Review/Giveaway: The Paleo Diet Bar

I’m a research kinda girl. My family and friends will ask what product I would suggest for their needs because they know I’ve already done the research on it. The Paleo Diet Bar was my first assignment with Reviews, Chews and How Tos, so I wanted to make sure I read everything about it.

I began my research with their website. Here’s what I found -  

“The Paleo Diet Bar is a gluten free, grain free, soy free, dairy free, fiber-rich, and protein-rich, preservative free optimal nutrition bar for the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Powered by rich-protein sources containing all 9 essential amino acids, we combine the finest all-natural ingredients to strike the tastiest balance without compromising nutritional value. The Paleo Diet Bar is exclusively endorsed by Dr. Loren Cordain, the world’s leading expert and founder of the Paleolithic movement.”

The Paleo Diet Bar from Paleo Braaap, LLC is a husband/wife owned company (Shauna and Todd Sledge) launched in Fort Collins, CO October 2013. Shauna and Todd both live an active, healthy lifestyle and have 3 kids.

I grew up in Colorado, it’s a very active and health conscious state. Some great products come from the active Colorado residents. I was excited to try out a product from my home state.

I personally do not follow a paleo diet but appreciate that it encourages a non-processed diet.

I am a very active individual. I lead a free Momma and Kiddo workout class every morning, run with a stroller as my mode of travel, and keep up with a toddler’s perspective on life.

I make sure to always have healthy snacks for us while traveling and enjoying our daily outdoor adventures. I’m always on the look out for new products that support our active and healthy lifestyle -  and let’s face it, toddlers are picky. You have to present new options often. 



To test the effectiveness of the bar I wanted to focus on pre-workout and post-workout. I tried the Cinnamon Raisin Bar as a breakfast replacement before leading a PiYo workout class. I was full and did not feel like I needed anything besides water. The bar gave me plenty of energy to start my day and lead the workout. It was easy to grab the bar and have it for breakfast instead of my normal breakfast routine.

I had the Cranberry Almond Bar after leading a kickboxing workout. I’m always hungry after a morning of running around and then leading an hour workout. The bar filled me up! I’m usually reaching for a few things for lunch. Not with this bar though, it is filling.


So let’s break down this bar now that I experienced it. The Paleo Diet Bar can be used as a meal replacement or post workout recovery snack.



I personally do not follow a Paleo Diet and wanted more information about what it is, and to make sure this bar fell into the Paleo Diet guidelines. I did a Google search and came across the leader of the Paleo movement. Dr. Loren Cordian is the leader of the Paleo movement and has trademarked “The Paleo Diet”. In order for Shauna and Todd to use the name “The Paleo Diet Bar” it had to be endorsed by Dr. Cordian.

Shauna first met Dr. Cordian as her dental hygienist patient and received his support in creating The Paleo Diet Bar (I learned all of this from a YouTube video Shauna made).

Dr. Cordain's guidelines for what constitutes the Paleo Diet are the following:

What to Eat:
    Grass-produced meats
    Fish/seafood
    Fresh fruits and veggies
    Eggs
    Nuts and seeds
    Healthful oils (Olive, walnut, flaxseed, macadamia, avocado, coconut)”

What to not eat:
    Cereal grains
    Legumes (including peanuts)
    Dairy
    Refined sugar
    Potatoes
    Processed foods
    Salt
    Refined vegetable oils”

I like to check more than one source so I looked at what Wikipedia had to say: “The paleolithic diet, also known as the paleo diet or caveman diet, is a diet based on the food humans' ancient ancestors might likely have eaten, such as meat, nuts and berries.”


Like me, you may be thinking: "well aren’t bars processed, packaged foods?" The Paleo Diet Bar follows the guidelines to the Paleo Diet according to Dr. Cordian.


I looked at every aspect of this product and here’s what I found:

The Paleo Diet Bar currently comes in two flavors: Cranberry Almond and Cinnamon Raisin
.

The ingredients (this is what I always want to know about food products, this is where the truth comes out):


Cranberry Almond:
 Dates, Almonds, Egg White Protein Powder, Apple Fiber, Sunflower Seeds, Dried Cranberries (Cranberries, Apple Juice Concentrate), Hemp Protein Powder, Strawberry Juice Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Water, Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon.

Cinnamon Raisin: Dates, Egg White Protein Powder, Sunflower Seeds, Almonds, Raisins, Apple Fiber, Hemp Protein Powder, Sesame Seeds, Coconut Oil, Water, Cinnamon, Vanilla Extract.



