Nature's Plus Spiru-tein Sports Bar is a Meal Replacement Bar
Written: Oct 03 '02 (Updated Mar 02 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Tastes great, lots of vitamins, gives me a post workout boost.
Cons: Too much sugar for it to be 5 stars.
The Bottom Line: Although small and not inexpensive for its size, this is a delicious and nutritious meal replacement bar. I am recommending it.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Natures Plus Spirutein Sports Bar |
I bought Nature’s Plus Spriru-tein Bar (I bought a few.) after finding out how much I liked the Spiru-tein Shake (which I reviewed). I did look at the ingredients and the size and thought it would be great to throw in my gym bag or as a snack during my work day.
What it is:
This is an energy supplement advertised as a high protein energy meal. It is meant to be an energy booster or a meal replacement bar not unlike the shake. (I will be comparing the shake which comes in powder form and will just refer to it as the shake.) Why buy the bar instead of the shake? Well we’ll see if there are major differences between the two, but really it is a personal preference. There are times I want something to eat and sometimes a refreshing drink after a workout is nice.
The bar is small at 1.4 ounces when compared with a Power Bar Protein Plus which is 2 3/4 ounces but larger than the Power Bar Pria which comes in under 1 ounce. It has 160 calories (versus 179 calories with skim milk for the shake). In addition it has 4 grams of fat- 1 of which is saturated (The shake had none.) and with 14 grams of sugar it has 5 more grams of sugar than the shake. I did grimace when I saw the amount of sugar in these bars, but bought them anyway. The Spiru-tein bar has 10 rather than 14 grams (in the shake) of plant-based protein, other essential nutrients, and 21 grams of carbohydrates per serving.
This is significant. When I wrote my review on the shake I commented that the shake only had 12 grams of carbohydrates and that wouldn’t be enough to constitute a true meal replacement shake. However, since I should eat (according to my Personal Trainer Manual) about 80 grams of carbohydrates a day, having 21 grams in this bar is terrific.
We need carbohydrates, which are stored in the body as glycogen, since it is the predominant energy source for muscle-building exercise. The harder and longer you work out, the more glycogen your muscles require. So going full circle, we need the carbohydrates to replace the glycogen used during your workout.
There is no cholesterol, 90 mg of sodium (versus 140), 190 mg of potassium, (versus 110) and 3 grams of fiber (versus 1).
I paid $1.45 for these bars in a local health food store. The shakes come out to about $1.19 per drink. However doing a search I found these for $1.00 each if you buy 20 and the shipping is free! http://store.yahoo.com/vitaglo/spirbar14oz1.html
What is in it?
There are some interesting additions and information about Spiru-tein:
You will see on this product and more and more on others NON-GMO natural soy. What that means is that the soy used in this product or any that carries that stamp does not use genetically modified soybeans.
You will get 50% (rather than the 100% in the shake) of the vitamins you need based on a diet of 2,000 calories.
The vitamins are:
A, C, D, E, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, B6, Folic Acid, B12, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Iodine, and Zinc. In addition you will get 30% Calcium, 25% Iron, 15% Magnesium, 15% Selenium, 130% Manganese, 8% Chromium
15% Molybdenum and 5% Potassium.
There is a “powerful blend of spirulina” and I will explain spirulina below. *
The protein in this product is soy and the bee pollen it contains is for energy. Those are considered the energy nutrients.
Lecithin, Spirulina, Choline and Inositol are considered diet aids. Lecithin is an important natural source of choline, inositol, and linoleic acid. Choline and iositol are vital components of all call walls, and play important roles in cell growth and functionhttp://www.good-vitamins.com/index.html?target=Diet_Aids.html
Bromelain and Papaya are the enzymes in Spiru-tein. They are a source of fat and protein digesting enzymes, which enable foods to be broken down in the digestive process. Full digestion prevents the body from overloading on unused food and storing this excess as fat.
http://telstardrug.safeshopper.com/31/340.htm?698
Chlorophyll is the cleansing ingredient. Chlorophyll is the molecule that absorbs sunlight and uses its energy to synthesize carbohydrates from CO2 and water. This process is known as photosynthesis and is the basis for sustaining the life processes of all plants. Since animals and humans obtain their food supply by eating plants, photosynthesis can be said to be the source of our life also. http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/chlorophyll/chlorophyll_h.htm
Bran, cellulose and apple pectin provide the fiber in this powder.
This is a vegetarian product and is yeast free.
Spriru-tein makes a shake for juniors but the bar I consider for adults. You may decide to give your child a bar or 1/2 of one, but please check with your doctor first. There are vitamins and minerals that your child’s doctor may not want him or her to have.
