Cruelty-Free: On the Go! Bars, nutritious and delicious

There’s on the go, and then there’s on the go. Sometimes even a super-quick meal is not do-able. If you’re chasing the clock and running to the metro, have back-to-back meetings straight through the day, a meal bar is a good thing to have handy. I also like having meal bars when I am traveling: they’re great to have in flight, or so that I’m not at the mercy of airport food (some airports are much better than others) when I have a layover. Also, when I’m jumping time zones, a bar is a great way to have something to eat because my body, before it’s had time to adjust, wants something… even when it’s almost midnight where I’ve landed.

• Green Tea Bar by SEN CHA
  I love pears and it’s a fantastic recent find for me to have found it in a bar. The Delicate Pear bar has a combination of pears, dates, and plums (plus almonds, black sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and brown rice syrup – yum!). The use of the green tea has it’s own allure, a promise of energy that sounds especially good when I’m having a middle of the afternoon slump and I need a little something crunchy and sweet (but not too sweet) to see me through until dinner time. The claim is that one bar equals three cups of green tea. Hmmmm….
  Flavors to try: Delicate Pear and Lively Lemongrass
• Lara Bar
  The Lara bar was my introduction to raw foods. Although the trend seems have peaked out, some of the raw food options are worth holding onto… and this is one of them. I love the cashew bar. Not low in calorie or low-fat, this is definitely a meal replacement rather than a snack, but also a good way to treat yourself when you’re working so hard that you don’t have time for a sit-down meal.
  Flavors to try: tropical fruit tart, cashew cookie, banana bread (and many more!)
• Macrobar
  This is an up-and-coming bar that I had the opportunity to sample, thanks to working at an organization that promotes vegan eating as a way to end cruelty to animals in agriculture. Keep your eyes peeled for this one at the grocery store. The almond butter with carob is an instant hit with me!
  Flavors to try: almond butter with carob; sesame berry; tahini date
• Clif Bar
  Clif Bars use all-natural, organic ingredients… and they’re easy to find, often even at small, local stores and pharmacies.
  Flavors to try: carrot cake, black cherry almond
• Luna
  A sister to the Clif Bar, created by and for women, with fewer calories plus vitamins and minerals geared for our needs.
  Flavors to try: Chai tea, Blueberry Bliss. My fellow legal intern, Lisa Winebarger, highly recommends the S’Mores flavor.
• Prana Bars:
  Admittedly, a fun part of blogging about this stuff is doing some research from time to time. Although I usually already have my favorites, I will often browse around the aisles looking for a new find to share with you. So last week when I was at Whole Foods doing my shopping, I came across the Prana bar. Of course, since I also own a yoga studio, I was immediately attracted by the name: “prana” means breath, life-giving force. These bars are organic, soy free, dairy free, gluten free, no sugar added, 75% raw… and, I’m happy to report, freakin’ delicious.
  Flavors to try: apricot pumpkin, coconut acai. Another shopper who was standing next to me in the aisle swears by the apple pie flavor, said it was the best of all of them; allergic to apples, I leave that one for you to try on your own.
• 18 Rabbits: I discovered this bar in an airport– eureka!  Look for the ones that are clearly marked as both wheat-free and dairy-free.  Created in San Francisco, these organic treats were inspired by childhood memories of bunnies around the yard and mom’s granola.
  Flavor’s to try: Nibble A Sultana (apricots and raisins), Haute Diggity Date (organic dates and golden raisins)

Are you a chocolate-bar lover? Check out Go Max Go Foods for chocolate bars that are dairy-free. I split a Bucaneer chocolate bar with my coworker Christine yesterday. “Chocolate nougat with a rice-milk chocolatey coating” — fluffy and sweet and perfect for the next time you have a hankering.