NuGo Fiber d’Lish Bars (Formerly Gnu Bars; Dairy-Free Varieties)

Eating homemade meals is always best, but I still like to have an arsenal of energy bars on hand for quick nutrition. For years, I’ve been on a quest for my “perfect” healthy bar, and have found some that come pretty darn close, like Gnu Bars. Hopefully they haven’t changed much, now that they are known as NuGo Fiber D’Lish Bars.

Completely different from any other bar I have ever tried, these snacks are made for those of us who love fiber. Rather than going for crispy, or chewy, or soft and smushy, NuGo Fiber D’Lish Bars have a myriad of textures that allow you to actually taste the different ingredients. Crunchy bits of gently cooked millet, soft bits of fruit, and a hearty-chewy base of oats and wheat all rolled up into one bar.

But aside from the fiber, what I loved most was the complete lack of added sugars in these bars. NuGo Fiber D’Lish Bars are sweetened only with fruit juices and dried fruit. There is no sugar, agave, or evaporated cane juice to be found, yet both my husband and I found each bar to be perfectly sweet.

The lighter sugar content also translates into a lower calorie bar. Each bar clocks in at around 12 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, just 4 grams of fat, and around 150 calories. Not bad!

Tasting Notes for NuGo Fiber d’Lish Bars

As for the flavors, we taste-tested and enjoyed 5 of the 8 dairy-free flavors:

Orange Cranberry

The orange and cranberry scents literally burst from this bar. I was immediately smitten by the orange essence and the jam-packed fruity flavor. Honestly, I hadn’t expected this bar to dazzle me; though I love oranges, orange-cranberry-flavored baked goods have just never done it for me. But the natural tasting zest of this bar was unique, intriguing and delicious. Bites of sweet cranberry contrasted the citrusy orange nicely. Then the backdrop of raisins, apples, and sweet plums increased the indulgence factor.

Cinnamon Raisin

I was certain this flavor would be my favorite; I am a bit of a cinnamon raisin freak. But honestly, it was just okay when compared to the Orange Cranberry. I enjoyed it, but for some reason the whole cinnamon raisin theme didn’t jump out at me. I did taste the raisins, but perhaps my cinnamon overloaded taste buds were just yearning for a bit more. My husband disagreed; he liked these as is, and had no problem in trading me his Orange Cranberry for the Cinnamon Raisin.

Peanut Chocolate Chip

This one wasn’t as intensely peanut butter as I had expected. It had a different fruity-PB vibe that I had yet to taste in another bar. Most seem to really let the PB stand out, but this bar made the peanut butter a piece of the flavor puzzle, which included apples, raisins, and of course, the whole grains. Once I got past the whole traditional peanut butter bar concept, I really enjoyed this one. So much so that my husband never got a bite!

Chocolate Brownie

I was hungry, saw the brown color on the wrapper, and assumed it was chocolate, but didn’t take the time to read the label before tearing into it. The first note I wrote down was, “This bar has a very pleasant chocolate brownie flavor that didn’t grab me on the first bite, but as the first bite gave way to the second a deep chocolate flavor emerged.” I later looked at the wrapper to discover it was called “Chocolate Brownie.” I must say, it is aptly named!

So, will this satiate a chocaholic? Probably not. Does it have a nice brownie vibe? Most definitely. That said, my husband loved this bar, and of the two of us, he is much closer to a chocoholic side than I am. It is definitely a treat, but rather than being overly sweet, it plays off of the natural flavors and it does let the dark chocolaty taste take center stage.  Plus, how many brownie-inspired treats contain a whopping 12 grams of fiber?!

Banana Walnut

I loved the fresh, ripe banana scent. This one is a definite contender with its solid wheat and banana flavor and hint of nutty and bitter walnuts. The Banana Walnut bar is more on the fruity side, and slightly reminiscent of a hearty piece of banana bread. In terms of my favorites, this one fell in the middle of the pack, but it received top marks from my banana bread-loving husband.

In the end, Orange Cranberry Fiber d’Lish Bar was my top choice and Tony’s was the Chocolate Brownie. Mind you, I would gladly devour any of these flavors any day!

The Facts on NuGo Fiber d’Lish Bars (Dairy-Free Flavors)

Certifications: Nugo Fiber d’Lish are Certified Kosher Dairy, Certified Vegan, and Non-GMO Verified.

Dietary Notes: By ingredients, these NuGo Fiber d’Lish are dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, vegetarian. Most varieties are nut-free and peanut-free. Nonetheless, always read the ingredient statement and check with the company on their manufacturing processes for all varieties if potential allergen cross-contamination is an issue for you. Processes and labeling are subject to change at any time for any company / product. At least one flavor does contain dairy.

For More Product Information: Visit the NuGo website at nugofiber.com.