Product: Udi’s Gluten-Free Ancient Grain Granola Bars – $5.49+
Udi’s continues to expand on its gluten-free product line-up and I couldn’t be happier about it. After all, you have to grow and expand to get anywhere in this gluten-free product explosion that is facing the market these days. Luckily, I do have my favorite brands and, while I do sample others at times, there is no forgetting who is trusted in this market.
Everyone knows Udi’s. Their gluten-free bread was the first I ever tried that I actually liked. I mean, it tasted like bread. Sure, it’s smaller in size…but the texture, the taste…it was all good. It was all just as I wanted it to be. And from there, more and more of their products have made it into my home. And, with only one exception so far (the Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls), I have loved everything I have purchased and sampled from Udi’s. I even have my favorites. Some of them…are even on the new products list!
You see, a while back, I was the proud recipient of a box of goodies from Udi’s Gluten-Free, containing some of their old products and a few of their new products. Pure joy in the mail, let me tell you. I enjoyed revisiting some of their classic products, but even better…I loved being able to give their newest products a try as well. This was super exciting to me and I was looking forward to diving into each and every single product they provided for me.
This week, with my gluten-free pantry drying up, I reached in and removed the box of Udi’s Gluten-Free Ancient Grain Granola Bars. Perfect. This would be the ideal snack to have in the late afternoon to get me through to when I could get home and cook dinner. I was really excited about trying these. They are one of the newly introduced products in Udi’s gluten-free snack line. In fact, there are actually three flavors that are out on the market now: Cranberry Almond, Chocolate Chip, and Ancient Grains. All of them sound really good…and if I find the other two varieties in my local stores, I’ll definitely give them a try as well.
As it was, one of these little granola bars came to work with me on Wednesday and at 3:00 p.m. I was ready to give it a try. The blank white wrapper gives no indication as to what awaits inside. Thankfully, the box that this came in was brightly decorated with a larger-than-life depiction of the granola bar waiting behind the mysterious white wrapper.
The Ancient Grains Granola Bar contains gluten-free oats, rice crisp, milled flaxseed, amaranth, and quinoa. These grains provide the structure and base from which the sweeteners, oils, raisins, and nuts are added. To sweeten and bind this granola bar, I note that Udi’s uses honey, brown rice syrup, evaporated cane srup, non-GMO canola oil, inulin, tapioca maltodextrin, palm oil, water, vegetable glycerine, natural flavor and something called Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 6086. And before you start to panic, that Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 6068 is the Probiotics that are added to this granola bar to elevate the health factor. Yep. Probiotics. Good for digestion and all that.
But…what about the texture? The taste? I’m getting there.
After unwrapping this granola bar, I took a moment to examine it. You could see the variety of ingredients all mashed together into this granola bar. Nothing was indiscernible, which is always a nice touch. And, upon first bite, I discovered how soft and chewy these were. I guess the box indicates this, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was thinking…”WOOHOO! Gluten-free granola bars!” But, that was a nice surprise. I am not a fan of crunchy granola bars. I like to chew them, not crunch them. I like a soft, filling texture and that’s exactly what Udi’s provides. They aren’t overly sweet, thank goodness. They also aren’t a sticky mess and they don’t leave your fingers covered in residue. They are clean, and perfect. Bite-for-bite goodness. I was very impressed with these. They make a great, easy on-the-go snack or something light to chew on to get you through to dinner time or even lunch. It’s the right amount and fills you up just enough. And, wow…the flavor. Without being hidden under a layer of sugar or unnecessary chocolate, the ingredients of these bars speak for themselves. You taste the texture of the grains, get the sweetness from the honey and raisins, get that bit of crunch from the almonds that are added. It is a perfect snack, a good size to tuck away for later without fearing it will be too much.
Nutritionally speaking, an Udi’s Gluten-Free Ancient Grains Granola Bar will provide you with 140 calories and 4.5 grams of fat. One bar will also provide you with 40 mg of sodium and 10 grams of sugar. The sugar content seems a bit high, considering these aren’t very sweet…but with all the sweeteners added, I’m actually surprises it isn’t higher than that. I have definitely seen far worse for granola bars. The Ancient Grains Granola Bar also will provide your body with 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein. Not too shabby!
Add this one to the long list of Udi’s Gluten-Free products that I have loved from the start. It’s a very long list. Because with Udi’s…they strive for perfection. They want their food to taste good. And, when consumers spoke out about their cinnamon rolls, they changed the recipe and reformulated them. I haven’t tried the new version…but I’d like to think I’d like them better the next time I do purchase them. I’ll keep an open mind for sure. Because when it comes to gluten-free companies, Udi’s has made a name for itself for the quality and attention they give their products and their customers. And that’s why people keep coming back to them.
The Celiathlete 