Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Chews Bars: A Product Review

I love Fiber One Bars from General Mills. My favorite remains the mocha flavored, but the oats and chocolate run a close second.

I appreciate that these bars provide 35% of the daily-recommend amount of fiber while presenting only 4 g of fat.

There are five 1.4 oz bars in each box for a total content of 7 oz. The bars are delicious and contain none of the cardboard taste that is connected with some of Fiber One's competitors.

A single bar represents one serving; making 5 servings per package. Each serving represents 140 calories. Of that amount, only 35 calories are fat related.

Of the 4 g of fat in each bar, 1.5 g are attributed to saturated fat. Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Chews Bars contain no trans fat.

They do; however, contain 29 g of carbohydrate, 10 g of sugar ad 95 milligrams of sodium. On the plus size, they offer 9 g of fat and 2 gram of protein. They also provide 10% of the daily-recommended amount of calcium and 2% of the required amount of iron.

Ingredients include almond, baking soda, barley flakes, canola oil, chicory root extract, cocoa, high maltose corn syrup, honey, milk, natural flavor, palm kernel oil, peanut, rice flour, semisweet chocolate chips, soy, sugar, sunflower, wheat and whole grain oats. They also contain alkali, caramel color, glycerin, maltodextrin, mixed tocopherois, soy lecithin and tricalcium phosphate.

If oats and chocolate don't please your taste buds, Fiber Ones makes 6 other flavors: chocolate mocha, oats and apple streusel, oats and caramel, oats and peanut butter or oats and strawberry. For those even more diet conscious, Fiber One offers in chocolate and chocolate peanut butter. Soon to be released are Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies in chocolate fudge and chocolate peanut butter.

Fiber is an important part of every diet It can help curb an appetite to manage weight. It can also assist in a well-working digestive tract. Finally, because 90% of all Americans don't intake enough fiber, it can help to balance out a daily diet. Scientists and doctors agree that people who have a better fiber intake tend to maintain a much healthier weight overall.

It is important; however, to keep in mind that fiber must be increased slowly in order to avoid excess gas, bloating and gastrointestinal problems. Here is my summary review:

Taste: 5 stars. Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Chewy Bars are scrumptious. In fact, so far, I have enjoyed all the Fiber One Bars I have tried.

Appearance: 5 stars. The bars look as delicious as they taste. You'll think you are cheating, but you are really helping your body to become healthier.

Reputation: 5 stars. General Mills makes some of the best food products available today. Their Fiber One Bars are no exception. General Mills has developed a good reputation because they deliver grade A quality products nearly every time.

Nutrition: 4 stars. While Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Chews Bars are somewhat high in calories, if they are used as a breakfast substitute they really aren't all that bad. True, their carb intake is also a little high, putting them out of the reach of people who are on a low carb diet. While their sugar intake is up there too, it isn't as bad as most candy bars or other treats. As a benefit, though, with Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Chews Bars you are gaining fiber, protein, calcium and iron.

Size: 5 stars. The bars are a good size at 4" in length and 1.35" in width and .75" in depth. They are just enough to curb an appetite and prevent other snacking.

Green rating: 4 stars. The packaging is not reusable but it is biodegradable.

Packaging: 4 stars. The bars come in pale yellow and blue cellophane wrappers with red, brown, black, white and yellow lettering. An accurate representation of the bar is picture on the front. The nutritional facts are printed on the back of each bar. The box that holds the bars is similar in look and contains the same information.

Freshness: 5 stars. A "use by" date is printed on the top of each box of Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Chews Bars. As long as they are used by that date, freshness is virtually guaranteed.

Ease of storage:5 stars. The box measures nearly 6" in length by 5.75" in height and by 1.5" in depth. It is small enough to fit into most kitchen cabinets, pantries, or drawers. Individual bars can fit easily into a handbag, lunchbox or pocket.

Final rating: 4.6 stars, which is excellent.

RATING SCALE:

5 stars = outstanding
4 stars = good
3 stars = average
2 stars = below average
1 star = poor