The trend toward organic and raw foods is fast underway, with many snack bars and health drinks offering these more natural versions. One bar that has gone all the way is the Raw Revolution Organic Live Food Bar, which is made of raw, living foods, rather than cooked and processed ingredients.

Raw Indulgence was created by a Registered Nurse and Natural Foods Chef who developed a passion for preparing and eating raw foods.

Why raw foods? In general, raw foods contain more nutrients and enzymes than cooked foods, which usually lose a certain amount of nutrients during the preparation process. Also, a raw food is almost always the healthiest choice. Think about it – you can eat a raw apple but you can’t get a raw Snickers bar!

I am not on a strict raw food diet, but like to eat as naturally as possible, so therefore I do include many raw foods in my diet. I highly suggest replacing any processed foods with raw foods. (If you are interested in a raw food diet, just Google for “raw foods” and you’ll find tons of info.)

Ingredients and Nutrition Facts

Here are the ingredients from the Spirulina & Cashew Raw Revolution bar:

INGREDIENTS: CASHEWS, DATES, AGAVE NECTAR, ALMONDS, SPIRULINA POWDER, SPROUTED FLAX SEED.

And the nutrition facts:

Calories 280
Total Fat 18g
Sat. Fat 3g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholest. 0mg
Sodium 20mg
Total carb. 29g
Fiber 3g
Sugars 17g
Protein 7g

The bar isn’t that big, so 280 calories seems high, but that’s mainly due to the healthy fat content of the cashews and almonds. Some people may feel that 17g sugar is a little high, but I bet most of that comes from the dates, rather than the added sugar (in the form of agave nectar.)

With a product like this I don’t worry too much about the label (since the ingredients are natural,) but regardless, I’d say that’s a good mix of carbs, fat, and protein for a snack. It’s also low in sodium, which is a big plus for anything that comes individually wrapped!

The one thing I do like about the Lara Bar compared to this is that Lara Bars have no added sugar. These Raw Revolution bars contain some agave nectar, which isn’t terrible, but it’s not something you need in your diet.

*Note that the ingredients and nutrition facts are very similar amongst all the Raw Revolution bars.

Raw Revolution Taste Test

Here are my thoughts on a few of the flavors:

Chocolate & Coconut – At first I really tasted the cocoa powder (kind of a bitter chocolate taste,) but then bits of coconut came in to sweeten things up.

There was certainly not as much coconut as in a Mounds bar, just some finely chopped pieces. The bar was mainly a cocoa flavor. I would have liked more coconut flavor!

Overall, the Chocolate & Coconut is not bad, but not a flavor I’d buy again.

Raspberry & Chocolate – With this bar, you still get a little bit of that bitter cocoa flavor, but not much. The raspberry seems blended in very well and adds flavor and sweetness to each bite. So it’s a good mix of chocolate and raspberry flavors, without being too sweet or bitter.

If you like dark chocolate (especially flavored dark chocolate,) I recommend this bar.

Cashew & Agave Nectar – This bar is so soft and sweet. It really, really does have a cashew taste! Smells great too. And none of the ingredients are even close to being bitter!

If you like cashews, you’ll love this bar! It’s like a bar of robust cashew butter!

Spirulina & Cashew – I got really excited about this bar, especially when I saw it was completely green! (Spirulina is basically seaweed!)

This is another sweet flavor. You can taste the cashew but with some “green” flavor to it as well. It’s hard to describe if you’ve never tried spirulina or something like Barlean’s Greens, so I’ll just say, I think it tastes awesome!

Overall, the texture of these Raw Revolution bars may be a bit softer than Larabar, but it is similar. However, it is more oily than any other bar I’ve had! As in, don’t touch it directly, because your hands will become coated in oil!

And don’t expect the chocolate ones to be sweet like candy bars, or you’ll be disappointed.

My final verdict is…

The Raw Revolution food bar tastes good, if you get the right flavor for your taste buds. If you like the idea of raw, natural bars, and you can afford them, this is a pretty good choice. Just remember that these should be a supplement to your normal diet full of raw foods; don’t base your whole diet on these snack bars.

I will definitely buy the cashew-based flavors again when I’m in need of a healthy snack bar.

