Are KIND Bars the Kind of Thing You Should Be Eating?
When someone shows me a product and the term “plant-based” comes out of their mouth, I don’t exactly get all excited and thrilled. In fact, I tend to look at them with a “really?” expression on my face and then slowly walk in the opposite direction. However, I was recently at Sam’s Club and was given samples of KIND bars.
Her pitch started with a, “Would you like to try a delicious plant-based bar made with real food?” It was like her stare was piercing my soul and if I said no, I would be put in a choke-hold by this little old lady. So, I obliged and grabbed a sample of two flavors on the tray to make her happy.
It was at that point where I inserted my foot into my mouth for all the “hippie and tree hugger” comments I made in the past about people going the route of plant-based protein sources (you could also consider trying a Verb Energy Bar). These KIND bars were damn good!
Okay, Okay. KIND bars caught my attention. But was I simply hungry and a chocolate-covered turd could have had the same effect? I decided to buy a variety box that came in both a Crunchy Peanut Butter as well as a Double Dark Chocolate Nut. Both flavors sounded pretty basic and I figured if it turned out that I didn’t like any of the bars after buying the variety box, I’d simply pawn them off on my son and tell him they’re good for him (Dad of the Year Award Nominee).
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program, changing your daily nutrition, or adding any supplements to your regimen.
KIND Bars Aren’t What I Expected… They’re Better
Upon getting the box home, I examined it to see what all the “fuss” was about and what made the bars so great. I knew they were a more natural type of bar that came from ingredients such as nuts, but other than that I never really looked into the bars as I’m more of a protein bar kind of guy rather than a nutritional bar kind of guy — I prefer bars that are high in protein.
The callouts on the label included “Creamy. Crunchy. Delicious.” as well as “Protein from Real Food.” The slogan on the top of the box says, “Ingredients you can see and pronounce.” They claim their bars to be a good source of protein, are gluten-free, and contain no genetically engineered ingredients. One callout that scared me a little was where on the box they claimed, “This is a protein bar that, well, doesn’t taste like a protein bar.” I didn’t know exactly how to take that statement as I’m a fan of protein bars, so exactly how is this going to taste?
While I had already tried samples of these KIND bars at Sam’s Club, I decided to try a full bar and see if the flavor profile changes at all and if there was any sort of aftertaste or unpleasant flavors in the product which I couldn’t find any.
The profile on the two bars was pretty good. Each bar is 50g total weight and contains 250 calories, 17-18g of fat, 17-18g of carbohydrates, 5g of fiber, 8g of sugar (includes 6g of added sugars), and 12g of protein.
I can’t lie, the flavor is great. They have a nice crunchy texture from the nuts and the drizzle on top and peanut butter/chocolate base layer create a nice flavor combination for these bars. Unlike some bars that contain bits and pieces of nuts, these two bars were SLAMMED with whole nuts throughout the entire bar.
The KIND bars actually made me start to wonder if I could make similar bars at home using my own ingredients to form macro ratios to suit my needs — which I may actually try and see how close I can get to something that resembles a protein bar (LOL).
That Being Said… I Should Have Read the Label BEFORE Buying Them
Here’s where things went sideways. And when I say sideways, I mean a full-blown flying elbow off the top turnbuckle WWE style through a table.
I absolutely despise soy protein. I avoid it at all costs. When I bought these KIND bars, in my head the “protein from real food” for some reason made me believe the protein content was going to be only from the nuts present in the bars. WOMP WOMP! I was wrong. Both of the bars contain soy protein isolate. While that might not mean much to some, most people in the sports nutrition realm would agree that they try to avoid any soy ingredient like the plague.
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