Raw Revolution Organic Live Food Bar

Raw Indulgence founder Alice Benedetto, a registered nurse and natural foods chef, developed a passion for preparing and eating raw foods. She started making them as an alternative to high sugar processed snacks for her high school son. The big thing these days the packaged bar world is “raw.” The idea of “raw” food is to eat nothing cooked or above 118 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to fruits, nuts and vegetables in their pure state, raw foods tend to have a good amount of dehydrating and rehydrating to give nuts and grains various textures. Raw Revolution bars also contain no artificial ingredients, refined sugars, preservatives, gluten, dairy or soy. Processed foods such as protein isolates and grain based fillers are acidic and cause fermentation in the body. Their uncooked, somewhat gummy quality is either something you love or hate. Nutritionally, they run the gamut, usually offering decent amounts of fiber, protein and varying amounts of fat (and calorie quotients). Also, check the label for fat content. Some bars can pack a hefty fat dose, which will slow your digestion.

With abundance of new bars on the market, you might need to sample a few for some quick energy before you try to figure out which one best suits your needs, dislikes and anatomy. Given all the versions, including women-only, high-protein, and meal-replacement bars, it’s crucial to read labels carefully if you want to fuel up properly. The standard high-carb bars, such as the well known PowerBar and Clif Bar, are great for fueling before, during and after an activity because, as with sports drinks and gels, they introduce a quick release of carbs into the blood stream. About 70 percent of their carbohydrate calories come from grains (oats and rice crisps) and sugars (brown-rice syrup and sucrose), with some bars containing fruit and nuts, which are the most natural and one of the easiest carb sources to digest quickly.

This treat came in handy the other day before a run. I ate about half of it before I went out for a short 2 mile run. I hadn’t eaten anything since the night before, and swilled down the half with some coffee and a little bit of water. It gave me a nice boost of energy and strength. It’s got a nice cashew flavor(my favorite nut) on the inside, with hints of honey and agave nectar as sweeteners. I say hint, because the tendency is to overwhelm the rest of the bar with the sweetener flavors. Overall I was really impressed with this bar. My only complaint was the high calorie content. Something like 290 calories versus say something like 220 for a PowerBar and Clif Bar.