Survival Bars!

I'm all about bars these days. Not the kind that you drink in. I mean, LOVE those too. But I'm talking energy bars. Specifically raw fruit and nut bars.

Not all bars are created equal. Some, like Vega One bars, are loaded with protein and great for post-workout recovery. But others, like Larabars, are made with just fruit and nuts and provide simple carbs that break down quickly to provide fuel for a workout. So I think it's best to eat raw fruit & nut bars BEFORE my runs.

For years, I had Larabars before workouts, but after awhile I got bored with the same flavors over and over. So I switched to eating raw dates stuffed with coconut butter or almond butter before my runs. But that got boring too. Fortunately, that was around the same time a box of samples arrived from Survival Bar by Hallelujah Acres.

These are very similar to Larabars in texture, but they have a whole lot more stuff in them. There's almond butter, dates, agave, flax, raisins, brown rice protein, quinoa, sesame seeds, greens juice, carrot juice, and beet juice. If you eat an entire bar, these make an excellent meal replacement. They're cold-pressed, gluten-free, and 300 calories each.

But I very rarely find myself in a position to skip a meal. I mean, I'll stop EVERYTHING to make time for a good sit-down meal.

That said, when cut in half, these bars are great as a pre-run fuel. And I get two servings out of each bar!

They sent me Original, Cranberry Blast, and Blueberry Burst. The berry flavors varied slightly from the original, but honestly, I couldn't tell much difference in taste. I did favor the Original the most though because the lack of a tart berry flavor made the almond butter taste stand out. The bars have a wet texture that's very similar to the aforementioned Larabars. Love that texture!

These kept me full on my runs for at least an hour, which is about the time I start popping energy chews and gels anyway.

Lucky for me and my bar habit, in the past two weeks, two other raw fruit & nut bar brands have arrived in my box! So more bar reviews coming soon!