I hope you’ve been enjoying this culinary tour of Brazil I have a few more foods from my awesome trip that deserve some lovin’, so here we go!

Cheese on a stick (Salvador):

In the same plaza where I was repeatedly stuffing my face with beijus, I’ll admit to indulging in this tasty street food delicacy once (or twice). Behold: cheese on a stick.

first, the seller grills your cheese over a small coal grill

then, you eat it dipped in caramelized balsamic vinegar and dried oregano. btw, all the tables in the plaza feature this tantalizing dining partner

Caipirinhas!

Caipirihnas are the unofficial cocktail of Brazil. They are made with cachaca (Brazilian rum), cane sugar, and muddled fruit, and served over ice. Traditional caipirihnas are made with muddled limes, but you can often find them in other delicious flavors like pineapple, ubu, strawberry, and mango. These drinks are strong and so tasty it’s dangerous I sipped caipirinhas on the beach,

i think those guys hit on my boyfriend a few minutes later

at least i balanced it with coconut water

in the plazas,

saucy

while dancing,

in bars,

…well, you get the idea!

Pao de quiejo (“cheese bread”)

As someone who rarely even eats gluten-free bread, pao de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) was so good I felt guilty. I mean, how- how?- can a gluten-free bread be this good?! Pao de quiejo is made from tapioca flour and comes in little balls. When you eat them warm, it’s impossible to tell where the bread ends and the cheese begins. It’s light, slightly cheesy, and just… incredible. I don’t even have any pictures of pao de quiejo because I ate it without remembering the snap a picture every. single. time.

whaaatt the....

howww...? i don't understand how a little ball of bread could be this tasty.

Globos

Yay for Globos! There’s not much to say here- Globos are a little snack that I saw mostly on the beaches in Rio de Janiero. I bought them a couple times in Ipanema- they are tasty! They are like cheese doodles, with much, much less flavoring, crap, and artificial coloring. Basically just little puffy snacks with a slightly cheesy taste. They are mostly just fun to eat; they definitely don’t fill you up. I do love that they specifically say they are g-free right on the package! Saved me from having to read an ingredient list in Portuguese!

globos eased the pain of my only sunburn of the trip

So there you have it- a snapshot into my gluttonous, g-free tour of Brazil. Overall, I would say that I found it easier to be g-free in northern Brazil (Salvador) than in the south part of the country (Rio de Janiero and Sao Paulo). Food (including coconuts!) was also a lot more expensive in Rio, presumably because it’s a much more expensive city in general, with a lot more tourism. Either way, I found maintaining my diet in Brazil quite easy- easier than I expected. I absolutely loved the food and would go back in a heartbeat!

When you get an email like this at 1am:

…you know it’s something worth writing a post about. Here’s an illustrated recipe for these ultra-simple, amazingly delicious Japanese Sweet Potato latkes. There’s only 3 ingredients and they are, of course, gluten-free! Like pretty much everything I cook, the measurements, times, and temperatures are approximate, so bear with me

What you need:

1 large japanese sweet potato (very tasty, mild flavor sort of in between a regular white potato and a common sweet potato; the flesh is white)

1 brick of mild cheddar cheese (I used Organic Valley)

2 dried chile peppers (I used one guajillo and 1 chile pasilla)

easy to find in the produce section of most grocery stores

Coconut Oil

Apple Sauce (optional, for dipping)

How to do it:

1. Peel the JSP and grate it with cheese grater. Then, the same bowl, grate in about 80% of the brick of cheese and mix. (There should be more JSP than cheese; the cheese is to hold it together.)

2. Crumble and mix in about half of each dried pepper into the JSP/cheese mix. Warning!! The flesh of the peppers is smoky but NOT spicy. The SEEDS are what have the spice, so control how hot you want it by shaking in none, a few, or a lot of the seeds.

3. Melt a lump of coconut oil over med-low heat. When melted, start to build your latkes.

or cute and tiny

4. Flip the latkes after a few minutes (you’ll know they are ready when they start to stay together and when the bottom side is golden brown)

so. delicious!

5. Serve!

if you are the one making the latkes, keep a side stash for yourself because every time you turn around, the plate will be empty!

These are garnished with a little apple sauce and basil, but they would probably also be amazing with sour cream, hot sauce, or whatever else goes with latkes!

Let me know if you try them and happy brunching!

Here’s the second installment of Gluten-Free Global: Brazil!

