This post and photos may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase something through any link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. All opinions are my own.
There are so many granolas and snack bars on the market these days, it’s hard to know which are the healthiest choices. Many of these bars are really glorified candy bars that are loaded with preservatives, additives, unnecessary sugars, high fructose corn syrup and GMO’s (genetically modified organisms). Many are marketed as a healthy snack but really contain barely anything healthy at all.
I was excited when KIND contacted me to review their granolas and bars. They sent me Dark Chocolate and Cranberry Clusters Granola and Dark Chocolate. First off, I read their ingredient list. It is crucial to read and understand what all of the ingredients are in your foods.
These are the ingredients for the granola:
But what are these ingredients? Let’s break it down…
Whole grains are the first ingredient. This is important because ingredients are listed in order of weight, so whatever the first ingredient is, means that weighs the most. So basically, I am happy that there are more whole grains than any other ingredient in this granola.
What is evaporated cane juice? Also, known as turbinado sugar, it’s an unrefined, minimally processed form of sugar.
Next is dark chocolate. Yum.
I don’t love canola oil, even organic canola oil because they are typically genetically modified (yes even the organic ones).
Chicory root? Yes, this is commonly used is processed foods to increase the fiber value. It is similar to fiber that is found in fruits and vegetables and sometimes labeled as “inulin”.
Cranberries. Love them.
Sugar. Probably unnecessary to add more sugar but a single serving of this granola only has 7 grams which is less than many other granolas on the shelves.
Molasses. More sugar. But molasses is less refined and actually retains nutrients and vitamins unlike other sweeteners.
Sea salt. Fantastic combined with the nuts and dark chocolate!
Natural Vitamin E is added to many packaged cereals.
Sunflower oil is the last ingredient, which means there is the less sunflower oil than any other ingredient in this granola. I am not a big fan of processed vegetable oils, but as I stated above, there is only a small amount.
Here is the nutrition information for the granola:
A 1/3 cup serving only has 130 calories and 3 grams of fat. That is considerably less than many other granolas you will find in the supermarket. I also like that you get 3 grams of fiber, only 7 grams of sugar and 3 grams of protein in each serving. Some granolas on the market can have up to 20 grams of sugar PER SERVING! Yes, that’s per serving and that’s a whole lot of sugar. I really liked the taste of this granola and would recommend it as a healthy breakfast or snack. It goes perfectly with plain Greek yogurt. Just saying.
Ok, now onto one of the best things I’ve tasted in a while… Dark Chocolate, Nuts and Sea Salt KIND Bars. Ok full disclosure…I may have eaten them so fast that I forgot to take a picture of the ingredients list. Yes, they are THAT good. So here is the list: (sorry no picture 🙂 ) Mixed nuts, chicory root fiber, honey, palm kernel oil, sugar, crisp rice, cocoa powder, non-GMO glucose, sea salt, soy lecithin, milk powder, vanilla extract.
Let’s go over these ingredients. Mixed nuts, well, that’s obvious. They are delicious and full of healthy fats.
We spoke about chicory root fiber above.
Honey. Ah, I love honey. It’s a wonderful, natural sweetener.
Palm Kernel Oil. Research shows that this oil is high in saturated fat. You should limit the amount of saturated fats you consume.
Sugar. No explanation necessary.
Crisp rice is basically rice which has been cooked to be made crispy. (I probably didn’t need to explain that).
Cocoa powder provides the creamy chocolate taste. I only wish it was “dark” chocolate powder to increase the amount of antioxidants.
Non- GMO Glucose. I love that this sugar isn’t genetically modified and that KIND goes the extra step in providing that.
Sea Salt. Enough Said.
Soy Lecithin is an emulsifier made from soybeans. It helps hold the ingredients together. I am not a fan of soybeans and I believe they should be eaten in moderation. It’s one of the last ingredients on the list so I am not worried about it.
Milk powder is basically what you think it is. It’s dried milk.
Vanilla extract is self explanatory. And delicious.
Overall, I recommend eating these bars when you are on the go and need a quick, healthy snack. I love that they are Non-GMO, gluten-free, vegetarian (some are vegan) and relatively low in sugar, But keep in mind, they are 200 calories a bar, so I wouldn’t necessarily consider them low calorie. They are delicious and overall, I like the ingredients. Did I happen to mention how insanely delicious they are? Dark chocolate + nuts + sea salt = heaven.
Soooooo, the kind people (see what I did there?) at KIND are graciously giving away a variety box of 10 bars to one of my lucky followers! The winner must be from the U.S. and the giveaway ends Thursday March 6, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. SORRY GIVEAWAY ENDED!!
I bet you are wondering how to enter?
You can easily get 5 entries for this giveaway, one for each of the social media sites you follow me on. Simple. Start off by commenting on this blog post and tell me what your favorite healthy snack is.
Follow me on Facebook here: 1 entry
Follow me on Pinterest here: 1 entry
Follow me on Twitter here: 1 entry
Follow my blog here: 1 entry
Follow me on Instagram here: 1 entry
It’s an easy way to gain 5 entries to this giveaway. These KIND bars are the perfect snack to keep in your car or bag for on the go. Remember that most of these so-called “healthy” bars are loaded with GMO’s, high fructose corn syrup and preservatives. I like KIND bars and their ingredients and I am thrilled to be able to host this giveaway.
