Lara Bars

[courtnab]

I had a question about the primal pacs...I've never had jerky before...the thought of it kind of grosses me out...what does it taste like?

Can you get them without jerky?

I've had the PrimalPacs before-- they were surprisingly good. Jerky just tastes like beef, but saltier. I don't believe they sell them without the jerky, but you could make your own with nuts and dried fruit (since that is all that would be in there anyway). But I would recommend adding a protein source to make it more complete. Otherwise you are just getting fat and carbs and very little protein.

[jdthomps4]

This is my first experience with paleo, let alone Whole30. I learned very quickly, I can't keep Larabars around. Those things are highly addictive and dangerous for me. I bought a bunch last week and decided to start my Whole30 over because of how many of those I could eat in a day and say it was ok because it was compliant. My sugar dragon definitely caved to those!! I suppose it makes me feel better to see that other have struggled with them as well.

[**Ann**]

The larabars are a funny thing.  Pre-whole 30, the only larabar I could stomach was the banana bread.  otherwise, I didn't think they were all that good and could do with out them.  On my W30, one morning, I found myself not hungry to eat breakfast, at all.  And I'm not going to force myself to eat when not hungry.  I found myself, about and hour and half later, starving, and i was out and about and needed something quick to tide me over until I could get to my compliant meal.  I got a lemon bar.  It was pretty good, and I distinctly remember disliking them before.

 

I think this W30 changed my palate.  I still don't think larabars are swypo for me, as I don't crave to have more and I could easily stop at 1.  But what i realized is that getting all the hidden sugars, or maybe unintentional "over-honey" too much "coconut sugar" out of my diet has truly affected my palate.  Each person has their own "triggers", and I'm not sure if I will discover what my paleo trigger food will be (I can list several non-paleo though haha).  You have to do the best W30 you can.  I know mine wasn't everything I wanted to be in terms of perfection (always compliant eating), but I'm not sweating it.  I'm not even sure how I feel about the W30, although I'm still planning on keeping with paleo.   

[jschof]

Are Lara Bars ok to have as breakfast somtimes or PREWO?

[Tom Denham]

Are Lara Bars ok to have as breakfast somtimes or PREWO?

 

No. They are a simply awful choice.

[TiMANimal]

Since I last posted on this topic I have cut fruit from my eating habits for the most part and only rarely do I enjoy some. I have gone LCP (Low-Carb Paleo) since then and have found my body composition to be much better as well as my ability to go longer periods of time without the need of food. My body has become a far better fat burning machine for energy then when I was eating fruit and therefore Larabars had to become a non-option as they are super high in fruit content and carbs. As for the primal pacs, I have also stopped using them as I find I crave whole food that has minimal processing and jerky although simply dried meat does not taste as good as a freshly cooked steak. Not to mention if you really want a primal pac you can find all the ingredients and a dehydrator and make them yourself for half the cost. I usually pack a small cooler and put in the car with canned coconut milk, boiled eggs and canned oysters or clams in olive oil for these types of situations anymore (the shopping post I made earlier in this thread)

[Robin Strathdee]

Are Lara Bars ok to have as breakfast somtimes or PREWO?

 

They're really not a good idea.  You don't get nearly the nutrition you need from a Larabar - certainly not enough to keep you fed until a reasonable lunch time. Pre-workout, grab a hard boiled egg or handful of nuts.

[jschof]

Why is it that they are so bad? Also why is fruit so limited? It has lots of carbs and is good for you? Is it ok if I eat fruit everyday? I don't eat fruit at every meal FYI. I am on whole30 btw.

[jent103]

Larabars aren't the greatest choice because they have very little protein (so aren't very satiating) and provide less nutrition than, say, protein + vegetables. They're also very sweet (even if it's all because of fruit) and can encourage the sugar dragon in a lot of people.

