Diet Food Reviews
Luna Bars: All the flavors taste tested
and which could use a little help 
.
My favorite flavor of the Luna lineup is hands down the Lemon Zest! It has a zingy, lemon flavored icing coating the bottom and always leaves me feeling fresh and energized! A close second to the Lemon Zest is the Caramel Nut Brownie - delicious! This bar will definitely hit the spot if you have a hankering for a big slab of brownie!
Some other flavors of Luna that really hit it out of the park are Toasted Nuts n' Cranberry (reminiscent of trail mix and ideal for dipping in a carton of yogurt), S'mores, Dulce de Leche, Cookies and Cream Delight, and the Chai Tea (suprisingly yummy)!
However, I do have to report that Luna has missed the mark with some of their flavors. We will call these the "bad seeds" of the Luna repertoire! Here is the rundown on what is off about these flavors:
Peanut Butter Cookie: Being somewhat of a peanut butter connoisseur [see Naturally More review], I am very critical of my P.B. This bar just does not do it for me. The flavor frankly does not even taste like peanut butter, and definitely not a peanut butter cookie. It also has kind of a metallic after taste.
Iced Oatmeal Raisin: This one is described as: "Dreamy flavors of sweet, buttery oatmeal with chewy raisins and a hint of cinnamon on a layer of cream." Ummm ... NO! The so called "icing" is positively awful! Tastes like the icing on those 25 cent cinnamon buns you can buy in gas stations. The "sweet buttery oatmeal" description is actually pretty accurate but a better description would have been "intolerably sweet"!
Chocolate Peppermint Stick: I love me some mint flavored chocolate so I was really excited about this flavor when Luna introduced it ... until I tried it. It tastes like somebody accidentally dropped a gallon of mint extract into the mix! If you were sucking on a TicTac, this would be perfectly acceptable; but when you are chewing on whole grains, the whole overpowering peppermint thing does not work. And the chocolate flavor is barely there.
The nutrition facts for the Lemon Zest Luna bar (48 grams) is 180 calories, 4.5 grams total fat which is 7% of the recommended daily amount (RDA), 2.5 grams of saturated fat which is 13% of the RDA, no trans fat, 4% of the RDA for sodium (100 mg), 10 grams of protein and 26 grams of total carbohydrates, which includes 10 grams of sugars and 3 grams of fiber, which is 12% of the RDA.
Luna bars are also very rich in micronutrients. There is 100% of the daily requirement of vitamin C, E, folate, B6, and B12; 80% of the other B vitamins, and 10-35% of other nutrients. It's like a multivitamin supplement in a bar - geared towards women. Luna bars are all natural, vegan and have recently gone 70% organic.
As with all quality nutrition bars, the Luna bar is not cheap; you can usually find them sold individually for about $1.00 or buy them at Amazon.com
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First off, let me say that I LOVE this site. As a recovering anorexic, HEALTHY food review sites like this and others have helped me learn how to eat again and maintain a healthy attitude about food. Generally, I find most reviews from foodies spot-on. But here, I find some differences just in personal taste. While I agree that the Toasted Nuts and Cranberry is one of the best flavors of ANY bar to date, I cannot stomach the the Dulce De Leche OR the Lemon Zest because of their sweetness. I'm glad someone has found a taste for that strange blend of lemon-scent and lemon icing because I sure haven't. I forewarn anyone not used to the piercing sweetness of these two flavors to be in for a shock. But if you like that and are used to it, munch away. Forgive me, as I rarely if ever comment on food review sites, but I know of some other people who have found these two top raters to be just a little too much. Keep the reviews coming, but I'll be sure to temper your appreciation or disgust with my own experience.
What about the Chocolate Pecan Pie flavor? That's one of my favorites. And I agree with the previous commenter - Dulce de Leche almost hurts my teeth as sweet as it is. But Luna Bars in general are still awesome.
Hey starhopper: thank you so much for commenting! We want to know more opinions and get comments because yes we do all have different tastes. We certainly don't mind differing viewpoints - in fact - we want to hear it! So comment more!
