By Alisa Fleming - Breakfast is a must for me, and it is typically a multi-course affair over a few morning hours.  However, the other morning, we found ourselves in a mad dash to make it to a friend’s nursing school graduation.  Since I couldn’t risk a loud grumbling stomach during the ceremony, I quickly perused our snack basket for something I could eat in the car. The Luna Bars caught my eye first, yet I was disappointed to see only chocolate inspired flavors among my selection.  Chocolate has never been a morning flavor for me; in fact, it rarely enters my food scene prior to late afternoon.  Yet, with few options available, I grabbed the Chocolate Pecan Pie flavor. It sounded the heartiest, as I anticipated some nutty goodness.

Like most Luna Bars (perhaps all?) it had a granola bar half-dipped in chocolate appearance.    I bit into to a thankfully mild flavor.  While it was certainly sweet, it didn’t seem over-the-top.  Overall, it was quite tasty.  The chocolate was mild and soft, the bar itself had a nice crispy crunch, and there was a slight nutty taste.  I was however, very disappointed that the crunch came mostly from crispy rice.  My teeth could identify not a single, solid little bit of nut.  Really, it had a nut-vibe, but fell short in the whole pecan experience.  Curious, I went straight for the ingredient statement.  The bulk of the bar was made up of LunaPro, a proprietary blend dominated by crispy rice, oats, soybeans, and a small handful of other organic ingredients.  But, where were the pecans?  After this massive mix, and after the coating, rested the organic roasted pecans and pecans.  While there were apparently two doses of pecans, I really wasn’t getting it. A nuttier crunch in this bar would be more than welcomed.

As for the nutrition, I liked that the sugars were kept in check for a bar, at just 9g.  It also had a surprising injection of 10g of protein, and an impressive fortification list of vitamins and minerals.  I suppose for a snack or breakfast-on-the-go, it could be considered somewhat virtuous.  However, as someone with a thyroid disorder, I wasn’t too stoked about the soy protein isolates in the LunaPro.  This is an ingredient I do shy away from, but some people feel it is beneficial for them, so this is purely a matter of preference.

While I would consider purchasing this bar/flavor again, there are many others on the market that capture my attention more.

Where to Buy:  Luna Bars are widely distributed throughout the U.S. and Canada.  Check the Luna Bar website for a store locator, and to find out about purchasing in other international locations.  Luna Bars are available for a discount on Amazon.

	29-03-2008 20:14
	Just a quick note here... Luna bars are not gluten-free in the strictest sense. It's made with rolled oats, which is currently under hot debate as to whether or not oats gluten affects celiac and gluten-sensitive consumers or not. Their website will also tell you this, so they don't label gluten-free. All that said, they're scrumptious if you can eat them! (Compared to some other alternatives, anyway.)

Karina

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