This is the first product I had seen use Egg White Protein Powder. You usually see whey protein. Whey is derived from milk, which would be considered a dairy product and not allowed in the Paleo Diet.

I know the texture and taste are important factors in choosing a bar, I have consumed many different bars over the years of being active and on the go. The Paleo Diet Bar has a similar texture and shape to the Lara Bar, but is much larger. The bar is not greasy or sticky in your hand, and is very dense.

Cranberry Almond - was sweeter and I enjoyed the taste more than the Cinnamon Raisin. It tasted like most protein bars do. The bar definitely fills you up. Some bars may have you reaching for a few, but not this one with 17g of protein

Cinnamon Raisin - the ingredient I tasted most was the cinnamon. This flavor did not taste overly sweet.

The label - I compared it to a Lara Bar:
If you are looking for protein (17g) this bar has 4 times the amount of protein compared to a Lara Bar.
It has a lot of sugar (22g) but so do other bars with fruit and dates.
There is 7g of fiber while the Lara Bar has 5g.
Comparing calories the Paleo Diet Bar has 310 and Lara Bars have 200-250. 


How much you would be spending:
The Paleo Diet Bar Sampler Pack includes one Cinnamon Raisin and one Cranberry Almond bar for $8.50 with free shipping. This comes to about $4.25 a bar. 

A 12 pack of the flavor of your choice with taxes and shipping (to California) = $57.34.This comes to about $4.78 per bar.

On Amazon, Cranberry Almond retails for $50.98 including shipping and usually ships within 6-10 days.
Cinnamon Raisin retails for $43.55 with free shipping and usually ships within 2-3 days.

When you purchase an item from Amazon, the prices and shipping continually are changing. Depending on time you may be able to get a better deal and the Paleo Diet Bar website offers a buy from Amazon button. Per bar when sold online (I’m not near a store I can purchase one from) is more expensive than other options on the market.

The Paleo Diet Bar was featured on Shark Tank - Shauna presented The Paleo Diet Bar to the Sharks on May 1st (Season 6 episode 27). One Shark thought it tasted good and much better than the other “protein bars he was eating”. The female shark, Lori did not like the taste. Another asked why so much sugar? Shauna explained that the fruit ingredients accounted for the sugar content. When asked what it takes to produce a bar, she answered $1.09 and said they retail for $2.99 in stores.


Looking over Amazon reviews, I noticed some of the same pros and cons I experienced - the Paleo Diet Bars make for a great meal replacement option, satisfy your hunger and are high in protein.  Some felt they were too sweet, stuck to your teeth and in some cases they didn't care for the taste.


You don’t always get the opportunity to speak with a company on the phone and have all your questions answers, so it was awesome that Shauna took the time to call me. 

Here's what I asked her:

What about the egg white powder, isn’t that a dairy product?  
“Dairy products are just milk products from cows or other milk producers.”

How is the egg white powder made?  
“The egg white is separated from the yolk and dried.”

Where do you get your ingredients from?  
“Mostly the U.S .and a few are international, for example coconut oil.”

Are any of the ingredients organic?  
“No. The priority was the gluten free label. As the company grows the goal is to pay for the organic label.”

What is the shelf life of a bar?
“One year.”

Is this bar considered a diet product for weight loss? 
“It can be used as a diet product because it can be a meal replacement. Or it can be used as a workout recovery snack.”

I hope I covered every question you might have about The Paleo Diet Bar. While I do not personally follow a Paleo Diet, I am sure that if you follow a Paleo Diet and are in the Crossfit community this should work for you.

Shauna is very driven and passionate about her product. If you’re looking to support someone who truly stands behind their product, she’s your gal. They also have two new flavors coming soon - Cherry Apple Walnut and Blueberry Pear Pecan.

Meanwhile, read on for your chance to win a Paleo Diet Bar Sampler Pack!

http://thepaleodietbar.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ThePaleoDietBar
https://twitter.com/CarltheCaveman
https://instagram.com/ThePaleoDietBar/

 

The Paleo Diet Bar is giving away one of their Sampler Packs (containing 1 bar of each of the current flavors) to 5 different winners in the US! 

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Rafflecopter, then leave the name you commented under and your email in the box in the Rafflecopter entry. (This allows us to contact you if you win!)  This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

This giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY
and will end just before midnight ET on 6-8-15. 

The winner will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway.  In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway