Who’s Your Nana?
November 18, 2008
I’m a snacker. It’s true. And I don’t care what people say about not snacking between meals, not snacking before bed, or not snacking at other times of day, because as far as I’m concerned, it’s always a good time for a snack. Especially if you’re hungry.
For the devoted snacker, though, navigating the world of packaged food can be rather difficult. I try to stick to minimally- or un-processed snacks, like fresh fruit or yogurt, but sometimes you need something more substantial. I find that late-afternoon stretch, right before leaving work or perhaps heading off to a yoga class before going home, to be especially brutal. I need a snack, and an apple won’t cut it.
Although I’m not the type to punish myself with protein or meal-replacement bars, some of the new “bar food” on the market is pretty good snacking material. I’m happy to eat food in bar form (OK, at 5pm I’m happy to eat basically anything) as long as it isn’t loaded with weird, artificial, or otherwise disagreeable ingredients.
Which brings us to Nana. Nana’s Omega-Fiber Cookie Bars, that is. I spotted these “cookie bars” at Whole Foods, and thought that they might be a good, slightly sweet afternoon snack to keep me going on my walk home from work. Although I don’t usually preference foods with added Omega-3s or other nutrients (you can get that stuff in more natural forms), I do like my fiber, and the nutritional stats on this product didn’t seem too shabby. Probably more sugar than I would like, but nothing too outrageous.
These bars seem to marketed as “cookies” in order to make them appear relatively healthier (than other cookies), and also in order to attract kids and parents. Healthy cookies? Sign me up. Unfortunately, there should be some “just kidding about the cookie thing!” fine print on the back of the Nana’s box. Sorry to say it, but these bars are not cookies. And frankly, they don’t taste very good at all, even for a bar. I’ve had plenty of other bars that taste far better than Nana’s, with a much more pleasant flavor and texture.
I tried the vanilla toasted almond variety of Nana’s bars, and found the flavor to be influenced most noticeably by the non-almond and non-vanilla ingredients. There was a thin, almost artificial-tasting almond overtone, but all in all, it was mostly just generally sweet. The texture, also, was neither pleasantly chewy nor particularly crunchy. Just kind of…fibery. For 10 grams of fiber this bar might be worth it, but for 5 (the amount in one cookie bar)? I’d rather just eat 130 calories worth of whole wheat bread and call it an afternoon snack.
As I mentioned before, I’ve tried other bars that I think make much better snacks. Perhaps a few of them will pop up on this site before too long. In the meantime, do any of you have go-to food bars? Any suggestions for which bars I should try next? I’d love to hear what you think.
Entry Filed under: bars, reviews, snacks. Tags: bars, fiber, Nana's, snacks.
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1.
Katie | November 18, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Lara bars!
Also I like Clif bars, but they might have too long of an ingredient list to make it onto The Natural Consumer…
2.
Sarah Belfort | April 16, 2009 at 5:14 pm
You only tried one flavor bar from Nana’s?? You might want to do more research before knocking them. They taste great and don’t include all the junk ingredients that Lara and Clif bars do. Nana’s cookie bars (yes, that IS an appropriate term for them), are great for people with sensitive digestive systems, something you FAIL to mention.
Also, they have actual cookies that are just as healthy and tasty. I suggest you do some more research before being critical about something you don’t understand. First define what a cookie is. Then tell me if the shape makes a difference as opposed to the taste, texture and ingredients, which is the same between an average cookie and Nana’s cookie bars. The other bars dont’ taste better then my favorite Nana’s cookie or cookie bar, AND EVEN IF THEY DID, IT WOULD BE BECAUSE THEY ARE MUCH HEALTHIER FOR YOU!!!!
3.
Mia | April 16, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Sarah,
I didn’t mean to offend anyone with this post. Do you work for Nana’s, or are you just an ardent fan?
Your points are noted, although I still stick by my review. It was honest and I gave full disclosure – the review is for this particular flavor of Nana’s cookie bars. I’ve never tried that regular cookies (nor did I claim to).
In reference to the “junk ingredients” in Lara bars, I think you are incorrect. In fact, I have a Lara bar right here at my desk, and the ingredients are: dates, almonds, unsweetened apples, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon. Where’s the junk there? Regular Clif bars, I agree, do have lots of ingredients (and I don’t eat them).
I’m not sure if Nana’s cookie bars are great for people with sensitive digestive systems. That may be true, but I’ve seen no evidence of it, so I can’t comment. I know Nana makes wheat-free and other special-diet products, but I didn’t test those.
I’m pretty sure I understand this product. It’s an all-natural snack bar. The definition of cookie is obviously subjective. I don’t think these taste like cookies, but if you do, great. I’m a pretty experienced baker and know, though, that this is not what a traditional cookie tastes like, nor does it share similar ingredients with an “average” cookie.
Again, taste is subjective. I don’t think Nana’s Cookie Bars taste as good as Lara, Clif Nectar, or Gnu Flavor and Fiber bars. They are most similar to the Gnu bars, but the Gnu bars have more fiber, less sugar, and taste better to me. What you define as “healthier” is based on your own experience, which is fine – I just don’t necessarily agree.
4.
Annie | May 26, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Love all your photographs! Did you take all or most of them?!