Gnu Way to Reduce Cholesterol and Fill up on Fiber
Gnu Foods were so gracious to send me a sampling of their fiber bars!
I was excited to try these for several reasons. I have several posts regarding the importance of fiber and the different types. My dad ( who always takes nutrition bars with him for snacks on his long teaching days) actually has high blood cholesterol. One of the things he has a hard time finding is bars with a high soluble fiber content that tastes good! Soluble fiber, which helps literally extract the cholesterol from the body also has an additional benefit because it requires the liver to pull out more cholesterol from the blood to form bile salts.
If you are interested in reading more about cholesterol, check out my post here…
I was also interested in trying them because I have to incorporate more snacks due to my training and studying schedules. Many bars out there are starting to offer whole grains more so I think these could be a great healthy option for getting in whole grains vs. refined. In general, the average american statistically does not meet the daily fiber recommendations ( about 30 g fiber per day).
Dietitians realize they could recommend eating more whole grains, vegetables and fiber and beans until they (we) are blue in the face, but some people just will not do it if its not convenient!
Fast, pre-portioned options seem easier so making those options that people will go for as healthy as we can, is a great way to adapt to not only what people want, but what people need as well ( to increase their health and reduce our healthcare costs as a nation!).
( all of these bars have this warming: CONTAIN WHEAT AND PSYLLIUM. MANUFACTURED ON EQUIPMENT THAT PROCESSES PEANUTS AND TREE NUTS.)
First up, Banana Walnut
I took one bite and thought “This will be my favorite!”. The banana flavor was delicious! You know how banana foods often taste “flavored” with banana- well this was filled with soft pieces of banana, giving it real flavor! Chewy, nutty and fruity all in one little whole grain bar! I really enjoyed this one because of the heart healthy nuts and potassium filled bananas are two things I always enjoy! Here is the info:
Ingredients:
Gnu High Fiber Blend™ (whole rolled oats, organic whole wheat flour, wheat bran, organic kamut, psyllium, flax, millet), chicory root inulin, fruit juices, rice dextrins, apples, canola oil, walnuts, rice, plums, banana, wheat protein isolate, natural flavors, baking powder.
Banana Walnut Nutrition, 1 bar provides:
Calories 140
Total Fat 4g
Saturated Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 40mg
Total Carbohydrate 30g
Dietary Fiber 12g
Soluble Fiber 9g
Insoluble Fiber 3gSugars 8g
Other Carbohydrate 10g
Protein4g
Okay, next up..
Cranberry Orange:
I took one bite and immediately switched my favorite to this one, Cranberry Orange! The fruit definitely bursts with each bite, which are chewy and refreshing! It was sweet and had a great orange and cranberry aroma.
Ingredients:
Gnu High Fiber Blend™ (whole rolled oats, organic whole wheat flour, wheat bran, organic kamut, psyllium, flax, millet), chicory root inulin, fruit juices, rice dextrins, raisins, apples, canola oil, plums, cranberries, rice, natural flavors, wheat protein isolate, baking powder.
Nutrition:
Calories 130
Total Fat 3g
Saturated Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 35 mg
Total Carbohydrate 32g
Dietary Fiber 12g
Soluble Fiber 9g
Insoluble Fiber 4 gSugars 11 g
Other Carbohydrate 9g
Protein 3 g
Overall, I think these two bars are absolutely fantastic! That said, I am not quite sure about the other flavors yet because the chocolate smelled a little more like flavored-chocolate so I don’t think it could fill my chocolate cravings. I will be saving a few to send to my parents to try as well. I think they will love them!
Thank you Gnu Foods!
