10/3/07 | Nature Valley Nut Crunch
[ Currently Eating: Coffee ]
I usually post up Cheap Eats reviews on Tuesdays. But you know that saying, “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t?” (Please, don’t make me sing the farking jingle.) Well, yesterday I just really, really, REALLY didn’t feel like a nut. So I figured I’d better hold off on reviewing these new Nature Valley Roasted Nut Crunch bars. Because these bars are so unbelivably nut-filled (nutsy?) that I wouldn’t do them justice if I wasn’t in a nutty type of mood.
I got two boxes of these nut energy bars – Almond Crunch and Peanut Crunch. They’re almost identical, except that the first has whole almonds in it (interestingly, the Peanut one contains almond flour in it). There are six bars per box and each bar is about 1.2 ounces and measures about 3.5 inches long. This seems a bit short actually, but maybe it’s just the ever-shrinking size of prepared foods like this today. I really used to think it was me just growing up so the sizes of candy bars getting smaller and smaller. No, it IS them getting smaller. I’m nut crazy. Sorry, I mean I’m not crazy.
Well, perhaps it’s also smaller because unlike other nut-based energy bars there are a LOT of nuts in it – so the price consequently goes up. I have to say that I was really surprised at the quantity of nuts – if you look at the ingredients (for the Almond ones) they contain: Almonds, Peanuts, Sunflower Seeds, Sugar, Corn Syrup, and Salt. That’s all, which is pretty amazing considering a lot of the chewier bars’ ingredient lists threaten to take over the entire side of the box.
Oh, did I mention that this is NOT a chewy type of bar? In fact, it’s one of the crunchiest I’ve ever had. A downside is that it’s actually very, very messy. I learned early on not to take the entire bar out of the package and just push it up slightly to take a careful bite. This is not something you want to eat while driving. Because it’s basically nuts held together with corn syrup, there’s no way to avoid having them fall in your lap. (Ah.. but if I was a funnier reviewer I would have a sweet time with making a joke about nuts in your lap). If you take too big of a bite it just shatters all over the place.
That said, the taste is pretty great – roasted nuts is what you get. There are no “fake” nuts here made out of compressed powdered nuts. I like the trend toward less ingredients that they’ve made with these bars.
The roasted nut flavor is excellent – I was expecting nuts that were over or under roasted, but I didn’t detect any. The balance of salty and sweet is pretty good. It’s a bit heavy for me, but I suspect that it’s just right for almost everyone else. It’s a bit like eating caramel corn or cracker jack if you substituted the popcorn with nuts. Actually, it’s even more like peanut or almond brittle minus most of the brittle. Basically, if you don’t like nuts (or are allergic in any way to them) you want to avoid this bar at all costs. If you like nuts, this is going to make you pretty satisfied.
At about 57 cents a piece retail, it’s about the same price as a candy bar though probably better for you (well, it does say 22% of Total Fat – 14g so I guess it’s not something to eat if you’re trying to lose weight? Don’t ask me, I’m not a dietitian or nutritionist). I would probably buy these again, especially if they were on sale.
However, while you’re eating this you’re probably going to have this thought: Couldn’t I just buy some trail mix and get basically the same ingredients without the fancy packaging for cheaper? Sure, it’s individually packed and convenient to just grab and go – but the mess it makes while consuming it sort of negates the convenience. Also, I’m sure you could cut out some of the sugar and salt from this by just eating unadorned trail mix. I’ve also wondered if you could just pour some trail mix into a cupcake pan and drizzle that with some sort of melted sugar (or corn syrup) mixture in order to make the exact same thing.
I dunno, maybe I’m being too hard on them. It’s a decent snack, especially when you compare it to a lot of the other energy bars out there that contain a lot of junk. I like the transparency in the ingredients and they’re certainly tasty, but I wonder if at some point a bag of mixed nuts will provide exactly the same result.
Price: Free (MSRP: $3.39 for 6 1.2 oz bars)
Found At: Sent in for review
Cheap Eats Score: 7/10
October 6th, 2007 at 12:30 am
I know I’m gonna sound like a total hypocrite when I say this considering I’m obviously not the healthiest person as you can see from my blog, but one reason I eat out so much is because packaged food usually contains hydrogenated oils as well as corn syrup, which are two ingredients I try, but not so good at, avoiding, or maybe it’s just my excuse to go out and eat. But whatever, I’m totally nuts about nuts and will probably buy a box next time I’m at the grocery store.
