Disclaimer: Through Raynforest, I received free product in return for writing a review. All opinions are my own.
I'm participating in a link-up hosted by Sara of Lakeshore Runner, called Tried It Tuesday. Every Tuesday, people post about something new they tried, and for me this week, it's going to be the nutrition bars by GoMacro.
I don’t discuss food or nutrition that often on the blog, mostly because I'm not doing the cooking in our house, and I don't find it that interesting a subject to write about. That doesn't mean I'm immune to nutritional considerations - and if you remember this Friday Five post, I've not only put more thought, time and effort into strength training, but also considering my macro-nutrients especially protein (mostly to control my appetite between meals).
GoMacro is a company based on five principles:
- Macrobiotic - a macrobiotic diet is the key to a long, healthy life.
- Vegan - Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.
- Wholesome - If nature did not make it, they don't use it.
- Gives Back - Pay it forward. Give Back. Change the World.
- Sourced Sustainably
Unlike these bars, I'm neither Gluten-free, nor Vegan, nor Macrobiotic, I just have some awareness of what is good and bad to put in our bodies, and going over the list of ingredients in the GoMacro bars is a relief compared to most times I do that. It actually takes longer, because the word "organic" precedes each and every ingredient. Compared to the granola bars and Greek yogurt snacks I pack (sometimes), they're a little heavier on calories (somewhere upwards of 200 calories, varying from flavour to flavour), but I was really pleasantly surprised by how they tasted.
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| Starting from Top Left: protein pleasure, protein purity, morning harvest, sunny uplift, balanced goodness, prolonged power, protein replenishment, sweet revival, protein paradise, sweet rejuvenation, wholehearted heaven |
Several of the bars are marked high-protein, and I've indicated those in my individual notes. Here's how they struck me:
- Protein Purity - sunflower butter+chocolate (HIGH PROTEIN); sunflower butter is the stronger flavour, chocolate is subtle. Nothing offensive, but not really that pleasing either.
- Prolonged Power - banana+almond butter (HIGH PROTEIN); tastes just like it sounds. was hungry as my breakfast had no extra protein. Banana taste is subtle, almond butter is smooth. Didn't completely satisfy instantly as I wanted more, but it kept me going until my lunch-time workout slot.
- Protein Pleasure - peanut butter chocolate chip (HIGH PROTEIN); a little bland considering the ingredients.
- Sunny Uplift - cherries + berries; I was feeling low, and I’m not that into fruit, but this was a nice pick-me-up.
- Balanced Goodness - granola + coconut; close to a typical granola bar, tasted OK. Also included dates and raisins.
- Protein Paradise - cashew caramel (HIGH PROTEIN); probably my favourite,not too sweet, but still a treat. Apparently the caramel substitute is mesquite-based!
- wholehearted heaven - almond butter + carob; when people talk about health food in a negative way, this is probably the kind of taste they're referring to.
- morning harvest - apples + walnuts; this is a great combination, sweet in a breakfast-y kind of way.
- sweet rejuvenation - sesame butter + dates; I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I don't really like dates, but they must have been ground up pretty fine so the taste didn't bother me and the sesame seed flavour isn't overpowering either.
- sweet rejuvenation - cashew butter; Can you tell by the picture that I was keen to eat this one? The cashew chunks give it a bit of a crunchiness, and it's a little sweeter than straight peanut butter.
There they are! I think I'll be stocking up on Protein Paradise and Sunny Uplift, though when I need to fuel for longer bike rides, having Prolonged Power might be a good idea. The website has a Store Locator, and US residents can order online.
Have you had GoMacro Bars before? What would be your favourite flavour? What are you looking to get out of a MacroBar? Energy? Recovery? Macronutrients?
Labels: links, nutrition, review