Official website: www.RawIndulgence.com

Buy online: www.Amazon.com

Ever since I started working out seriously in high school, I have always been a firm believer in working out in the morning. I just thought it was the best way to start the day.

Eventually, I read some articles that said it’s good to workout early. There were all sorts of benefits like burning calories off your body and not just what you’ve eaten during the day. So I kept doing what I was doing.

In later years, it turned into a big debate focused on the best way to burn calories. Some said morning workouts were great for burning body fat, while afternoon workouts did nothing more than burn off some of the food you just had for breakfast and lunch. To decide what I should do, I started to think logically.

So take this for example:

Let’s say Jack works out for an hour starting at 6 AM and burns 600 calories. Then goes to work, eats a few meals, etc, and consumes 2,100 calories. So Jack’s net caloric intake (2100-600) would be 1,500 calories.

Then there’s Jill who slept in, barely made it to work on time, but ate her meals for a total of 2,000 calories consumed. But in the evening she was feeling energetic, so she went for a nice jog and burnt off 500 calories. So in the end, Jill’s net caloric intake (2000-500) was 1,500 calories.

Somehow, both Jack and Jill had the same net caloric intake, even though Jack worked out first thing in the morning and Jill exercised in the evening.

Think of it like this: Jack burnt calories then ate some food to refuel. Jill ate to get fueled, then she did her workout. Whichever way you do it, it works out the same.

But these days, studies are more advanced, and there is a lot more to choosing a time to exercise than simple talk about caloric intake.

Today’s topics include hormone levels and body chemistry. From the NY Times early 2009:

“In various studies, scientists have found that subjects tend to do slightly better on measures of physical performance — including endurance, strength output, reaction time and aerobic capacity — between 4 and 7 p.m. The explanations are numerous: the body’s temperature and hormone levels peak in late afternoon, making muscles more flexible and producing the best ratio of testosterone (the muscle-building hormone) to cortisol (the hormone that does the reverse).”

It sounds awesome, but how much of a difference will it make in your results? If I had to guess, probably not even a noticeable difference! (I don’t know of any studies actually displaying worthwhile results based on changing exercise time, let alone for elite athletes.)

Another NY Times article from late 2009 gets back on this topic, and it makes some interesting arguments, but doesn’t do a whole lot to sway me one way or the other. It’s just another article saying there may be benefits to exercising in the late afternoon or evening, but it’s still not a perfect solution for everyone.

However, I know there are certain benefits to working out in the morning:

First, it makes sure that you do work out. It’s much easier to get your workout out of the way than to schedule it into a busy day where plans can change by the minute. And once you get used to waking up, it will be simple to form your daily routine around these morning workouts.

Second, it will wake you up and clear your mind, so you start the day fresh. There’s a good chance you’ll be more productive with 1 hour of exercise and 8 hours of work than if you just work for 9 hours instead. (That’s because exercise gets your blood flowing, which gets oxygen to your brain, and you can think more clearly as a result!)

Third, logistics. The majority of bicycle races, marathons, and triathlons start fairly early in the morning. It would make sense for you to train in the morning as well.

Think if you always exercise in the late afternoon and never in the morning. Then you have to start a bike race or marathon at 9AM, or heck, a triathlon at 7AM! What will your body think?! Will you know how much to warm up? What can you eat at that hour of the day? Will you even be able to get out of bed?

And don’t forget about daylight if you plan to be cycling outdoors. At this time of year, you could ride in daylight at 7AM, but you’ll be in the dark at 5PM!

Then there are little things like your workouts being compatible with your meal plan. I like how the food in your stomach is more standard in the morning – i.e. an empty stomach. It’s easier to plan your diet for the day when you don’t have a critical workout or event in the middle of the day (fewer meals beforehand means fewer chances to screw them up.)

So you can see that morning workouts are a great idea. They’re easy to schedule, they get you ready for the day, and you will be more prepared for your events.

In the end, sure, the best time to workout is whatever time you can fit a workout into your schedule. But I still vote for morning exercise!

Photo credit: sovett

Expanding my collection of apple cider vinegars, I picked up a bottle of Dynamic Health Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with “Mother” from VitaCost.com (which has become my go-to place for ACV.)