Samantha: thanks for telling us about the chocolate pecan flavor!
And what about the Nutz Over Chocolate flavor? That one is my favorite--tastes better than a peanut butter cup and is more figure friendly too!
Ironic, I'm also a recovering anorexic and love this site because I think it has healthy attitudes towards food instead of emphasizing only low-cal.
I love Luna bars, and also eat them almost everyday. I guess it's just peoples different tastes, but I loove the iced oatmeal raisin & peanut butter cookie flavors. My other favorites are toasted nuts n' cranberry, cookies & cream and chai tea.. with all the nutrients, why did they only get a 4/5 for nutrition?
In response to some of ya'lls comments: 5 Lips is the intended rating for nutrition...whoopsies! I also love the Nuts Over Chocolate flavor and it definately falls into my favorites category. I appreciate all of the comments ya'll have left; it is interesting to compare and contrast products according to individual taste preferences. I also find it ironic that a couple of you are recovering from eating disorders and use the Luna Bars as part of you recovery plan because there are a couple of people in my life who are near and dear to me who are recovering anorexics and eat Luna Bars on a daily basis. Again, thanks for the feedback!
See, that's what I love about sites like this - they draw in all sorts of people with different experiences as well as tastes. I agree with you CC, this site is wonderful because it looks at food from all sides of health. I also like Hungry Girl because of the fiber-ific finds and Nutritious Junk because the reviewer leads a similar lifestyle as I do (healthy, but adventurous).
Wow, now I can see that tastes definitely are different! My favorite flavors are Iced Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Peppermint Stick, and Peanut Butter Cookie! And the flavors that were praised are actually my least favorite! That goes to show you that people are all different!
I love Iced Oatmeal Raisin as well. And enjoy Dulce de Leche... :)
oh yes. And what about the new Luna tea cakes??
My current faves are Pecan Pie and the Toasted Nuts - they're not too sweet like the Lemon, Chai and Dulce de Leche can be.
All that said, I've recently found myself switching to Lara bars, I find them very satisfying as well.
Anon - I had the teacakes at the Fancy Food Show and rather liked them but I only had a few bites, so I won't know for sure until I pick up a full bar.
the Luna teacakes are really tasty - could you review the Odwalla Super Protein bars?
I would honestly choose a Luna over a Snickers any day in any situation - I just love them! PB cookie is my favorite, but the Carmel Nut Brownie is perfect for a "treat." Oooh and Nutz Over Chocolate. What does toasted nuts taste like? And the chai?
I love love love these! I usually have them for breakfast. My favorite flavors are dulce de leche, chocolate peppermint stick and lemon zest. I was out on the website and saw they discontinued the key lime pie, and the orange zest, along with a few others.
I have to agree with many of these comments re: the originally recommended flavors. I can't stand dulche de leche it's like sugar concentrate you're supposed to chew. Lemon Zest was ok, but I was actually a huge fan of the key lime pie! I used to eat luna bars every morning at work when I had a 8-5 desk job, it's been awhile, so I had no idea they discontinued it! :*( I also really enjoyed the peanut butter cookie... I wouldn't expect a cookie out of a nutrition bar, but it does have a very enjoyable flavor and texture (more like your average granola bar). My two all time favs were Cookies & Cream, and Chai (which is actually the flavor that got me to try luna bars in the first place! -I was never big on protien bars)
Thanks for the reminder on what a great product this is, and though I can't think of them... I recall there being even more flavors than listed above.
I love the Chocolate Peppermint Stick flavor, and I know several others who do as well. The Chai tastes weird to me--I'm used to drinking it, not eating it.
I think dulce de leche was reformulated this year? because I had one after 8 or 9 months without luna bars and it was crazy sweet with toffee chips in the bar?? Gross. Just absolutely gross. I'm also a recovering anorexic, and my N suggested these as a good snack on my meal plan. The Chocolate pecan pie and nuts over chocolate are very good.
I thought I was the only one who had that feeling about the Chocolate Peppermint bar. Too pepperminty! The Nutz Over Chocolate is definitely my favorite.
