I saw the PowerBar Pure & Simple Energy Bar on sale the other day, and since it had been years since I last had one, I grabbed a couple to review.
Normally I wouldn’t eat an energy bar just for the sake of reviewing it, but the “Pure & Simple” line is more natural than usual, so I figured it wouldn’t be too unhealthy!
According to PowerBar:
“Made from natural ingredients, the Pure & Simple Energy bar contains no high-fructose corn syrup, trans fat or artificial flavoring. Each bar contains 5g of protein, 8g of whole grains, 10% of the daily value of fiber and only 130 – 140 calories, depending on the flavor.”
It’s still not what I would consider a healthy snack, but it’s certainly not the worst option! It’s just a lower-calorie, less-artificial energy bar.
PowerBar Pure & Simple Taste Test
I picked up two flavors to try.
Cranberry Oatmeal Cookie – It smells really good and is a nice, light texture – a little dry but still kinda chewy. The base of oats is sort of bland (or at least not overly sweet,) but the cranberries are freaking sweet! They give it a very potent flavor and powerful sweetness!
It’s alright, but I’ve had other cranberry bars (the PowerBar Iron Girl, to name one) that are much better.
Roasted Peanut Butter – This one smells like roasted peanut butter and it’s soft and chewy! The texture is amazing! (Definitely a different texture than the cranberry.)
The taste is kind of sweet, like the regular peanut butter with sugar in it (rather than natural peanut butter,) but still pretty good for an energy bar.
Normally I’d prefer something more salty like the Clif Mojo bar’s peanut butter flavor, but this Pure & Simple bar is something I’d eat again.
And the good news for normal energy bar haters is that the texture of this can’t even be compared to a regular PowerBar Performance Bar.
My final verdict is…
The bar is a little small and low in calories to carry for bike races and long training rides, but it is a nice change from the typical energy bar texture, and the ingredients are slightly more natural and unprocessed.
Think of it like a Nature Valley bar or Clif Crunch.
Official website: www.PowerBar.com
Buy online: www.Amazon.com
Company: PowerBar
Product: PowerBar Pure & Simple Energy Bar
Reviewed by: Coach Levi
My Rating: out of 5
Date last updated: 2012-09-15
Obtained Product: Purchased at retailer.
CoachLevi.com Advertiser: No.
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Levi Bloom is an experienced endurance athlete who has been training and competing for over 17 years. A former Cat 1 road and mountain bike racer (professional class on the regional circuit), he is now a cycling coach (USA Cycling Level 3 Certified) and sports nutrition coach (Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified).
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