When I'm traveling, it can always be a struggle to find healthy food at the airport. Fresh fruits and vegetables are especially tough to find, so I usually find myself trying one of the many snack bars at the kiosks. This morning, I spotted a brand I hadn't seen before and decided to give it a try: Weil by Nature's Path Organic, Chia Razz Pure Fruit & Nut Bar.
Dr. Andrew Weil is a leading physician in the field of alternative medicine, as well as a well known published author. He champions wellness through natural means, and as such this bar made with real fruits, nuts, and other natural ingredients, including chia (chia seeds are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids), raspberry, and cashew. The packaging of this bar is littered with buzzwords like pure, organic, chia, vegan, nothing artificial, no added sugars, and no GMOs. I was intrigued enough to try it especially to see if this was a legitimately healthy bar or if all those buzzwords were meant to trick unsuspecting consumers into purchasing it.
The taste test: I unwrapped the bar to find that it looked similar to a Larabar, but a bit stickier-looking rather than solid and matte (who would have ever thought I'd use the term "matte" to apply to food instead of beauty products)?! Taking a bite, I found that it tasted just like it looked. The berries had a very strong and delicious flavor, while the chia seeds added a gummyness to it instead of the graininess of most bars - and I loved every delicious bite. Eating this bar is like eating a whole bunch of fruit, with the added health benefits of chia seeds.
Each Weil's Chia Razz Pure Fruit And Nut Bar weighs in at 45 gram bar and provides 180 calories, 3 grams of total fat, 0.5 grams of which is saturated (5% and 3% of the daily value), no cholesterol, 20 mg sodium (1% of the DV), 2 grams of protein and 35 grams carbohydrates which includes 5 grams of fiber (20% of daily recommendations) and 28 grams of sugar. Of course, I also had to check out the ingredients and I was pleasantly surprised; "organic dates, organic raisins, organic cashews, organic apples, organic raspberries, chia seeds, organic flavor, organic lemon juice concentrate." And that's it! Highly impressive.
The only disappointing thing for me was the high sugar content, but there is no added sugar - it's all fruit - so that was fine with me. The airport inflated price tag was $2.95 each, but it is available at Amazon.com, a 16-pack for $24.12. I LOVED this bar and with it just might replace Larabars as my go-to bar for my bag.