I love luna bars. I eat one for breakfast every morning. By far the best kind is Cookies and Cream Delight. If you like Luna's try the zone bars. They taste just as good but can be supplimented as a meal with say an apple or other piece of fruit.
I also, like some of the other commenters really like the Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna bars! I guess everyone has different tastes though. My other favorites are Toasted Nuts n' Cranberry and S'mores.
I love this site, I read it everyday :)
I actually loved the iced oatmeal raisin, and the chocolate peppermint stick! I didn't think they were overly sweet at all. I also loved the nutz over chocolate, lemon zest, and peanut butter :P.
I have to say I really liked Chocolate Peppermint Stick, I thought it was perfect! I also love S'mores, Nutz over Chocolate, Chocolate Pecan Pie, and Chocolate Raspberry. I HATE Lemon Zest though, but everyone has different opinions!
I want to try Oatmeal Raisin, Dulce de Leche, and Cookies n' Cream sooooo bad!!
I love this site alot!!!
Toasted nut and cranberry by far.
After my gastric that is the one food that never ever made me ill. I am addicted to toasted nut, bulk buying 6 boxes at a time.
The rest of the line all have that sickly sweet coating on one side that makes my tummy roll.
I hate the Lemon Zest. It reminds me of lemon scented cleaning solution. My favorite flavor so far would be the Chocolate Raspberry, and I really want to try the Chai Tea, but I can't find it anywhere.
The best by far is the Cookies and Cream Delight. I know this sounds really weird, but you can sometimes find Luna bars at Bed Bath and Beyond. That is where I get my Cookies and Cream's at less than a dollar. Check it out.
wow. first of all, i'm a recovering anorexic too and my nutritionist recommended these bars. i LOVEE the chocolate peppermint stick, caramel nut brownie, S'mores, nuts over chocolate, toasted nuts and cranberry and iced oatmeal raisin.
the others are okayy but not as good as those :]
I love luna bars so much! I think they're better than some candy bars, and I always like to keep a good supply of them at home. They're really good since I'm pretty active with sports right now. My favorites are chocolate peppermint stick, caramel nut brownie, toasted nutz and cranberry, vanilla almond sunrise, nutz over chocolae, and chai tea. :)
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Luna Bars! I am glad I discovered them!! My all time favorite is the Caramel Nut Brownie flavor, hands down!! I also like th Cookies n cream, nutz over chocolate, and s'mores. (oh and chocolate peppermint stick too, that was yummy!) There is another flavor not listed on here, the chocolate raspberry flavor.....that was the only one I didn't really care for. Yuck! never buying that flavor again!
Wow, this is getting a little silly, but I am ALSO a recovering anorexic, love this site, and just bought my first luna bars today! i got the chocolate rasberry and caramel nut brownie flavour (which seems to be favoured here!) so i'm really excited to try them. previously i was eating KIND bars which i also LOOOVE! and definitely reccomend as most of them have similar stats to the luna bars!
so great to have come across this site!
I am... NOT a recovering anorexic, but I do share your love of Luna Bars. My favorites are dulce de leche, chocolate raspberry, s'mores, and white chocolate macadamia. Lemon Zest must be a love-or-hate kind of thing, because I can't stand it. All of them are ok, though!
I just recently discovered Lunas... I am so amazed! The first I tried was a lemon zest and it was pleasantly nice change from the usual chocolate protein bars. Today though, I discovered the iced oatmeal raisin.. It was INCREDIBLE! I want to heat one up and have it with tea, I'm so impressed and would actually CHOOSE a Luna over a candy bar anyday, based on taste alone. Keep it up & can't wait to try other flavors!!
I just recently discovered Lunas... I am so amazed! The first I tried was a lemon zest and it was pleasantly nice change from the usual chocolate protein bars. Today though, I discovered the iced oatmeal raisin.. It was INCREDIBLE! I want to heat one up and have it with tea, I'm so impressed and would actually CHOOSE a Luna over a candy bar anyday, based on taste alone. Keep it up & can't wait to try other flavors!!