 

Fruit as part of a meal is great. Whole30 doesn't necessarily limit that. What it does suggest as best practice is to eat the fruit with a meal (not alone as a snack, for the same reasons as Larabars aren't ideal) and to not let it push vegetables off your plate, because while fruit is nutritious, vegetables are even more so. So, ideal: eating a piece of fruit on a salad or otherwise with a meal; not ideal: eating an apple by itself at 3pm with no protein or fat.

[Noelle]

I've scoured the forums and while there's a lot of talk about how Larabars (and other compliant bars) are okay but not optimal, don't snack on them, don't make them part of your regular diet, for emergencies only, and so on...where do they fit in the (emergency) meal template?

I'm thinking they count as fruit + fat. So for a non-perishable, minimally messy emergency meal that lives in my car at all times: Larabar + beef jerky + freeze-dried carrots and/or a pouch of veggies-only baby food.

[ultrarunnergirl]

Larabars are ok if they contain dates, nuts and fruits. Apple, blueberry, coconut and cashew are ok for sure.

If you search "larabar" on the forum amount of posts like "I ate too much of them", "binge eating larabars" etc should give an idea - it might not be the best choice

I personally think that Larabars are candies and not the best choice of snack. Especially if you are supporting your need for "little something". Exactly like a fruit as a snack alone they make me more hungry and not satisfied at all. If the options are to eat frankenfood or larabar - it's obvious, go for it. Other than that - there are lots of options (and threads on this forum) for great balanced snacks.

Actually, BLUEBERRY is not ok as it contains Vanilla.

Lemon, Cashew, Coconut, Cherry Pie are ok for sure and there may be others -- as always, read every label, everytime!

 

I have gotten away from eating these as the fructose is very high, and just gives the sugar dragon new life.

 

EPIC bars (Turkey Cranberry is compliant) are my go-to. I also keep a few RXBars coffee cacao flavor. They too have dates as their main ingredient and lots of fructose, but they have egg white powder in them and thus a good amount of protein as well.

[LisaLulu]

That's interesting about liking Larabars now that you're whole 30. I buy them sometimes to keep in my diaper bag for emergencies and they sit there for months because I find them repulsive and only use them when I'm stranded and REALLY need to eat. I wonder how they would taste to me now. I haven't bought any in ages because they kept getting squished in my bag and nobody wanted them.

[Nadia B]

Actually, BLUEBERRY is not ok as it contains Vanilla.

Lemon, Cashew, Coconut, Cherry Pie are ok for sure and there may be others -- as always, read every label, everytime!

 

 

 

Thanks for correcting me! Read your labels mantra is right on. Maybe they have different ingredients here in Canada, I need to go an check 

[gardnermer]

ultrarunnergirl-

 

I LOVE Epic bars. Are any of the other flavors compliant? I heard they just released a lamb and mint one....

[jennor]

I understand the need for something quick to grab, but it still puzzels me that Lara bars are allowed. I would think they really are SWYPO. Even the packaging looks lika a candy bar.

 

I live in a country were Lara bars are not sold, so I made my own version to have for emergencies, but with much less sugar and more coconut fat. That was called out by a moderator as being SWYPO (in a nice and friendly way, no blame on the moderator!).

But Lara bars are ok? I honstly don't think it makes sense.

[PamH]

For me, larabars quickly become a food with no brakes. but, as mentioned above, they are good for emergencies, or for packing for hikes, etc.

The ones that are Whole30 compliant are usually around 18-24g of sugar. When you consider that one date has approx 16g of sugar, that's not *too* bad. (Banana Bread, Carrot Cake, Coconut Cream Pie, and Key Lime are my favorites.)

If i want to eat one, I definitely only buy one at a time. I want to get to a place where I can have "treats" in the house and not be tempted to Eat All the Things, but... I'm not there yet.

I can only eat them if I am not around other food (like on a hike).  If I eat them to stop me from eating the non-compliant food around me, they just seem to trigger bad eating.  I would avoid them, honestly.  Nuts do the same for me.

 

I guess you try it and see how it works for you.  I'm finally just admitting that snacking isn't my thing.