This post is dedicated to my absolute favorite Brazilian street food: the beiju (pronounced “bay-jew”). A beiju is a crepe-like comestible made from (gluten-free!) tapioca flour folded over either sweet or savory fillings. I spent about 2 weeks in the northeastern beach city of Salvador, Brazil, and ate dinner at the same beiju stand, in the same outdoor plaza, at least 10 times- no joke. The beijus came in many different fillings, cost about $1.50 each, and took only seconds for the skilled ladies behind the counter to whip up, making them the ideal dinner choice on oh-so-many Brazilian evenings. We enjoyed their deliciousness night after night in the humid air of the large outdoor Plaza Vermehlo, and it was glorious.

Me, in Plaza Vermehlo, craving beijus for dinner. The stand is behind me to the right.

Beijus have a slightly chewy, slightly crumbly texture, and not too much taste. This texture/mild taste combo makes them the perfect vehicle to house some amazing fillings. My favorite beiju was filled with spinach, oregano, basil, sun-dried tomato, and cheese. Oh man, my mouth is watering just thinking about them!

the awesome ladies of the Beiju de Paco stand, who loved my earrings and knew my order by heart

tapioca flour beijus on the griddle. the flour starts as a powder, and melts together on the griddle to become sort of like a crepe

my "usual"- 3 basil, oregano, SDT, and cheese beijus. my mouth is watering.

the finished product, lookin' sexy. i believe the other beiju is bacalao (fish) with cheese. and coconuts, of course.

The tapioca flour is much lighter than traditional (gluten-y) flours, so I never felt heavy after consuming, well, basically my own body weight in beijus. Unless you go for the dessert beijus- then it’s a different story. I tried the coconut-chocolate beiju one night and, although tasty, it was quite full of fat and sugar. Usually I stuck to the basil/SDT option- the ladies at the stand definitely recognized me and knew my order after a few nights!

Phew, it’s been a while since I’ve written here! I’ve been beyond fortunate to have been traveling a lot already in 2013. I spent about a month in Brazil over Dec-Jan…

one month = one backpack

and just got back from an 12-day jaunt around Colombia. Lucky me!

Now, you all know I eat a gluten-free diet, and many people ask me how hard it is to maintain my diet while traveling. Perhaps some of you are striving to eat a more g-free diet, but aren’t sure how to do it while being ultra-busy or traveling. Well, you’re in luck! I’m going to start chronicling my gluten-free global gluttony (alliteration is such a writing cheap-shot but hey, sometimes it just works). I’ll be writing about what I ate in my travels, along with some thoughts and experiences from the trips. I hope this is helpful for anyone who wants to learn more about eating gluten-free while traveling, or for anyone who is simply interested in international cuisine. I know I am! So, I hope you enjoy and please, ask questions or leave comments!

Gluten-Free Global: Brazil!

a la pulsamerica.co.uk

I started my month in Brazil in the northeastern beach city of Salvador. The city is amazing; from the warm-water beaches to the technicolor colonial historic district of Pelourinho, Salvador is an picturesque city with enough Brazilian grit around the edges to make this adventurer happy. I’ll say that northern Brazil was one of the easiest places to eat g-free that I’ve been (it was easier than New Orleans, that’s for sure!). Here’s part 1 of the culinary highlights of my time there:

Fruit, Juices, Acai, & Salad:

Suco 24 Horas

When in tropical climates, I spend at least some of my travels eating about a 90% fruitarian diet. I mean, I pretty much could not consume enough fruit in Brazil. It was just so amazing! Above is a photo of juices from the best juice bar my friends and I found in Salvador: Suco 24 Horas. The title (“24 Hour Juice”) refers to the fact that the place is open 24 hours, but we joked that it was named after the time you waited for your order. These people were definitely moving on Brazil time (i.e. slooowww). However, the juices were always worth the wait! In this picture is pineapple coconut, strawberry, umbu (a sweet fruit grown in northeastern Brazil), and mango. They blend them with ice, water, and sugar (which I tried to remember to ask them to leave out). So delicious!

do you umbu?

In the foreground of the photo is acai. Yes, the “miracle” fruit that is supposed to help you lose weight or whatever BS some corporations are claiming. In Brazil, acai berries are typically eaten as sorbet. It’s often garnished with granola, bananas, or honey, but I preferred mine straight-up. Acai berries are loaded with antioxidants and are super healthy, but Suco 24 Horas (and anyone making acai sorbet) definitely add extra sugar when making it into sorbet, so I wouldn’t quite consider acai sorbet a healthy snack. On a hot day, though, it sure hits the spot. It has a deep, smooth, berry flavor and melts on the tongue.

acai- carumba!

