I featured FRANK* Snack Bars in my previous blog all about health, fitness and inspiration, as one of the health food brands I hadn’t tried yet – shocking! Made with 100% natural ingredients, suitable for both vegetarians and vegans, free from gluten, nuts and dairy plus, as if that’s not enough to whet your super healthy appetite, these bars are a great source of protein with no added refined sugar.
The thing that caught my attention about FRANK bars wasn’t just the colourful, vibrant branding but the variety of flavours, especially with the feature of ‘chocolate’ – hang on, this is a bad ingredient, right?! Branded as a deliciously indulgent snack bar made with wholegrain oats, velvety dates and opulent plums topped with a coconut cream chocolate for tasty, honest snacking, there are no gimmicks with these guys.
As someone who is very much into fitness and eating as healthily as possible, I still like to indulge in the odd treat (I don’t want to deprive myself too much, especially as I’m wheat intolerant anyway!). Plus, being a girl, chocolate and sugar cravings are natural… While that doesn’t mean consuming a whole bar of chocolate in one go, I’ve been on the lookout for alternatives to satisfy the cravings but minus the calories, fat and sugar.
Cue a box of these little delights arriving at my work, one of each variety – I couldn’t decide which to try first out of Orange & Chocolate, Double Chocolate, Oat & Chocolate, Strawberry & Chocolate and Blueberry & Chocolate – it was so tempting to eat them all in one go, which would have perhaps counteracted the healthy benefits!
Now, sometimes I am quite sceptical about snack bars promising to be both tasty and healthy – in most cases, it’s a too good to be true sentiment – but thankfully, these FRANK bars did not fail in the taste test. With only 118 calories per bar, each flavour is moist, with a cakey, almost fudge-like texture, while the chocolate is a nice creamy addition to balance out the oatiness of the bar. It’s hard to say which one was my favourite, but being a huge fan of anything with berries in, I’d have to say it’s a close call between the Strawberry or Blueberry – sweet enough without being overpowering.
The verdict: containing no additives, chemicals or colourings, plus the addition of ENERGYSMART (an all-natural combination of carbohydrates and fruit juice concentrates to provide long-lasting energy), FRANK bars are the ideal choice for on-the-go healthy snacking. I’d say they would make a great option pre-running, or likewise a substantial post-workout bite. Catering for so many different diet/lifestyle choices, if you’re looking for an all-round healthy snack bar which doesn’t compromise on taste, you should get your cupboard, desk or gym bag stocked with these!
Twitter tip from @FrankBars: “You should try a warm double choc one @SpamellaB, served with frozen banana ice cream #ohmygoodness!” – This WILL be happening!.