenated oils, dressed up to seem like they were healthy. Instead, Robb created a bar without the excess sugar and fat as well as being wheat, gluten, and dairy free. You know, a bar that is actually healthy.

Given the bars nutritious ingredients, it wouldn't be surprising if they tasted like cardboard. The five varieties of Pure Fit bars are far, far from it, though. Considering just how good they are for you, the amount of flavor they have is quite impressive. So, here is what I would say about the bars in general. If you really are trying to be healthy, I doubt you'll find a more enjoyable bar. If you're one of those people that just eats energy or nutrition bars for the taste and you're simply fooling yourself about the health benefits, you will probably want to stick with your current, sugar-filled brand. (However, after reading that last sentence, you may want to think about how wise a decision that is.)

Anyway, here's what myself and some of the staff at FBWorld thought about each of the five flavors:

	Peanut Butter Crunch: This was everyone's favorite. All four of us agreed, we'd recommend trying it. They are soft and chewy, with a few small bits of grain. The Peanut Butter flavor is light and not to sweet. The texture is a bit powdery, but that's the healthy part, I'm guessing. The only thing I don't get is why Crunch is in the name. It's pretty tasty but not crunchy.
	Chocolate Brownie: Considering how tough it is to make a good chocolate nutrition bar, Pure Fit's effort is commendable. The bar is light and a little fluffy. Nice chocolate flavor pops right up front. The finish is a little powdery. Still, 3 out of 4 of us would recommend trying the flavor.
	Almond Crunch: This flavor has a nice, slightly sweet almond extract flavor that went well with its more robust nutty tones. The bar wasn't quite as moist as some of the other flavors, but it was still quite good. It was our 2nd favorite behind the Peanut Butter.
	Berry-Almond Crunch: Everyone enjoyed the bright berry flavors, but we missed the almond extract sweetness of the regular Almond Crunch. Still, 3 out of 4 of us would recommend trying it out. If you're not a fan of sweet, this might work well for you.
	Granola Crunch: The cinnamon, brown sugar, and nutty flavors in the bar really were quite reminiscent of granola. Once again, there's not much crunch. The bar has an approachable light, powdery texture, which is a big plus over most energy bars, but when the bar's got granola in the name, it's hard not to miss some form of crunch. Once again, 3 out of 4 of us would recommend trying the flavor for yourself.

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