Moving on…

… here’s me on the beach. No explanation needed here! Frruiiittt….

…and, here’s me with a coconut. I had about 2 of these bad boys every day. They chill them, so the cool coconut water was absolutely perfect after a hot run. Coconut water is full of hydrating electrolytes, and is nature’s (way healthier) answer to Gatorade. When you’re done drinking the water, they hack the coconut open for you so you can eat the meat. I never, ever got tired of that routine.

Lastly, here’s a picture of a fantastic salad bar/cafe in Salvador:

it brings a tear to my eye

Just look at this thing! A whole clove of roasted garlic, grilled pineapple rings…if you look on the left, there’s even vegetables tied together with more vegetables for cryin’ out loud. What a find!

That’s it for my fruit and veggie tour of Salvador! Now I’m off to drink this type of coconut water… sigh…

it's just not the same out of a tetra pack

Good evening all!

I’m stuck inside studying on this rainy Sunday afternoon, so I thought I’d procrastinate for a few minutes and make a delicious hot-chocolate-type drink. Here’s what I came up with!  This drink uses coconut milk instead of dairy milk, but I didn’t have vegan chocolate chips on hand so it’s not totally vegan. Either way, feel free to play with the ingredients as you like, but don’t skip the SUNBUTTER- it’s what makes this warm drink really unique!

Coconut-Sunbutter Hot Chocolate

- boil up some coconut milk

i always use unsweetened coconut milk to limit my sugar intake

- mix it in a mug with some chocolate chips, a scoop of sunbutter, and a drizzle of honey if you like it sweet

- top with cinnamon and enjoy!

This is great to have in place of a coffee drink when it’s too late in the day for caffeine. If you don’t know what sunbutter is, it’s simply a butter made of ground up sunflower seeds. It almost always has added sugar so be aware of that, but it’s absolutely delicious and amazing with chocolate and coconut!

available at most grocery stores these days, especially trader joe's and natural grocery stores

That’s it- let me know if you try it!

Peace, love, and procrastination inspirations,

Jac

but iiii want a g-free ice cream sammich!

As the months have gotten cooler, I’ve wistfully glanced at the trucks each time I’ve passed the library, knowing that the colder it gets, the less likely I’ll be to catch the enigmatic ice cream sandwich truck. Today was downright balmy, and ice cream was the furthest thing from my mind when- lo and behold- I came across the truck that had eluded me back in September!

mirage? or ice cream truck in manhattan in december? you decide.

My chance had finally come to get my little hands on a g-free ice cream sandwich, so despite the frosty temperature, I ordered one and snuggled into the library to feast.

me, in the corner of the NYU library.

It turns out that the ice cream sandwich was worth my months of fantasizing. The truck is called Coolhaus, and it’s part of a fleet of trucks started by a couple of out-of-work architects in LA. Natasha Case and Freya Estreller decided to start selling Case’s ice cream sandwiches in 2008 when they were both struggling to find work in the architecture field. The business’ namesake is a nod to Dutch architect, urban theorist, and Harvard Professor Rem Koolhaas, and their cookie flavors reference other famous architects (there’s the Frank Berry sugar cookie named after Frank Gehry and the Mies Vanilla Rohe chocolate chip cookie honoring Meis van der Rohe, among others). The coconut-almond cookie is the only gluten-free option on the NYC truck, but it’s so delicious that it’s the only option you need. I ordered mine with salted chocolate ice cream and it was total bliss.

actual coolhaus ice cream sandwiches

Since 2008, the Coolhaus gals have expanded beyond LA to Austin and Dallas- Fort Worth, TX, Miami, and clear across the country here to NYC. (It turns out that I’m behind the times- Coolhaus is actually quite famous- they’ve been praised in The New York Times, on The Food Network, and just about every major NYC food publication). They source as many of their ingredients sustainably as possible and only use hormone- and antibiotic-free dairy in their ever evolving, funky menu (dirty mint julep flavored ice cream, anyone?). As someone who doesn’t eat much dairy, it meets my picky standards of what I want to eat when I indulge Oh, and did I mention that they hand you your ice cream sandwich in an edible wrapper? Yep, you can eat the little paper that holds your sandwich (it tastes a little like a waffle cone).

look ma, no waste!

