Another day in Atlanta and another little box arrives in the mail, courtesy Larabar. This one contained the latest addition to Larabar’s wonderful assortment of dried fruit and nut bars – ALT.
Each ALT bar contain 10 grams of protein derived from peas. The wrapper is made from 31% plant-based material. There you have it – a dried fruit and nut bar that is gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, dairy-free, kosher, non-GMO and choc-a-full of protein! Seems like a fabulous deal, no?
Unfortunately, I couldn’t stand the taste. It seemed a little odd in flavor, for lack of a better description. Texturally, it was nowhere as soft as the regular Larabars, feeling more coarse and grainy in comparison.
I am not sure if it is the taste of pea protein or the fact that all four flavor combinations contain peanuts or that the ingredient list now contains brown rice flour, brown rice syrup and natural flavor. I tend to be suspicious of the term ‘natural flavor.’ What does the flavor contain? What is it derived from? And so on…
To make a long story short, I am not a fan of ALT. In fact, I have a Cinnamon Apple Crisp Bar and a Peanut Butter Cookie Bar that I need to give away because I don’t think I will enjoy them.
I keep going back to the older Larabar combinations. Currently, my pantry contains one each of the Coconut Cream Pie, Lemon Bar, Cashew Cookie, Key Lime Pie, Banana Bread and two of the Pecan Pie. Clearly, I am a traditionalist.
Aparna B. says:
I have not heard of these! That’s a bummer that they maybe aren’t the tastiest. I have a hard time eating things with a weird texture. If something seems gritty or overly grainy or something, I tend to not finish it :-X
June 7, 2013 — 8:12 am
Lakshmi says:
That’s exactly what happened to me. Couldn’t finish the Pumpkin Pie Spice. Hubby obliged… He didn’t like it much either.
June 7, 2013 — 11:28 am
dixya| food, pleasure, and health says:
so sorry about the not so good tasting bars. I am not a big fan of bars unless they are really really good.
June 10, 2013 — 6:17 pm
Lakshmi says:
Larabar is the only kind I get. I buy the old flavors, the ones that were introduced at the beginning. Haven’t been impressed by any of the newer ones yet.
June 10, 2013 — 6:35 pm