FTC Disclosure: Recharge Foods Dynamic Nutrition provided free product for both the owner of this blog and two (2) readers to try. Although, Bariatric Foodie always publishes fair and unbiased reviews of products, by law I must disclose that I did receive compensation to review and promote this product. If you have any questions about what that means, you can see my Product Review & Promotions policy OR feel free to email me and I'll be happy to break it down for you! Other than the free product they received, the Foodie Reviewers quoted in this review received no additional compensation.
The Review
Recharge Dynamic Nutrition Bars.
I first experienced these bars in Vegas at the WLSFA Meet & Greet. They came in our swag bags. And they came in VERY handy. You might remember that I was a bit critical of the food choices at this particular event so I found myself eating my swag bag contents as snacks.
And I liked them! So much, in fact, that after I got back from Vegas I got in touch with the company to see if I could do a review and giveaway so that you guys could try them too! So first, let's talk about the bars.
The 360
(The packaging, etc.)
There are three flavors: Peanut Caramel, Raspberry Apple and Chocolate Caramel.
The Stats
(Nutrition Information)
The stats on the bar are as follows (stats in order by Peanut Caramel/Raspberry Apple and Chocolate Caramel)
- 100 calories/100 calories/100 calories
- 3g fat/1.5g fat/2.5g fat
- 10g carbs/15g carbs/11g carbs
- 3g fiber/3g fiber/3g fiber
- 1g sugar/5g sugar/1g sugar
- 8g protein/8g protein/8g protein
You can find the complete nutrition label for each bar along with ingredients by clicking here.
So let's break that down into Nik's index of what makes up a good protein bar (interestingly I don't think I've ever done a blog post on that...I'm gonna have to fix that!). The calories are good. 100 calories seems to be the norm. We all know, by now, that net carbs = total carbs - fiber.
So let's break that down into Nik's index of what makes up a good protein bar (interestingly I don't think I've ever done a blog post on that...I'm gonna have to fix that!). The calories are good. 100 calories seems to be the norm. We all know, by now, that net carbs = total carbs - fiber.
Ultimately, I look for more protein than net carbs and you'll notice that the Raspberry Apple and Chocolate Caramel don't meet that (in the former, there are 4 more grams of carbs than protein and in the latter they are equal). Here's why I give this bar a pass, though. It markets itself as a nutrition bar, not a protein bar. Those of us who are very active could probably guess the distinction. A nutrition bar is meant to have a balance of nutrition to give you quick access energy (carbs) and longer sustaining energy (protein). So on that merit the stats look fairly balanced.
Let's talk about the ingredients. Like many protein bars they contain a blend of whey protein concentrate, isolate and hydrolyzed whey protein. Although it's not listed on the label (probably because the amount is not significant enough) there are some sugar alcohols, mainly malitol, used in the sugar-free caramel. Not really important to you guys, but I also thought it was kind of cool that they used protein crisps (think Rice Krispies, with protein!) instead of cereal for the Raspberry Apple. I use protein crisps myself from time to time!
While I would LOVE to take credit for this shot, it's theirs, not mine. Most of my pics were involved in a very, very bad accident!
The Aesthetics
(Smell, Texture, Taste)
Ok, knowing me which do YOU think I tried first? Here are my impressions in the order I tried the bars:
- Peanut Caramel: Smelled like what the food industry has told me chocolate smells like (I'm sorry that's about as passionate as I can get with that!). Taste - This bar is sweet! It also has a slight artificial sweetener taste, especially with the caramel. But I find most bars that seek to be low sugar are this way. I did really enjoy the texture. It was sort of like a slightly harder Kit-Kat. Gave my mouth something to do which is always a good thing.
- Chocolate & Caramel: Smelled the same. I did pick up more caramel on this one but it wasn't a strong aroma. Taste - this one tasted about the same as the Peanut Caramel, except without the peanuts. The mouthfeel was a bit softer, I guess because there were no nuts.
- Apple Raspberry. Go figure, I actually liked this one the best. It was a little sweet, but not overly so and it had a slight tartness. I liked the crunch of the protein crisps. It had a slightly harder Rice Krispy Treat feel to it.
Two Foodies reviewed this bar: Sierra and Anne-Margaret. I'm just directly pasting what they had to say.
- Sierra: The raspberry one was tasty. My sister and I both agreed it was the better of the three, though it did have that protein-bar end note, but not much that can be done about that. The peanut caramel one was nice and had a good texture and flavor. The last one (peanuts and chocolate?) tasted like onions and we couldn't figure it out. I cut up a few pieces for my mother and grandmother, and they tasted it, too. Overall, though, they're definitely some of the better protein bars I've had. If I were to buy these, I'd get the raspberry. (Nik Note: I'm not sure what the deal is with the onion note, but I didn't experience that in my bars.)
- Anne-Margaret: All three of the bars are good but my favorite is the Peanuts + Caramel. I like that it had real nuts. The Peanuts + Caramel and the Chocolate + Caramel are both coated in chocolate that definitely has the low/no-sugar taste to it but it's not overly offensive and can definitely still satisfy a chocolate craving. My least favorite was the raspberry and apple though I am not a fan of fruit bars usually so that could just be personal preference. Overall, I would recommend the bars. The stats are great and they are good when in a pinch and just need a little something sweet or something to tide you over.
Value
Per their website, the bars cost:
- $35 for a box of 20 bars (or $1.75/ea.)
- $52 for two boxes of 20 bars (or $28/box, $1.40/bar)
- $75 for three boxes of 20 bars (or $25/box, $1.25/bar)
They also sell a sample pack for $6 that comes with one of each bar to try. There's free shipping on all orders through their website. They've also been nice enough to give us a discount! Use the discount code "BARIATRICFOODIE" at check-out to receive an additional 10% of your entire order. But...frankly...I'd recommend you wait until AFTER the giveaway...cuz you might win some!
Final Verdict: I agree with Anne-Margaret. I think they're good to have around in a pinch. And you all know what those are - those situations where you've gotten delayed or otherwise just cannot get to a good meal right away and you need "something."
So now onto the good part. THREE of you will get to find out for yourselves how these bars taste because you'll win a box of each flavor!
The Giveaway
Simply complete as many entries as you want using the widget below. Notice that some entries can be done only once but some can be done once a day. Some of my more frequently winning Foodies know every chance counts so get as many as you can!
The Giveaway
Simply complete as many entries as you want using the widget below. Notice that some entries can be done only once but some can be done once a day. Some of my more frequently winning Foodies know every chance counts so get as many as you can!
(NOTE: If you have ANY trouble with the Rafflecopter widget, please either leave a comment on this blog post or email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com. Please note, however, that I have blog posts set to be moderated so your comment won't show up until I approve it so DON'T FREAK OUT!)
ELIGIBILITY: This giveaway is limited to residents of the 50 United States. For all my Canadian Foodies, there is something you can do to help bring BF contest prizes to you! Click here to read all about it!
ELIGIBILITY: This giveaway is limited to residents of the 50 United States. For all my Canadian Foodies, there is something you can do to help bring BF contest prizes to you! Click here to read all about it!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
FTC Disclosure: Recharge Foods Dynamic Nutrition provided free product for both the owner of this blog and two (2) readers to try. Although, Bariatric Foodie always publishes fair and unbiased reviews of products, by law I must disclose that I did receive compensation to review and promote this product. If you have any questions about what that means, you can see my Product Review & Promotions policy OR feel free to email me and I'll be happy to break it down for you! Other than the free product they received, the Foodie Reviewers quoted in this review received no additional compensation.
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