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Cereal Bars

spryro

By spryro
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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spryro Newbie
spryro
Posted

Hi all, I'm a newbie only recently diagnosed.

I've managed to make most of the usual adjustments but I'm really struggling with picking up snacks when I'm out. I was always a big fan of Eat Natural bars and that sort of thing but I'm now worried to go anywhere near even traces of gluten. Can anyone recommend me something healthy?

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MelindaLee Contributor
MelindaLee
Posted

Hi all, I'm a newbie only recently diagnosed.

I've managed to make most of the usual adjustments but I'm really struggling with picking up snacks when I'm out. I was always a big fan of Eat Natural bars and that sort of thing but I'm now worried to go anywhere near even traces of gluten. Can anyone recommend me something healthy?

My favorite are Kind bars and Nature Valley Nut Crunch. There are others out there that are gluten free, but I don't find them as economical, given their size.

Cypressmyst Explorer
Cypressmyst
Posted

Lara bars are really good and good for you made from dates, nuts and spices, no refined anything. They run anywhere from $1 to $2 depending on where you live. I buy mine in bulk from the Organic Pharmacy online and stock up several months. Both my husband and I eat them every day. :P

sahm-i-am Apprentice
sahm-i-am
Posted

Love LaraBars, too but the price is huge and the size is small. I just bought a food processor and I'm in the process of making my own. They are easy. Next I'm going to experiment with making my own oatmeal bars.

EnviroKids makes a few bars, too as well as Glutino. Is Glutino not safe now? I've been reading about unsafe gluten free foods and I remember hearing about that brand.

lynnelise Apprentice
lynnelise
Posted

Larabars are amazing. Kind bars are good. Nature Valley almond crunch bars aren't bad. I once found a protein bar, I think they were called Bumble Bars, that was gluten free and fairly tasty. I've also made my own granola bars with gluten free oats and also some with quinoa flakes.

i-geek Rookie
i-geek
Posted

Lara bars and Kind bars are my favorites (especially the new dark chocolate-cherry-cashew and blueberry-pistachio Kind varieties- YUM). The chocolate Bumble bars are really good, too. Haven't tried any others...oh, except the Think Thin bars. I wasn't impressed.

Monklady123 Collaborator
Monklady123
Posted

I like the Glutino cereal bars. I buy mine at Whole Foods. They're the most like a gluteny cereal bar, like Neutragrains (spelling?). Also the Natural Valley honey nut ones are good, but they're not a cereal bar, but are more like a granola bar. I eat them both, depending on my mood. :)

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c12 Rookie
c12
Posted

The problem I have with Larabars is that they're SO small. They are pretty densely packed, so you are getting enough to eat, but the fact that I can finish one in two bites is a little disappointing.

KIND bars are longer and you have to chew them more, so they make for a longer-lasting snack.

I also like the Envirokids bars, because they're really more like rice crispy treats, which makes for a good sweet treat.

sb2178 Enthusiast
sb2178
Posted

PURE bars are pretty awful.

I like larabars. Clif bars fruit, nut and sea salt ones are good but pricey for the size.

Making my own works out well: toasted buckwheat flour or quinoa flakes mixed with toasted ground nuts/seeds, ground cinnamon, an egg or two, sunflower seed butter, and honey/agave. Shape into small rounds and flatten. Bake at a low temp for a long time, flipping when lightly browned. If you were light on the sunflower seed butter, I think you would have to add some oil.

You can also buy date paste and do your own larabar.

spryro Newbie
spryro
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for all the advice guys. This is really helpful! Might I ask the reason why people DON"T like particular bars? i.e. Think Thin

Is it just because they don't taste as.... gluteny?

Googles Community Regular
Googles
Posted

I like the Think Thin bars. Lots of different chocolate options. They are the ones I can get around where I am.

i-geek Rookie
i-geek
Posted

Thanks for all the advice guys. This is really helpful! Might I ask the reason why people DON"T like particular bars? i.e. Think Thin

Is it just because they don't taste as.... gluteny?

No- for me it's the sugar substitute. I didn't like the taste and it affected my gut rather unpleasantly (nothing to do with gluten, just some of us react badly to sugar alcohols). I don't care about the "gluteny" factor- I preferred Lara and Kind bars over granola or cookie bars even before celiac disease.

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      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
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