[PamH]

Actually, BLUEBERRY is not ok as it contains Vanilla.

Lemon, Cashew, Coconut, Cherry Pie are ok for sure and there may be others -- as always, read every label, everytime!

 

I have gotten away from eating these as the fructose is very high, and just gives the sugar dragon new life.

 

EPIC bars (Turkey Cranberry is compliant) are my go-to. I also keep a few RXBars coffee cacao flavor. They too have dates as their main ingredient and lots of fructose, but they have egg white powder in them and thus a good amount of protein as well.

Epic bars are awesome!  The other version with the habenero is also compliant but I can't remember if that is the beef or bison.  For those who do not like jerky because it is hard to chew, Epic bars take care of that problem.

[APOCrunch]

Are there any Larabar's that AREN'T Whole30 approved? Like the ones with peanuts?

 

I have found some that have honey in them, so those are not compliant. Also anything with chocolate or peanuts. I personally like the cashew cookie and the lemon ones. :-) I keep one in my desk at work for those 'tough' days, but only one. I prefer snacking on almonds or some small amounts of fruit.

[Chrystee]

I LOVE Larabars, but they definitely feed a sugar demon for me. In fact, I have to watch my intake of tropical/high sugar fruits, bananas, etc. in order to lose weight.

[Robin Strathdee]

I understand the need for something quick to grab, but it still puzzels me that Lara bars are allowed. I would think they really are SWYPO. Even the packaging looks lika a candy bar.

 

I live in a country were Lara bars are not sold, so I made my own version to have for emergencies, but with much less sugar and more coconut fat. That was called out by a moderator as being SWYPO (in a nice and friendly way, no blame on the moderator!).

But Lara bars are ok? I honstly don't think it makes sense.

 

For emergencies, you're fine to make them on your own (especially with less sugar)

[Ashmelik]

Larabars were not a good idea for me. I have been doing so good and I was going to a BBQ yesterday and wanted to take a snack. I ate a larabar and within couple hours my stomach blew up like a balloon and I was in pain. Has anyone had a reaction to larabars? I accidentally had gum that day because I forget that we can't have it. It's more of a habit I need to kick, my gum has since been thrown out. Anyone experience this with larabars or even gum for that matter?

[LuiseRN]

Larabars now come in "minis". I really like this idea. I keep a couple of "minis" with me (100 cals each) for "emergencies".  I try not to keep more than one at time with me because I can easily eat more than one haha. But sometimes, I go somewhere and the portion sizes for what I ordered are tiny and I'm still a wee bit "really" hungry so I will have them, a small bite at a time, along with the meal. It helps.

[MeadowLily]

Larabars were not a good idea for me. I have been doing so good and I was going to a BBQ yesterday and wanted to take a snack. I ate a larabar and within couple hours my stomach blew up like a balloon and I was in pain. Has anyone had a reaction to larabars? I accidentally had gum that day because I forget that we can't have it. It's more of a habit I need to kick, my gum has since been thrown out. Anyone experience this with larabars or even gum for that matter?

Sugarless gum will blow you up like a balloon and give you a bellyache.  It's splenda/artificial sweetner combos that do that.   If you've ever tried sugarless Blue Bunny ice cream, you'll we doubled over on the couch and crawling around on the floor from a stomach ache.     Within an hour or two, you'll be sprinting to the restroom.   Sugarless gum has that same effect for me.

 

  I don't think a  Larabar has artificial sweeteners.   I'm not going to try one...too much like a protein bar (candy bars).

[homerfrizzell]

What kind of emergencies would require having a Lara Bar on hand?

[missmary]

What kind of emergencies would require having a Lara Bar on hand?

none, really. I don't keep them on hand and I don't need them. BUT...if you wanted to put a lara bar in the glove box of your car for that occasion when you are stuck by the side of the road for several hours and need something, go for it. Compliant jerky would be a better choice, or one of those coconut butter packets, but a lara bar would be ok.