An Apple Cinnamon Bar A Day Keeps The Cravings Away!
Written: May 02 '03 (Updated May 15 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great flavor, no after taste, inexpensive, great between meal snack.
Cons: No chocolate coating.
The Bottom Line: If you like apple and cinnamon, chances are you’ll love this bar.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Zone Perfect Zoneperfect Bars Apple Cinnamon Crunc... |
Even though I don’t follow the Zone Diet I’ve found that the Zone Perfect bars, overall, have a great taste, provide you with some of the necessary vitamins ad minerals and do the trick when you are craving a treat. My general diet usually consists of low carbohydrate foods and green vegetables but from time to time I will grab one of these to fight off the munchies when they strike. In the sports nutrition world there are so many bars to choose from that it often times becomes difficult to see the big picture and determine which one is best for your needs. Those that are looking to reduce overall calories, do a low carb diet, need to reduce their sodium level or have allergies should think long and hard before purchasing and consuming these bars. Most have between 200 and 210 calories per serving [one bar, 1.76 ounces], contain about 340 milligrams of sodium [13-15% of the RDA based on a 2,000 calories diet] and some contain dairy products, peanut flour or peanuts.
Even with those strikes against the Zone Perfect bars, I do have to admit that they are better than reaching for a candy bar and will fill you up until you can sit down and eat a proper meal. These aren’t meal replacement bars and shouldn’t be used instead of eating a well balanced meal that will give you the fuel to go through your day. If you tried to use this as a meal replacement you’d find yourself hungry about an hour later, which tempt you to reach for another bar and with the calories and carbohydrates in each bar, it could really ruin your diet if this happens on a regular basis.
What Is It?
As I’ve mentioned in my other Zone Perfect reviews, these bars are the perfect snack between meals, when doing the Zone Diet or something to satisfy your sweet tooth. The bar is based on the Zone principal of eating foods on a 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat ratio. I’m not a huge fan of this type of diet since I am predisposed to gaining weight if I even look at anything with carbohydrates in it so I try to maintain a low carb diet most of the time. One of the main reasons I started purchasing more and more of these bars was the reactions of my boys – they had picked out a few favorite flavors and each time we would go to the store they would ask to try another flavor. Since they aren’t really into chocolate or sweets that much, if they ask for something like this I never argue with them.
Taste
Unlike the Zone Perfect Bars Fudge Graham Cracker, this bar isn’t covered with silky chocolate so you can really see the tiny little soy nuggets and smell the apple cinnamon when you crack open the wrapper. The first second that it hits your tongue your senses are bombarded with a sweet apple flavor and a subtle hint of cinnamon. The crunch is great and it gives you a nice chewy consistency so you actually feel like you are eating something. Normally bars of this size are gone in about five bites but I really found myself savoring the flavor and wanting to stretch it out a little more. My sons went completely crazy over this flavor and took a few of them and banged them on the counter to break them up and sprinkled it over french vanilla ice cream. Sure that sort of defeats the purpose but they are kids and they can get away with it. I was a little disappointed at first that this wasn’t chocolate coated but after downing several of these I can honestly say that the chocolate might have actually taken away from the overall flavor appeal rather than adding to it.
Nutritional Values
If you are following the Zone Diet, this is a great way to stay on track and maintain your 40 / 30 / 30 balance. The added Omega 3 is a plus but since there are only 3 milligrams, it isn’t going to do much for you. I really hoped that this would be a little higher in fiber but it only supplies you with 4% of the RDA [recommended daily allowance]. The fat content is 7 grams or 11% of your RDA so if you are trying to stick with the Zone Diet, use these bars sparingly and never as a meal replacement. They are filling but they are not designed to replace an entire meal. Some of the good points are that this supplies you with 200% of the RDA of Vitamin C and Vitamin B6, 201% of Vitamin E and 50% of Zinc. Considering the size of the bar, those are some nice numbers for those vitamins but on the same token, they can also easily be attained by taking a multi vitamin every day.
Ingredients
Soy protein nuggets, corn syrup, sodium caseinate, cocoa butter, apple bits, sunflower oil, natural flavor, oat fiber, fructose. This bar also contains 2% or less of these ingredients: fig paste, plum and prune pieces, gellan gum, apple pieces, barley flakes, toasted oats, gum arabic, citric acid, guar gum, cinnamon, glycerin, lecithin, ascorbic acid, magnesium oxide, ascorbyl palmitate, zinc oxide, fish oil pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium pantothenate, Riboflavin, chromium chloride, sodium selenite, sodium molybdate, biotin, choelecaliciferol, cyanobalamin. Since sunflower oil is listed in the ingredients those that have allergies to any type of peanut should avoid this bar unless this particular product is something that will not effect you. There is also a warning on the package that states “ May contain traces of peanuts. If you need further information about the ingredients or specifics of this product, please visit the manufacturers website at www.zoneperfect.com
The Bottom Line
I have to give this bar two thumbs up for the great taste and crunch. As I mentioned earlier, when I first unwrapped this I was a little disappointed to see it lacking the chocolate coating but after devouring it I honestly felt that if it had the chocolate coating it wouldn’t taste as good and the apple cinnamon combination would get muted. My boys fell in love with this bar and have grabbed this as a treat after dinner instead of asking for an ice cream bar or chips. Sometimes they do go a little crazy and mix it with ice cream or add it to their cereal but hey, they can get away with it – I can’t. If you are looking for something light that will fill you up for an hour or so between meal and love the apple and cinnamon combination – I highly suggest trying out one of the Zone Perfect Apple Cinnamon bars! If this isn’t a flavor that you like there are tons of others to choose from like Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Caramel Cluster, Chocolate Vanilla Creme, Caramel Apple, Double Chocolate, Peach Yogurt, Strawberry Yogurt, and Lemon Yogurt.
For more information about the Zone Perfect bars or diet, please visit the official website at www.zoneperfect.com. You can also call the toll free number for assistance in finding a retailer in your area that sells these – [800] 666-6830
The Stats
Complete Name: Zone Perfect Bar Apple Cinnamon
Expiration Date: Yes, clearly labeled on the inside bottom flap.
Serving Size: 1 bar, 50 grams – 1.76 ounces
Calories: 210
Carbohydrates: 23 grams
Protein: 14 grams
Price: $1.09
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Other Zone Perfect bar reviews ...
Zone Perfect Chocolate Mint
Zone Perfect Nutrition Bar
Zone Perfect Chocolate Raspberry
Zone Perfect Fudge Graham Cracker
Zone Perfect Chocolate Peanut Butter
Recommended:
Yes
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