Personally, I’m thankful that these ladies looked at their potential professional misfortune as an opportunity to get creative and follow their ultra-unique, ultra-delicious passion. And I don’t care how cold it gets, I’m willing to shell out the $6 it costs for a Coolhaus ice cream sandwich any day of the year, and I suggest you do the same, even if it means chasing the truck down Broadway like a little kid!

Just taking a moment here on this unseasonably warm evening in New York City to tell you about one of the yummiest snacks I’ve made in a while. Disclaimer: I made this a few weeks ago when I was under house arrest during Hurricane Sandy… it does take a bit of time to prep the fruit, so even though this is simple, it does take a few minutes of lovin’ care to create!

This is simply a fruit salad topped with granola, honey, and cinnamon, then eaten with Almond Dream’s coconut flavored almond (not dairy!) yogurt.

- If you want this recipe to be gluten-free, be sure to read the package of your granola. Brands like Kind will explicitly say their granola is gluten-free; otherwise, you can’t be sure. Oftentimes oats are processed in facilities that process other grains that contain gluten, so be sure to read.

- The almond yogurt is absolutely delicious; you will not miss dairy! It is definitely a processed food, but for those of us who don’t eat much dairy, this stuff is so delicious and satisfying!

- Of course, use any fruits you like for the salad  I found strawberries and pineapple particularly delicious here.

Bon appetit!

After totally being called out by a friend about how I haven’t written in a while, I decided to write a few words about gluten, give y’all (yes, yes, y’all!) some tips on how to shop gluten-free, and top it all off with a bomb-diggity sandwich “recipe” that I’ve been making pretty much every day lately.  So let’s get to it!

from glutenfreesupportoftoledo

I had been debating whether or not to remove gluten from my diet for probably about a year before I did it for good (which was a few months ag0).  Honestly, I had gotten rid of breads and pastas (two of the most common sources of gluten) quite a while ago, but there were still a few areas of my diet where it was still lurking.  The combination of really paying attention to how it was affecting my health, and doing some traveling to more health-conscious cities out of New Orleans (L.A., Austin, and Denver/Boulder) where I was reminded that there really are tons of g-free options (both food and drink!) finally gave me the confidence to get serious about going g-free.

But let’s back up- why was I thinking about going g-free in the first place, you ask?  Good question.  I’ll be the first to admit that the war against gluten has seemed to come out of nowhere; gluten-free diets seem like a fad.  This article by my man Dr. Mark Hyman is especially awesome at explaining why gluten is “all the sudden” seeming to give everyone from your next-door neighbor to your great-aunt Boo-Boo digestive problems.  In the article, Dr. Hyman addresses a common, genius question:  humans have been making and eating grains in some form of bread in virtually every civilization since man stopped being nomadic, so why all the sudden are we having a problem?  Here are two excerpts that pretty much sum up why we are seeing skyrocketing rates of Celiac’s Disease (a full-blown auto-immune disease caused by gluten intolerance):

“The Bible says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Eating bread is nearly a religious commandment. But the Einkorn, heirloom, Biblical wheat of our ancestors is something modern humans never eat.

Instead, we eat dwarf wheat, the product of genetic manipulation and hybridization that created short, stubby, hardy, high-yielding wheat plants with much higher amounts of starch and gluten and many more chromosomes coding for all sorts of new odd proteins. The man who engineered this modern wheat won the Nobel Prize — it promised to feed millions of starving around the world. Well, it has, and it has made them fat and sick…

Not only does this dwarf, FrankenWheat, contain the super starch, but it also contains super gluten which is much more likely to create inflammation in the body. And in addition to a host of inflammatory and chronic diseases caused by gluten, it causes obesity and diabetes.

Gluten is that sticky protein in wheat that holds bread together and makes it rise. The old fourteen-chromosome-containing Einkorn wheat codes for the small number of gluten proteins, and those that it does produce are the least likely to trigger celiac disease and inflammation. The new dwarf wheat contains twenty-eight or twice as many chromosomes and produces a large variety of gluten proteins, including the ones most likely to cause celiac disease.”

Basically, we’ve gmo’ed the hell out of wheat, and the resulting concentrations of starch and gluten are just more than our bodies can bear.  And keep in mind, people are affected by this FrankenGluten in varying degrees- just because you haven’t been diagnosed with full-blown Celiac’s (I haven’t), doesn’t mean you don’t have a gluten sensitivity that can still cause digestive and skin issues, weight gain, and disease.  Personally, I can say that going g-free has had an incredibly positive affect on my health (second only to incorporating Green Smoothies into my daily diet).

from he.k-state.edu

If you suspect a gluten sensitivity or that you have Celiac’s, getting tested is a great idea, or at the very least, just do an experiment.  Cut gluten out of your diet for two weeks and pay attention to how you look and feel.  And honestly, 9 out of 10 products that contain gluten are totally junky for us anyway, so you’re most likely only going to benefit from cutting it out!

my g-free booty (and groceries) from my first trip to upstate NY's new Trader Joe's!