October 31st, 2007 at 8:31 pm
I love these- as a vegetarian, I say they are some protein- but they are tasty and taste surprisingly fresh. I think they are worth the cost, nuts are very expensive now, and I think they are not bad nutrition-wise.
Tracy
November 28th, 2007 at 7:08 am
I actually just ate one of the Peanut Crunch bars a few minutes ago. They are pretty tasty. Just to clarify on the “total fat” issue. Two of the three fats in these bars are good for you. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are good. It’s the saturated fats that you want to avoid. Only 1.5 grams (7%DV) of the total 12 grams of fat are saturated fats.
The best fats for you are unsaturated fats (nuts, seeds, oils) which include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Also, polyunsaturated fats contain omega-3 fatty acids (fish, flaxseed). These fats help lower bad cholesteral (LDL) and increase good cholestoral (HDL).
Bad fats are saturated (bacon, butter, cream cheese, coconut) and trans fats (shortening, non-dairy creamers). You want to keep the intake of these fats to a minimum.
I hope this helps!
*I am not a nutritionist or a doctor. I simply enjoy doing research that will benefit my health.
November 28th, 2007 at 7:09 am
I actually just ate one of the Peanut Crunch bars a few minutes ago. They are pretty tasty. Just to clarify on the “total fat” issue. Two of the three fats in these bars are good for you. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are good. It’s the saturated fats that you want to avoid. Only 1.5 grams (7%DV) of the total 12 grams of fat are saturated fats.
The best fats for you are unsaturated fats (nuts, seeds, oils) which include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Also, polyunsaturated fats contain omega-3 fatty acids (fish, flaxseed). These fats help lower bad cholesteral (LDL) and increase good cholestoral (HDL).
Bad fats are saturated (bacon, butter, cream cheese, coconut) and trans fats (shortening, non-dairy creamers). You want to keep the intake of these fats to a minimum.
I hope this helps!
*I am not a nutritionist or a doctor. I simply enjoy doing research that will benefit my health.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
I’ve been eating the Almond Crunch ones the past few days, and they’re really good. I’m a vegetarian as well, and the 7g of protein for something so delicious and “snack-y” is amazing. They do make a mess though, I should start eating them over a plate. I’ll definately be getting more and I want to try the Peanut Crunch one now as well!
October 14th, 2008 at 12:38 am
If you like Snickers Munch bars, you’ll love the peanut crunch bars because they taste just like them. Munch bars are one of my favorite candy bars, and I love these! BUT I must add that the almond crunch bars are EVEN BETTER! The whole almonds and sunflower seeds make them a real treat! With a cup of coffee, they have become my favorite breakfast! The only thing is, with their small size–it’s hard to eat just one!
February 28th, 2009 at 6:14 am
Here, here, Austin! You’re right about the “good” fat in nuts. Omega 3′s are essentially fats and very good for you. The protein in these bars is also a plus and they do not contain a lot of high-fructose corn syrup (like their chewier brethren) just enough to keep the nuts together. I have one for breakfast most mornings since I’m sensitive to bready/bagely type fast foods. The trick to eating these is to break them up into bite-sized pieces BEFORE you unwrap the bar. All the crumbs will stay in the wrapper, you get bits that are easy to pick up and eat and, if you’re a glutton like me, you can just pour the rest of the crumbs into your gullet when the chunks are gone — yum!
December 10th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
I have been eating these for a while, and love them. I just came across this review, and think that the writer is off base with one of his comments.
You cannot compare this product with a bag of nuts, and say they accomplish the same thing. Its like trying to compare a pound cake with frosting with a Tiramisu. Sure, they both have flour, sugar, butter, etc, but one of these cakes is refined and allows for a variety of subtlety in flavor and texture by adding different flavors or caramelization of the sugars, and one of these cakes is plain jane.
A bag of plain nuts is….plain. These bars are a tasty way to have a somewhat healthy snack, akin to a granola bar. If you sort of like granola bars, and you like nuts, then these bars are an amazing combination of the two.
Really, they are the same as another new snack product called nut clusters, but in a different shape and package.
It should be really easy to make these at home, but it will take some experimentation to get the roasting right.