Glutino’s Gluten-Free Blueberry Breakfast Bar a good on-the-go option

Product: Glutino Gluten-Free Blueberry Breakfast Bars – $5.99+

Breakfast bars.

They are tricky.  They really are.  I have eaten them since I was little…and the one thing is always the same.  The fruit tastes fake (because it mostly is), the actual bar is usually dry and rather tasteless, and they just make me thirsty when I eat them.

All of that holds true for Glutino’s Gluten-Free Blueberry Breakfast Bar, the second flavor I have ever tried from their line up of gluten-free bars, which include apple, cherry, and strawberry.  Prior to this, I have only had the strawberry variety.  And that was a year and a half ago.  Honestly.  It was also my first ever taste of a gluten-free breakfast bar.

You know…when you first bite into something that you haven’t had for ages…you tend to get lost in that moment.  For me, when I had that first breakfast bar back then, I remembered growing up and eating those Nutri-Grain bars for snack at school.

That’s what these taste like.  Exactly.

Glutino’s Gluten-Free Blueberry Breakfast Bar is actually really good.  It was the first sample of a bar I ever had, at a Gluten-Free Tasting Fair at a local natural food store.  One bite and I was in heaven.  I had to buy my own box, and that was when I went with the strawberry variety.  I ended up with the Glutino Blueberry Breakfast Bars, however, because my mom had purchased a box of them for me while I was in town last time, running a race and visiting the family.  I never was home enough to eat them…so, she told me to take them with me.  I’m not one to turn down free food.

I’ve had a lot to work through in my pantry, but these were now getting their time as my afternoon snack.

Glutino doesn’t disappoint when it comes to hitting tastes and textures for their snack foods and their products.  Honestly, they are a name I trust.  When it comes to gluten-free foods, Glutino really focuses a lot on the taste, flavor, texture and how people perceive their product.  That is a big deal because if it isn’t good…if it tastes bad or is tasteless, no one will purchase it, right?

Well, the Glutino Gluten-Free Blueberry Breakfast Bar…is good.  I mean…when you need something fast or on-the-go, it’s handy to have around.  They slip right into a bag or purse without any problems…and that’s important.  You want ease when you’re an on-the-go sort like me.  The bar itself does have that dry breakfast bar flavor…the one that every breakfast bar has.  But, the fruit puree in the middle is packed with flavor.  These bars are soft, easy to chew, and yes…they are good.  Tasty.  Not perfect.  Not wonderful.  But…good.

Amazing how the more products you eat, the more gluten-free foods you work through, the more you change the way you eat, the less fantastic something seems when you return to it.  Like I said…these bars are good.

I’ve always been a label reader when I go shopping, but never really payed too close of attention to the ingredient lists on certified gluten-free foods.  With the way I am shifting my diet, per my sports nutritionist, I am actually really saddened by the amount of unnatural ingredients that go into these.  It’s a bit of a turn-off.  While it does contain actual blueberries, they aren’t listed until 5th on the list.  The first ingredient is, sadly, sugar.  And the blueberry portion of this bar is a mix of that sugar, with some chemical ingredients I can’t pronounce, a blend of fruit and vegetable juices (white grape, carrot, blueberry, and pear) as well as a raisin paste, more sugar (fructose), and the pastry-like casing seems to be a mix of chickpea flour, white rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch.  While I admire that they do, in fact, use real blueberries and blueberry juice, I just wish there were more of that and less of the chemicals in these bars.

That being said…in a pinch…these would be a good option to grab.

Nutritionally speaking, these bars provide you with 140 calories per bar and 2 grams of fat.  So, they are a healthier choice than some things out on the market.  These contain only 60 mg of sodium and are cholesterol free.  In addition, you are provided with 3 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein.  A little low, but leaving you feeling satisfied after eating it.  You won’t be starving in the next couple of hours after consuming this bar.  So, as far as the numbers go…not bad.

As far as the flavor goes…very reminiscent of the breakfast bars I ate growing up, before I had to go gluten-free as an adult.  If you’re in a pinch, these are a good option to have on hand to take with you, in case hunger strikes.

Nicely done, Glutino.