Have I sold you on giving g-free a go?  If you’re on board and want to see if g-free is the way for you to be, here are 3 tips for how to fill your cart with g-free goodness

1.  You can’t go wrong with produce!  All fruits and veggies are totally gluten-free, so load up!  You can never have enough, and you never have to wonder, check labels, or any of that crap when buying produce.

2.  Meat and (just about all) dairy products are gluten-free.  I’m not particularly condoning eating meat and/or dairy (I eat vegan about 90% of the time), but to keep this a non-biased guide where gluten is our topic-at-hand . . . well, there you have it.  Meat and dairy (watch out for things like granola mix-in’s in yogurt) do not contain gluten.

3.  The most common gluten-free grains you’ll find in the store are quinoa, millet, and rice.  If you must include pasta or bread in your shopping cart, choose products based on these grains.  Most likely, if a product is gluten-free, the label will scream that at you but just in case, if you see something based on these grains, chances are that it’s g-free.  Most often, gluten-free breads are found in the freezer section, although it’s becoming more common to see them in the regular bread isle.  Udi’s and Food for Life are two of my favorite g-free breads (Notes!  Just ‘cuz it’s g-free, doesn’t mean it’s super healthy.  These breads are still fairly processed, so use sparingly.  Also, Ezekiel Breads are NOT gluten-free!  Many people think they are, but they are mostly made of wheat, so sorry!)

When in doubt, read the labels.  Anything containing wheat or barley has gluten in it, so beware

OK, last topic for the post- the “recipe”!  This comes to you courtesy of my mom and I’s trip to the new Trader Joe’s on Wolf Road in Colonie, NY.  I put recipe in quotes because, like pretty much any foods I prepare, the ingredients are simple, mostly interchangeable, and adjustable to your tastes.  Just make it with a mountain of raw veggies and you’re good to go!

i could eat this every. single. day. (and i do)

To prepare:

- toast 2 pieces of g-free bread (this is Udi’s Soft & Hearty whole grain).  If you bought frozen bread, toasting it in a pan with coconut oil is ideal

- spread a layer of your favorite hummus on each slice of bread (this is roasted red pepper)

- top with slices, chunks, bits, and handfuls of your favorite RAW veggies!  I used baby romaine, pea shoots, onions, garlic (yes, raw garlic!), tomatoes, and avocado

Voila!  I don’t think it needs anything else- no condiments, seasonings, nada.  It’s incredible as is, since the bread and hummus both have a bit of salt, and the garlic and onions are plenty potent as far as seasoning. Eat open-face while the toast is still warm for maximum messy enjoyment.

Here’s to getting a gluten-free glow!

Jac

These days, the health and natural foods sections of our grocery stores are chock-full of snack and meal replacement bars claiming to be healthy.   But are they really?  I recently bought and sampled 6 popular bars: here’s a breakdown of what you should know about each bar, and a “Is It Actually Healthy?” score of 1 (totally unhealthy!) – 5 (super healthy!).

Bear in mind, my ratings are largely based on my knowledge about the dangers of consuming too much soy and/or sugar.

You can read more about the dangers of eating too much processed, unfermented soy here, here, and here.

You can read more about the dangers of eating too much sugar here and here.

Cherry Pie Larabar

1.  LARABAR (Cherry Pie Flavor):

Made from: Almost totally raw ingredients (this bar’s ingredient list reads “dates, almonds, unsweeteneed cherries”).

Pros: Vegan, Kosher, Gluten-Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Non-GMO, very few ingredients, minimally processed.

Cons:  If you have a nut allergy, Larabars are not the bars for you! They also contain a fair amount of (fruit) sugar, so if you are suffering from candida or diabetes, also watch out.

Sugar: 23g per bar

Is It Actually Healthy Score: 4

Chocolate Chip Clif Bar

2. Clif Bar (Chocolate Chip Flavor)

Made from: the first ingredient on the list is “brown rice syrup”- sugar!  The crispy base of all Clif Bars is “ClifPro®”, which is mostly soy.