I already liked the Omega Nutrition and Bragg vinegars, but this 16oz bottle was a mere $1.62, so I got one. That is even cheaper than Bragg I think!

All these vinegars seem to be relatively high quality (raw, organic, with “mother,” etc.,) so the main difference is decided during the taste test.

This Dynamic Health ACV is kind of weird compared to the others. It’s almost like apple juice! It has that apple juice sweetness, but then it has the burn of vinegar. It really is like two drinks in one.

The drinking experience is nothing like the Bragg or Omega Nutrition apple cider vinegars, which is not a good thing, because I really liked those vinegars. I can finish the bottle, but it’s not something I’d buy again. It’s just too weird!

But I will say that the taste of the Dynamic Health black cherry juice is much better!

My final verdict is…

It might be worth trying this Dynamic Health ACV since you can get it cheap, and because tastes differ (maybe you’ll like the taste?,) but this is my least favorite apple cider vinegar, so I won’t be buying it again.

Official website: www.DynamicHealth.com

Buy online: www.VitaCost.com

If I’m going to be drinking a glass of apple cider vinegar (ACV) each and every day, I’ll need to vary the brands I buy so I don’t get sick of it. So I grabbed a big bottle of Bragg Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar from VitaCost.com.

This ACV from Bragg is good stuff. The color is a medium yellow with darker brown mother. The “mother” in this is cloudy, rather than being chunks that float around. (Since this 32oz bottle sat a while before I finished it, the color seemed to darken up, so it looked almost like regular apple cider.)

The taste is similar to the Omega Nutrition vinegar, but not quite the same. This is nearly as good though!

Basically, this is what I think apple cider vinegar should taste like. It’s just a standard flavor that isn’t amazing but it’s good and reliable. It has the tangy bite you expect from vinegar, but enough apple cider flavor to make it tasty.

The one thing I wasn’t sure about, however, was the packaging. Bragg comes in a big glass bottle. Sure, that’s classy, but it’s not good for travel. It’s also clear, so I wouldn’t leave it out in the bright light. (Keep it in the cupboard.)

My final verdict is…

With a good taste and cheap price, this is a great choice for ACV. You really can’t go wrong with Bragg.

Official website: www.Bragg.com

Buy online: www.VitaCost.com

Back when I first worked up the courage to try apple cider vinegar (ACV for short,) I was able to get started with Body Ami, a combination of ACV, honey, and fruit juice. It still tasted like vinegar (which I had always hated,) but after a few weeks, I got acclimated to it.

Then some of my friends and relatives tried it, and their collective response was, “it tastes like vinegar.” So that gave me the courage to try regular apple cider vinegar without any fruit juice or honey to sweeten it up.

The first one I tried was Jarrow Formulas Omega Nutrition Apple Cider Vinegar “with mother.” It was $3.63 for a 12oz bottle at VitaCost.com, so it was one of the more expensive ones, but still less expensive than Body Ami.

And you know what? It was good! I guess once you get used to the vinegar taste in any form, you’re all set to try plain vinegar. (Body Ami tastes great but it’s not really any better than this, and this is way cheaper.)

The taste is like a tangy apple cider. I mixed it the same as Body Ami: 1 Tbsp ACV plus 8oz water. That gave a great flavor that was potent but not excessively bitter.

As for quality, this seems top-notch. According to the description, Jarrow Formulas produces their ACV “the old fashioned way.” Basically, it is unpasteurized and unfiltered so it contains all the good natural stuff, like trace minerals and enzymes.

You can even see the mother floating in there. The “mother” is just little bits of pulpy stuff. The vinegar itself is like a medium yellow-brown, then the bits of dark brown mother look like floating plankton.

I have tried a few other apple cider vinegars since trying this Jarrow Formulas Omega Nutrition one, and I must say, this is the best ACV I’ve ever had.

My final verdict is…

Jarrow Formulas Omega Nutrition is a little expensive, but it’s the best tasting ACV I’ve ever had. I’ll buy lots of this stuff, especially when it’s on sale at VitaCost. It’s also nice for traveling because of the small plastic container (whereas many others come in large glass containers.)

Official website: www.OmegaNutrition.com

Buy online: www.VitaCost.com