How to use the bar:
It is suggested that you eat a bar with 8-ounces of water. The bar, which is a foil wrap opens easily. I cannot find an expiration date on it. There is a code and codes always bother me because I have to call the company to find out what the code date is. The shake canister had a clearly marked date on the bottom.
The flavors:
Original Carob-Coated Bar,
Carob/Chocolate Bar,
Yogurt-Coated Strawberry Bar,
Yogurt-Coated Banana Bar,
Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Bar,
Nutty Berry Burst Yogurt-Coated Bar (http://www.herbshop.com/np_spiru.htm#bars)
Other sites sell 20 bars from $24 - $28.00.
What is the bar like?
I am specifically reviewing the All Natural Carob Coated Bar. I also bought the Yogurt Coated Strawberry Bar. I had tried the Banana and Nutty Berry Burst shakes and liked them a lot. As you can see they are all coated with carob, chocolate or yogurt. I love chocolate so I knew if I liked the other coatings, I would certainly like the chocolate. Carob, for some, is an acquired taste.* (Information about carob is below.)
These bars, like the shakes are delicious. The coating is creamy and tasty. There is no aftertaste. The inside is a light brown slightly chewy substance. It tastes as good as a candy bar, but this bar is much more nutritious; I have no doubts about this one. They aren’t too sweet in spite of the amount of sugar.
I haven’t found them, though, as filling as the shake which is why a glass of water with it will help! Again this is a small bar and if it didn’t have so much sugar I would say to have two and that would give you 100% of most vitamins.
Who and what is this bar for and what did it do for me?
Unlike the shake, I do feel the bar is a true meal replacement. Although it only has 10 grams of protein, since I eat about 5 times a day and need between 40-50 grams of protein a day, this number works out fine. It may not for a larger person – I weigh 125 pounds. After I work out and I eat one, although I am not full, it does give me the boost I need and with water will last me a couple of hours until a real meal.
I find this bar to be perfect for an after-workout meal if I haven’t had time to make a shake or don’t want the liquid. If you do heavy lifting and are much heavier, you may want to go with a bar like the Power Bar Protein Plus which isn't as delicious but it has 24 grams of protein.
Ingredients: from
http://www.herbshop.com/np_spiru.htm and the package.
All the flavors have the same percentage of vitamins and minerals and very similar ingredients. What changes are the ingredients that make the flavors, the flavors.
High fructose complex (Note this is sugar and is not the first ingredient in the shake. The first ingredient in the shake is the second ingredient in the bar.), non-GMO isolated soy protein, peanut butter (In the carob coated bar), oat bran, calcium(phosphate), maltodextrin, natural vanilla flavor, magnesium(oxide), honey, vegetable glycerin, guar gum, choline bitartrate, psyllium, spirulina, vitamin C, vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol), iron(fumarate), inositol, potassium citrate, biotin, apple pectin, bee pollen, niacinamide, vitamin A(palmitate), zinc (oxide), manganese (sulfate), pantothenic acid (calcium pantothenate), bioflavonoids, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine HCL), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B1 (thiamine HCl), chlorophyll, vitamin B12, vitamin D, folic acid, bromelain, papaya, iodine (potassium iodide), chromium chloride, selenium (sodium selenite) and molybdenum (sodium molybdate). COATING: Malt, vegetable oil, carob and lecithin. I left in the vitamins even though I had listed them so you could see if you wanted to where they are in the ingredient chain.
My Final Thoughts:
I like the Spiru-tein bars. They have a decent amount of protein for me and can be supplemented if you want more carbohydrates or protein. They are delicious, come in a lot of flavors and are easy to take with you. This, like the shake, will be a 4 star product for me and I intend to buy other flavors in the future. If it had less sugar and more protein I would consider giving it 5 stars. It is an above average bar, though, in my opinion and I will continue buying them.
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* There are family species of microalgae such as blue-green algae spirulina and aphanizomenon, and green algae chlorella and dunaliella. Spirulina's scientific name is arthrospira platensis. This edible algae has a long history of safe human consumption and over 30 years of safety testing. Special farms where spirulina is cultivated under controlled conditions do not allow the growth of other contaminant blue-green algae, as in lakes and waterways.
http://www.spirulina.com/SPBenefits.html
* (Carob- Carob (Ceratonia siliqua)
FABACEAE, Legume Family
Many residents of southern California have seen carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua) planted around town. Carob is an evergreen tree with pinnately compound leaves (have 2 to 6 pairs of oval leaflets), which can grow to a height of 15 meters and be very handsome. Nevertheless, this species is grown around the world primarily as a food crop, for its sweet and nutritious fruits.” http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Ceratonia/
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Recommended:
Yes
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