Thanks for entering the giveaway! Ashlyn Howard is the winner 🙂
You mention Palm Kernel Oil. You should not eat anything with palm oil, palm kernel oil or anything starting with palm. The production of palm oil is destroying the rainforests in Indonesia where Orangutans & they are now a threatened species.
I agree about Palm Kernel Oil Deborah, but i also believe in moderation. These bars and granola and a quick and healthy, convenient snack. They are far more healthy than many of the other convenience bars out there! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I love KIND bars. I also like the KIND healthy grains granola bars.
I love to make my own granola but I do LOVE KIND Brand 🙂
I follow your blog via email (I guess I need to comment for everything…right?)
I follow your blog via me personally and my blog on Facebook 🙂
I follow you on Pinterest 🙂
I follow you on Instagram….it’s starting to sound like I am stalking you!!!! HAHAHA….not on twitter…I don’t tweet! 😉
You can stalk me ANY day Isabelle 🙂
I love KIND bars. My favorites are definitely the dark chocolate nuts & sea salt that you mentioned and the peanut butter dark chocolate. I just wish they weren’t so expensive. Great review!
I like these be cause they’re low glycemic. My favorite snack is unsalted peanuts & raisins.
I follow you on Instagram (chrissyelle).
I follow you on Facebook.
My favorite “go to” snack is plain Greek yogurt with fresh fruit! I’ll have to add Kind granola to my grocery list. That would be the perfect topping!
I follow you in Pinterest (chrissyelle ).
I follow you on twitter(_chrissyb_).
My favorite healthy snack is yogurt with fresh fruit and nuts. I have also followed you on facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest, and your blog.
I love KIND’s dark chocolate cranberry granola it’s one of my faves! I would love to try their bars ( hint hint)
One of my favorite healthy snacks is a fruit smoothie with spinach. Yum! I follow you on Pinterest and Facebook. =)
My favorite healthy snack is nuts.
Oats and honey with toasted coconut
Hard to say, but probably avocados are my fave snack.
~curiouskit10 / callsign_rabbit
We are big time veggie and fruit eaters here so I love snacking on them and if something has them in the ingredients that is a plus.
(follow on FB, Twitter, and Instagram)
My favorite healthy snack is yogurt topped with fresh fruit or a dried fruit mix.
I follow on twitter @justtellmewhen
Can’t go a week without my Kind Bars<3 Also love the square granola ones they recently came out with!
I love to cut up an apple and eat with a little bit of peanut butter.
I am subscribed to e-mail updates.
I follow on Facebook.
I follow on Pinterest.
I enjoy celery sticks and peanut butter for snacking!
I receive your emails.
I’m a Facebook fan!
Following on Pinterest too. Thank you!
I enjoy snacking on trail mix with nuts and fruit!
Facebook fan too.
Also receive your emails. Thanks!
I love a green apple with some walnuts for a healthy snack! I also love Kind bars. The pomegranate pistachio one is my favorite!
I love to snack on almonds/cashews/pistachios…and pea pods 🙂
My favorite healthy snack is almonds
Follow you on Instagram: instagram.com/elena1509
Follow you on Pinterest: pinterest.com/elena8
I have been following you for some time on Facebook and Pinterest. I thoroughly enjoy all the healthy food ideas you share. I also love Kind bars and didn’t know they have granola clusters. And now I found you on Instagram. Win….win for me!
I’ve never tried Kind products but your review has inspired me to try some bars and cereal. Thanks!
Hey Lauren!
I am not always a healthy eater, but I try to keep things in moderation and to keep moving as much as possible!
And I tell anyone and everyone about your recipes! Several friends have become your fans for life now! 🙂
my favorite is a banana with peanut butter 🙂
oh and I follow on fb
greek yogurt!
liked you on fb
follow on twitter @mw2314
follow on instagram @mw2314
follow on pinterest as emichh4
Favorite snack is simple – just an apple.
I “Like” you on FB.
Nuts! Nuts! Nuts! They are healthy and yummy 🙂
I follow your blog, twitter, and Pinterest
My favorite healthy snack is any type of fresh fruit, apples being at the top of the list.
I like your Facebook page.
I am subscribed to your blog news feed.
I follow your Pinterest boards.
I follow you on Twitter with the handle @FireRunner2379.
I think you need to dig a little deeper into what exactly healthy food is. Granola is a vehicle for sugar. Humans don’t get much if any nutrition from toasted oats. That’s why they are fed to horses and other ruminants, animals that have 4 stomachs and can digest them. Kind snack bars are candy bars, period. If you are eating one per month, that would be okay. Snacks = raw nuts, raw vegetables and fruit, not candy. It is appalling that people are eating these bars as meal replacements. They are just paying a higher price to get Diabetes and other health problems.
Hi Katherine! I am a firm believer of eating in moderation. I too, choose to snack on raw nuts, veggies and homemade dips and hummus. But I am very busy and every now and then I will eat a bar as a quick, on the go snack. I agree that eating ANY packaged foods in excess is not any good for you. I absolutely love making homemade granola too, you should check out the recipes here on my site! Have a great day!
Just bought some of the Kind healthy grains bars. My question is that it says on the box that they are made with US and “Imported” Ingredients. Any idea what ingredients are “imported”. I told like the sound of that. Where are they imported from, China??
Hmmm…that is interesting. I honestly have no idea!