Pros: High in protein, no trans fats, 70% organic ingredients, non-GMO.

Cons: Although some flavors of Clif Bars don’t contain nuts, they are all processed in a facility that handles peanuts and tree nuts.  There may also be traces of dairy and wheat in the bars.  Not to mention that the sugar in these bars is not coming from fruit; most of it comes from straight-up rice syrup.

Sugar: 23g per bar

Is It Actually Healthy Score: 2

Vanilla Almond LUNA Bar

3. LUNA Bar (Vanilla Almond Flavor)

Made From: LUNA Bars are made by the Clif Bar company, so the 2 are essentially the same thing!  The first 2 ingredients in this bar are:  “LunaPro®” which is eerily similar to ClifPro®, and brown rice syrup!  Again, this bar is mostly soy and sugar.

Pros: Much less sugar than other bars (see below), low glycemic (won’t spike your blood sugar), 70% organic ingredients, non-GMO.

Cons:  Again, these bars are based on soy and rice syrup.  This bar contains almonds (not a con unless you are allergic). Although some flavors of LUNA Bars don’t contain nuts, they are all processed in a facility that handles peanuts and tree nuts.  There may also be traces of dairy and wheat in the bars.

Sugar: 11g per bar

Is It Actually Healthy Score: 2

Blueberry Pecan + Fiber KIND PLUS Bar

4.  KIND PLUS Bar (Blueberry Pecan + Fiber Flavor)

Made From: Whole almonds and blueberry pieces are the top 2 ingredients in this bar.  All of the KIND bars are based on whole nuts and fruit pieces.

Pros: This bar is based on whole nuts and real fruit, there’s extra fiber added, Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free, Non-GMO, No Trans Fats, Dairy Free, Cholesterol Free, Low Sodium.

Cons:  Even though the bar is based on whole nuts and fruit, it still contains added sugars and trace amounts of soy.  Obviously, if you have nut allergies, all flavors of KIND bars will not be kind to you!

Sugars: 12g per bar

Is It Actually Healthy Score: 3

Chocolate Covered Strawberries Think Thin Bar

5. thinkThin Bar (Chocolate Covered Strawberries Flavor)

Made From: These bars are based on a “protein blend”, which is basically processed soy and whey protein isolates.  The “chocolate” coating on this particular flavor is mostly maltitol, a sugar alcohol that can be used in place of sugar so the company can claim that the bar is “sugar free.”

Pros: Gluten-Free, 15g of protein in this bar (although it’s debatable whether or not your body can actually use it).

Cons: Pretty much everything.  This bar contains no fruit, only a trace amount of nuts (almonds), and other than that, it is basically soy and fake sugar.  You can read more about the dangers of maltitol here.  Plus, this bar was the worst tasting of the bunch!

Sugars: 0g per bar

Is It Actually Healthy Score: 1

Raspberry & Chocolate RAW REVOLUTION Bar

6. RAW REVOLUTION Bar (Raspberry & Chocolate Flavor)

Made From: cashews, sunflower seeds, agave, dates, cocoa, sprouted flax seeds,  and raspberry powder are the bulk of this bar.

Pros: This bar is mostly (see below) raw, which retains more of the nutrient content of its ingredients.  No artificial ingredients, no preservatives, Gluten-Free, Dairy Free, Organic, Vegan, Kosher, No Refined Sugars, Non-GMO, Soy Free.

Cons:  Contains nuts (again, only a con if you are allergic!), fairly high in (fruit) sugar (a concern for diabetics or people suffering from Candida).   Also, contrary to the claim on the wrapper, this bar is not totally raw!  The cocoa has been processed.

Sugar: 18g

Is It Actually Healthy Score:  4

To sum up:  the least healthy bars are the ones based on processed soy and added sugars.  The healthiest bars are the ones that are minimally processed, contain the highest nut and fruit content, and have the most nutrients.  That said, the healthier bars also tend to be high in (mostly natural fruit) sugars, so in the end, I’d say all of them fall under the category of “dessert.” 

If you have questions about my reviews, or want me to review any other bars, I’d love for you to leave a comment below- and as always, thanks for stopping by!

Peace, love, and I-Think-I’m-Going-To-Start-Making-My-Own-Bars,

Jac

If you have a juicer, do your body a favor and make a juice from the following:

Oranges

Red Grapefruit.

That’s it.  1:1 ratio.  You will literally BE MORE ALIVE if you drink this juice!  I’m buzzing so much I can barely keep still to write this.

Cheers!!

Jac