August 29th, 2008
Product Review: Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars
A friend of mine mentioned Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars on Twitter while I was away earlier in the month, and on our first grocery shopping trip after I got home, I had to buy some so I could see what all the fuss was about. I picked the peanut flavor, as both my husband and I are peanut butter fans.
From the first bite, I was in love with these granola bars, which live up to their name. They’re crunchy without being tooth-breakingly hard, sweet without being cloying, have just the right degree of saltiness, and have visible nuts evenly distributed throughout the peanut butter-covered bars. Despite being neither chocolate nor cheesy, they are the perfect snack.
Nutritionally, they’re not awful - more calories than a container of yogurt, but more nutrition than a candy bar. The peanut variety has 170 calories, and 9 grams of fat, but zero trans-fats, and also offers 4 grams of protein. Paired with a glass of non-fat milk, a cup of coffee or tea, or a bottle of water, they make a decent snack to fight the post-lunch slump that so many of us slide into around three in the afternoon. Add a piece of fruit, and you’ve got a quick breakfast that’s better than almost anything you can get wrapped in paper and ordered from your car.
I’m a granola bar fan, so these are great for me, but my husband, who tends to favor snack foods that come in scary variants of the color orange, also liked them. In fact, he liked them enough to stand in the doorway, smugly eating the last one, and asking, “Could we buy more of these.”
If you, like me, are into the sweet/salty flavor combination, you have to try these.
Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars also come in almond, cashew and roasted mixed nut, and are available at most grocery stores. For nutritional information, see Nature Valley’s website, or read the back of the box!
August 31st, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I haven’t tried the almond variety, but two of my daughters and I LOVE< LOVE LOVE the peanut ones. They’re just the right combo.
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:14 am
I thought that too–that there was no trans fat; because of the way it’s labeled but when you look at the label online it says that the almond butter coating contains partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil; which the trans fat website says that could mean up to 0.5 grams per serving–so not cool on the part by the nature valley company!
however their other bars like the crunchy ones like the oats and honey and the peanut butter and maple and cinnamon and stuff have NO trans! the list of ingredients doesn’t consist of anything that’s realted to trans!